Using Schedule Logs

In this section:

Reference:

Log reports enable you to view information about a distributed job, such as whether or not the job executed successfully, when the scheduled output was distributed, in what format the distributed output was sent, and the method of distribution. Log reports are stylized HTML format and display in a separate browser window. You can search, print, or save the log report.

The log file accumulates information and can become difficult to navigate. Therefore, you should periodically purge log records in order to conserve space. For details on purging the log file, see Purging the Log File.

From the ReportCaster Development Interface, access the schedule job logs by selecting the Job Logs tab. The following image is an example of the logs displayed in the Job Logs tab.

List of logs in the Job Logs tab

Select the job folder in the left pane to display the jobs that ran for that schedule. The following image shows the jobs for the Sales_NE schedule.

Job Log for Sales NE schedule

The list in the right pane provides basic information about the job execution, including the Job Id, the time the job started running, the amount of time it took to complete the execution of the job, and the general status of the job. To view a full log report for a job, double-click the job of interest in the job list.
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Example: Reading a Log Report

The log report displays information according to your specifications in a separate browser window. One log record is produced for each scheduled job run in the specified time frame. The following image provides an example of a typical log report.

Job Process Log Report

If you chose to view log reports for multiple schedules, the Job Process Log Report contains a log record for each schedule you selected. The following image shows an example of a log report for multiple schedules.

Job Process Log Report

The log report first lists the job description for the record, which is the unique description identifier that you specified when you created the schedule. Underneath the Job Description, the left column of the log report includes the following information:

In the second column, the log report specifies messages consisting of the following:
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Reference: &ECHO and -TYPE Support in Log Reports

Values from &ECHO variables and –TYPE commands in WebFOCUS procedures appear in log reports. The &ECHO variable displays command lines as they execute in order to test and debug procedures. The -TYPE command enables you to comment and evaluate your code for informational and debugging purposes. For example, if the following procedure is scheduled using ReportCaster, it may produce a log report similar to the example that follows this procedure. 

-SET &ECHO=ALL;
-TYPE Country Sales and Growth 
-TYPE Parameter RATE is passed into report to forecast potential sales growth
TABLE FILE CAR
HEADING
"Sales Growth Forecast using Rate: &RATE "
SUM SALES AS 'Sales' 
COMPUTE GROWTH/D12.2 = (SALES * &RATE) + SALES; AS 'Sales, Forecast' 
BY COUNTRY AS 'Country'
END

The following image shows an example of the log report.

Job Process Log Report

Note: For more information about &ECHO variables, see Testing and Debugging a Dialogue Manager Procedure in the Developing Reporting Applications manual.
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Reference: Considerations When Viewing a Log Report

When viewing a log report, be aware of the following considerations.

Task and Report Names:

The ReportCaster Log references Managed Reporting folders and FEXes by their names and not their descriptions.

E-mail Addresses:

ReportCaster cannot validate e-mail addresses since e-mail validation is performed by the mail server. The log report will include any e-mail addresses validated by the mail server and returned to ReportCaster.

Burst Reports:

  • If a valid burst value is omitted in a Distribution List, Distribution File, or Dynamic Address List, ReportCaster treats the blank value as if it is a valid burst value, and no entries indicating a blank burst value appear in the log file. This will significantly reduce the size of the log file, particularly when the database contains many values for the primary field and only a small subset of those values are burst.
  • If a burst value is specified in a Distribution List, Distribution File, or Dynamic Address List and it is not found in the database, the following message appears in the log file: 
    Burst Value: value is not in the database.
  • When a report is successfully burst, the log file will include the following message for each burst value:
    FILE filename SUCCESSFULLY DISTRIBUTED TO destination FOR burst value.

Unavailable Options:

When schedules with unavailable Task Types or distribution methods are not permitted to run, error notification is triggered. Information is included in the full and brief notifications and in the log report that your ReportCaster administrator or the owner of the schedule must change the unavailable Task Types or distribution methods in the schedule.

When schedules with unavailable Task Types or distribution methods are permitted to run, normal job execution occurs and a message appears in the log report indicating that your ReportCaster administrator is allowing existing schedules using the unavailable Task Types or distribution methods to run.
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Troubleshooting Log Reports

How to:

If you do not receive a log report because there is an insufficient amount of memory available, this may be because the report is too large or you have too many windows open. We recommend closing all windows and attempting to run the log report again. If you are still unsuccessful, rerun a schedule that successfully created a log report. If you are successful in running the log report, this confirms that the original log report that did not run was too large to be processed. Contact your ReportCaster administrator to help you troubleshoot this issue.

As a ReportCaster administrator, use the following steps to troubleshoot a Log Report.
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Procedure: How to Troubleshoot ReportCaster Log Reports
  1. Rerun a schedule that successfully created a log report. If you are successful in running the log report, this confirms that the original log report that did not run was too large to be processed. Proceed to Step 2.

    Note: To complete the following steps, you must be a ReportCaster administrator.

  2. Set the Log Purge Period setting in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool to the minimum number of days that the log reports are needed. Although the default is 30 days, you may not need to retain the log file for such a long period of time.

    Set the Log Purge Time setting in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool to the time you want to purge the log file. By default, log purging occurs at 1:00 A.M.

    You should verify that your ReportCaster Distribution Server is running at the time of the log purging. You can review the log information for the 'system' ID to confirm log purge processing results.

    For more information about the Log Purge Period and Log Purge Time settings, see Configuring ReportCaster Using the Applet Tool.

    Note: Library expiration purging occurs one hour after the Log Purge Time. By default, library purging occurs at 2:00 A.M. each day. Be aware that log and library purging may overlap depending on the number of log reports you are purging.

  3. Verify the memory (heap size) available for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the Application Server. The size of ReportCaster log reports is limited by the amount of memory available to the JVM. When the memory of the JVM is exceeded, an OutOfMemoryException message occurs. In such a case, you may want to increase the amount of JVM memory configured. To verify the amount of JVM memory configured, see your Web server servlet configuration.

    If the Distribution Server experiences a Java out of memory error, you must increase the amount of memory (heap size) available to Java on the Distribution Server. You can do this through a command line entry or using the Registry Editor, depending on how you started the Distribution Server.

    To change the heap size using the command line, use one of the following:

    • Pass the heap size parameters on the Java command line, as follows:
      java -Xms<initial
heap size> -Xmx<maximum heap size>

      For example, 

      java -Xms256m -Xmx512m
    • If the Distribution Server is running from the command line, then edit the schbkr file located in the ReportCaster bin directory.

    If the Distribution Server is running as a service on Windows, then use the Registry Editor to change the value of the JAVAOPTIONS registry key.

    Restart the Distribution Server to enable the change.

WebFOCUS