Distributing Reports :: SAS(R) Web Report Studio 4.2: User's Guide

About Distributing Reports

The Distribute Report Wizard enables you to distribute reports by using e-mail as a PDF attachment or embedded HTML. Reports with group breaks can be distributed to targeted recipients based on the breaks. For example, you have a sales report with group breaks on regions. Each sales manager in the recipient list could receive information on his or her respective region only.

The distributed output is external only; it is not saved to the report repository.

To distribute a report, a scheduling server must be available and you must have the authorization to distribute reports. For more information, contact your system administrator.

Note: Only advanced users can distribute reports or manage recipient lists. If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator.

Prepare for Distribution

For information about preparing for report distribution, see the SAS Web Report Studio chapter in SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

Distribute a Report

Note: You cannot prepare for distribution and distribute a report during the same report distribution process.

To launch the Distribute Report Wizard, perform one of these tasks:
- When a report or stored process is displayed in View mode, select FileDistribute.
- In the File Management window, next to the name of the report or stored process that you want to distribute, click in the Actions column, and then select Distribute.
The first wizard page appears.
Specify the interval for running the report.

The rest of the information that you must provide depends on your selection. If you select Now, then you do not need to select any other options.
For any Run report option other than Now, specify the time that you want to run the report. You can also specify the starting and ending (if applicable) date range for the schedule.

Distribute Report Wizard – Step 1
Click Next to go to the next wizard page, or click Finish.

Note: If the report has prompts that are not optional, then you must specify prompt values before exiting.
If the report has prompts, a wizard page displays those prompts.

Distribute Report Wizard – Step 2
After you enter the required prompt values, click Next to go to the next wizard page.
Specify whether you want to distribute the report by using e-mail as a PDF attachment or as embedded HTML.
(Optional) Enter text for the subject line of the e-mail.
Enter the Sender address.
(Optional) Enter a display name for the Sender address. If your e-mail address is stored in metadata, then this field is automatically filled in. If you type another e-mail address here, then the address is stored in the repository and is filled in the next time you distribute a report.
(Optional) Enter text for an e-mail message to accompany the report.
If you want to change a currently selected recipient list or the currently set group break division, click Recipients and Distribution Rules.

Note: If there is a recipient list already selected, the list name appears next to the Recipients and Distribution Rules button.

Complete these steps in the Specify Recipient Rules dialog box:
1. Select a recipient list. The contents of the list are displayed beneath the selection box. (Recipient lists are created by your system administrator.)
  
  Recipients and Distribution Rules Dialog Box
2. If the report has more than one section, select the section of the report that contains the group break information that you want to use for distribution. (All sections of the report will be distributed.)
3. Either clear the Group break option, or select the option and choose a group break from the drop-down list. This option only appears if you selected a section that contains group breaks.
4. If you selected the Group break option, then assign each available group break to a column in the recipient list. The number of group breaks that are available depends on which group break level you selected in step 6c. For example, if you selected the third group break level in step 6c, then three group break levels are available to assign to columns. If you selected the first group break level, then only that level is available to assign to a column.
  
  Note: The associations between group breaks in the report and columns in the recipient list should make sense. For example, it makes sense to assign a Product Category group break to a Product Category column in the recipient list.
5. Click OK to return to the wizard page.
Note: If you are a system administrator, then this dialog box also contains a New icon and a Remove icon. For more information about creating and removing recipient lists, see the SAS Web Report Studio chapter in SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.

Distribute Report Wizard – Step 3
Click Next to go to the next wizard page, or click Finish.
If you click Next, the summary page appears. The summary page might contain the following information, depending on your selections on the previous wizard pages:
- name of the report
- time that the report is scheduled to run
- any prompt values
- report section that contains the group break that you are using to divide the report
- group break that you are dividing the report on
- targeted recipient list
Distribute Report Wizard – Step 4
(Optional) Perform one or more of these tasks:
- Send a copy of the distributed report to the Sender address that you selected on the previous wizard page.
- Test your distribution settings. You can send the results to the Sender address, and you can view the results when the test is complete. Click Run Test to run the test.
  Note: To make changes to your selections on previous wizard pages, click Back.
Click Finish to save your settings and exit the wizard.

View a List of Distributed Reports

To view a list of the reports that you have scheduled by using the Distribute Report Wizard, complete these steps:

From the Welcome window or Edit mode, select FileManage Files to access the File Management window.
Open the List of Scheduled Reports dialog box. The name of the link that opens the dialog box depends on your role:
- If you do not have permission to distribute reports, you will not see a link.
- If you can schedule but not distribute reports, then click View scheduled reports.
- If you can both schedule and distribute reports, then click View scheduled and distributed reports.
The List of Scheduled Reports dialog box contains the following information:
Last updated

This field displays the date that the list of scheduled and distributed reports was last updated.

Refresh lists

Select this option to update the list of reports.

Schedule, Actions, Schedule Definition

This field displays the name of each scheduled and distributed report and the time that each report is scheduled to run or be distributed.

To see a menu of options for editing and deleting a specific scheduled or distributed report, click in the Actions column.
Occurrence, Status, Date/Time

This field displays the status of the last three occurrences of each scheduled and distributed report, either Failed, Executed, or Running. The Date/Time column displays the date and time for each successful or failed execution. Each report can have up to three occurrences listed, not including occurrences with the status of Running.

If the status is Failed, take these actions to try to resolve the problem:

rerun the schedule or distribution

delete the schedule or distribution, re-create it, and then run it again

contact your system administrator
Note: The scheduling and distributing features are not available if a scheduling server is not available or if you do not have authorization to schedule and distribute reports.

A List of One Scheduled Report, One Distributed Report, and One Successful Execution
When you are finished viewing the information, click Close.

Edit a Distribution Plan

To edit a report schedule that you have scheduled by using the Schedule Report Wizard or distributed by using the Distribute Report Wizard, complete these steps:

From the Welcome window or Edit mode, select FileManage Files to access the File Management window.
Open the List of Scheduled Reports dialog box. The name of the link that opens the dialog box depends on your role.
- If you do not have permission to distribute reports, you will not see a link.
- If you can schedule but not distribute reports, then click View scheduled reports.
- If you can both schedule and distribute reports, then click View scheduled and distributed reports.
Next to any scheduled occurrence of the report or folder of reports that you want to edit, click in the Actions column.
Depending on which wizard you used to schedule the report, select Schedule or Distribute.

Scheduled and Distributed Reports Dialog Box
Make your changes in the Schedule Report Wizard or the Distribute Report Wizard.

For more information about how to use the wizards, click Help on any wizard page.
To close the List of Scheduled Reports dialog box, click Close.

Note: Only authorized users can edit reports that they have scheduled or distributed. If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator.

Delete a Distribution Plan

To delete a report that you have scheduled by using the Schedule Report Wizard or distributed by using the Distribute Report Wizard, complete these steps:

Select FileManage Files to access the File Management window.
Click View scheduled and distributed reports to open the List of Scheduled Reports dialog box.
Next to any scheduled occurrence of the report or folder or reports that you want to delete, click in the Actions column, and then select Delete Schedule or Delete Distribution.
In the confirmation message box that appears, click OK.

Note: When you delete a schedule or distribution, all references to executing the schedule or distribution are also removed from the Occurrence, Status, Date/Time box.
To close the List of Scheduled Reports dialog box, click Close.

Note: Only authorized users can delete reports that they have scheduled or distributed. If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator.