x

1. From the ReportCaster Console, click the Log menu option. The ReportCaster - Schedule Log Selection Criteria dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

   

2. From the Owner drop-down list, select a specific schedule owner (user ID). You can select:
   • a single owner.
   • all owners in the list by selecting the asterisk (*).
   • multiple owners using the shift key or control (Ctrl) key, as in a standard Windows interface.
3. Click OK.

   A list of schedules for the selected owner(s) appears, as shown in the following image.

   

   The schedule list interface contains icons that allow you to:

   • Log. View a log report for specific schedules or for all schedules in your list. For more information, see How to View a Log Report.
   • Purge. Delete log file information for specific schedules in your list or for all schedules in your list. For more information, see Purging the Log File.
   • Refresh. Display the most current list of schedules that match the previously selected criteria.
   • Help. Open the online Help documentation.

x

Once you have generated a list of schedules for a log report, perform the following steps to view a log report for a selected schedule.

1. From the list of schedules, select one or more schedules and click the Log icon.

   Note: To select multiple schedules, use the Shift key and Control (Ctrl) key, as in a standard Windows interface.

   The ReportCaster - View Log Selection Criteria dialog box opens with the Selected Schedule check box active and checked, as shown in the following image.

   

   To switch from the item(s) you selected to viewing all schedules in the list, uncheck the Selected Schedule check box. If you want to change your selection criteria, click Cancel and reselect a schedule from the list.

   To view a log report for all schedules:

   Click the Log icon without selecting a schedule. The ReportCaster - View Log Selection Criteria dialog box opens with the Selected Schedule check box inactive and unchecked, as shown in the following image.

   

   If you want to change your selection criteria, click Cancel and reselect a schedule from the list.

2. Select one of the following option buttons:
   • Last Executed. Produces a log report containing the most currently run process for the selected schedules or for all schedules (if you did not select a schedule). This is the default value.
   • All Executed. Produces a log report containing all run processes for the selected schedule(s) or for all schedules (if you did not select a schedule).
   • Date Executed. Activates the Start Date and Start Time fields.

   If you have selected the Date Executed option, proceed to Step 3. Otherwise, proceed to Step 5.

3. In the Start Date field, specify the date on which you want the log report to begin. The report will display all processes for the selected schedule (or schedules) that were run on or after the specified start date. You can either type the start date directly in the field or select a start date from the drop-down calendar. The current date is the default value for the Start Date field.
4. In the Start Time field, specify a start time for the start date by entering it directly into the text boxes, or by using the drop-down lists. 1:00 AM is the default value for the Start Time field.
5. Click OK to run the log report.

Top of page

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.

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 images shows an example of a log report for multiple schedules.

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:

• User. ReportCaster user ID, indicating the owner of the schedule.
• Procedure. Unique key generated by ReportCaster that identifies a specific execution of a scheduled job.
• Schedule ID. Unique key generated by ReportCaster that was assigned to the job when it was scheduled.
• Start Time. Date and time the job started running.
• End Time. Date and time the job finished running.

In the second column, the log report specifies messages consisting of the following:

• General information, such as the method of distribution for a particular job (for example, e-mail distribution).
• Processing information, indicating that the request started, distribution was successful, and the request was completed. Processing information also includes reasons why a request failed, such as the unavailability of a data source.

x

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.

The following procedure contains an &ECHO variable and a -TYPE command.

-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

When this procedure is scheduled using ReportCaster, it will produce a log report similar to the following.

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

x

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

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 Distribution 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 Distribution 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 and distribution methods are not permitted to run, error notification is triggered and information is included in 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 and distribution methods in the schedule.

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