Scheduling with the File-based Repository

Introduction

XLCubed Web Edition can be used to deliver reports to users automatically.

Using a schedule you can define which reports go to which users, and can optionally parameterise the results.

Scheduling maintenance is setup in the browser using the icon.

This article is about configuring XLCubed Scheduling, you can also find more information about Scheduling Installation.

Concepts

The scheduling module is made up of a few key parts.

SMTP Servers

An SMTP server is a computer that is configured to send emails. You will need to set one up so that reports can be delivered to your users.

Delivery

For the simplest cases you can enter the email addresses of your users to get reports delivered to them.

Often this list must updated, in which case it may be better to set up distribution rules.

Report Distribution

XLCubed allows two different ways to set up the recipients for a report. The first is ideal for where the report needs to be sent to just one or two people. Just type in the email addresses and it’s ready to go.

The alternative is slightly more complex to set up, but once set up, it’s easy to make new reports with the same recipients. To use this, you set up a Distribution Group, composed of any number of people. To make it easy to set up the reports as needed, each Group is assigned a Database Role to use and a Locale to format its numbers and dates. One or more Distribution Groups are assigned to each Distribution List, so that your scheduled report can be sent to more than one group at once:

Distribution Groups

A Distribution Group defines a set of users by their email addresses. Also associated with this is a locale for formatting the report (Numbers appear as 1,234.56 or 1.234,56) and a database role to run the report as.

For example you could define "USA Managers" to run with US formatting under the US role, and have "German Managers" run with their own settings.

Distribution Lists

A Distribution Lists is a set of Distribution Groups which are linked together so a report goes to all users in all groups at the same time.

For example you could define "Managers" as a list comprosed of the USA Managers and the German Managers, and have reports sent to all of them.

Schedules

A Schedule defines:

• Which Reports get sent
• Who they are sent to
• When they are sent

If you wish to have a different set reports go to different people then this would be a new schedule.

Picking Reports

When picking a Report to be added the dialog box offers some options.

Parameters

Report paramaters are defined in XLCubed Excel edition. You can set fixed values, or pick one of the Placeholders to be set up when the report is generated.

Roles

Sets the role to run the report as, useful if you have cube security. This setting will override any setting made for a Distribution Group.

Attach As

Defines the format of the report to be dilivered, either Pdf or Excel file.

Placeholders

By entering these custom values as report parameters you can customise the file for each user.

Code	Description
%date%	Inserts the current date
%time%	Inserts the current time
%datetime%	Inserts the current date and time
%rolename%	Inserts the database role or roles that are being used
%groupname%	Inserts the name of the distribution group
%email%	Inserts the email address of the recipient
%displayname%	Inserts the display name of the recipient
%sendiftrue%	Triggers sending of the report

If %sendiftrue% is used the report will be generated normally, but only sent to users it this parameter is calculated to be TRUE.

This allows exception reporting, for example you could set the formula in the parameter cell to be

=Or(Sales < 1000, Losses > 50)

if you had appropriate names defined in Excel.