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1. From the New Schedule - ReportCaster window, click the Tasks tab and then New.

   The New Task - ReportCaster window opens with a Task Type of WF Server Procedure, as shown in the following image.

   

2. In the Task Name field, type a name that describes this Task (for example, Sales Report).
3. From the Server Name drop-down list, select the server from which you want to select the report.
4. From the Execution ID drop-down list, specify an Execution ID that is authorized to execute procedures on the server specified in Step 3.

   If this field is grayed out, it means that a default Execution ID and password have been specified within the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool.

   If the Execution ID field is not grayed out, and you will be using an Execution ID that you previously used for a Task on the selected server, you can select the Execution ID (for example, rcadmin) from the drop-down list, shown in the following image.

   

   If the Execution ID field is not grayed out and you will be using a new Execution ID, perform the following steps:

   1. Type the Execution ID and click Password. The Password dialog box opens.
   2. Type the password for the Execution ID.
   3. Confirm the password for the Execution ID.
   4. Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.

      Note: The Execution ID is added to the ReportCaster Repository and is viewable in the ReportCaster Console.

5. Click the Choose WF Server Procedure button to select a WF Server Procedure to schedule.

   The Select WF Server Procedure window opens, as shown in the following image.

   

   When a WebFOCUS Reporting Server is Application Enabled, you will see a node called Applications. When you open the Applications node, a query is made to the server to retrieve a list of applications found under its Application Root (APPROOT) directory. When you open an application (for example, ibinccen), a request is issued to the server to get the list of accessible files in the application, as shown in the following image.

   

   Note: When a WebFOCUS Reporting Server is configured with the traditional Cataloged Path (EDAPATH) setting, you will see Applications and Cataloged Path nodes listed under the server. For more information about these concepts, see Data Servers Feature in the WebFOCUS Managed Reporting Developer's Manual.

6. Select the WF Server Procedure (for example, salerank) and then click OK to return to the Tasks tab.
7. Optionally, if your report has parameters or you want to schedule pre-processing or post-processing procedures, click Advanced. For more information, see Specifying Parameter Values and Scheduling Pre-Processing and Post-Processing Procedures.
8. If you want to burst the report, select the Burst Report check box. The burst feature enables you to break a report into sections and distribute the sections separately. Burst values may be specified in a Distribution List, distribution file, or by creating a dynamic distribution list. For more information about bursting, see Bursting Guidelines and Limitations When Creating a Task, and the ReportCaster Administration manual.
9. From the Report Format drop-down list, select the report format. HTML is the default value.

   Use the following guidelines when selecting a format:

   • The report format specified in this field overrides the format statement in the procedure, except for specialized formats (EXL2K FORMULA, EXL2K PIVOT, EXL2K TEMPLATE, PPT TEMPLATE, DFIX). When a report uses a specialized format, the format selection in the report schedule must match that specified in the report.
   • There are limitations on what formats are valid for certain options. For instance, not all formats are supported for bursting or printing.
     • The formats that support bursting are AHTML (except for FML reports), ALPHA, COM, COMMA, COMT, DHTML (except for FML reports), DOC, EXL2K, EXL2K FORMULA, EXL2K TEMPLATE, EXL97, GIF, HTML and HTML ODP (except for FML reports), JPEG, PDF, PNG, PPT, PS, SVG, TAB, TABT, and WP.
     • The formats that support printing are DOC, PDF (when ReportCaster is configured to enable PDF to print and the printer has the appropriate driver), PS, and WP.
     • The HTML ODP format can only be distributed to the Report Library.
   • If the report is a Coordinated Compound PDF Report, then you can select any supported compound format (AHTML, DHTML, EXL2K, Flash, PDF, or PPT), but keep in mind that not all of these formats support bursting.

   ReportCaster administrators can specify which report formats will appear in the Tasks tab through the Schedule Format setting in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool, as described in Specifying Schedule Format Settings).

   For detailed information about each format, see the ReportCaster Administration manual.

10. In the Save Report As field, type a name for the report to be distributed. By default, this value is populated as application_procedurename.ext, where application is the name of the application if WebFOCUS is Application Enabled, procedurename is the file name of the WF Server Procedure, and ext is the extension of the format you selected. For example: ibinccen_salerank.htm. If the report is burst, it is distributed as ibinccen_salerank_burstvalue.htm. If you change the default value, and you specify an extension, be sure to specify the extension of the format you selected. If you do not specify an extension, ReportCaster automatically uses the extension of the format you selected.
11. Leave the Category in Library field blank unless you are distributing to the Report Library (this is specified in the Distribution tab). If you are distributing to the Report Library, this is a required field, and the value you type here is the category name under which the report (in this case ibinccen_salerank.htm) will be stored.
12. Click OK.

    The new task is listed with the Task ID, Name, Type of procedure, and Scheduling Object (procedure name), as shown in the following image.

    

13. If you are creating a schedule with multiple tasks and want to use an existing task as a template, select the task you want to clone from the list and click Clone.

    A duplicate of the selected task appears in the list with the name Clone Of taskname.

    Open the cloned task and modify as needed.

14. Click the Distribution tab to specify distribution options (see Specifying Distribution Options), or optionally select one of the following options:
    • New. Schedule another Task within your schedule. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate procedure for the Task type you want to schedule. You can only create multiple Tasks when using the e-mail or printer distribution methods.
    • Insert. Schedule another Task within your schedule. The newly created Task will appear where your cursor is positioned.
    • Edit. Edit a selected Task within your current schedule.
    • Delete. Delete a selected Task within your current schedule.

    Note: If you have multiple Tasks, you can move the position of a Task within the window by clicking the following up or down arrows.

Note: You cannot create a WF Server Procedure schedule when a server within a cluster configuration is unavailable.

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A Managed Reporting task includes either a Standard Report or a My Report. The options for creating a task using either of these reports are the same. To explain the Managed Reporting Task options, this procedure uses a Standard Report as the example.

1. From the New Schedule - ReportCaster window, click the Tasks tab and then click New. The New Task - ReportCaster window opens.
2. In the Task Name field, type a name that describes this Task (for example, Sales Report).
3. From the Task Type drop-down list, select Standard Report. The following image shows the options that appear for a Standard Report.

   

4. Click the Choose Report icon to the right of the Standard Report field to select a Standard Report to schedule. The Managed Reporting Repository opens, as shown in the following image.

   

5. Expand the Domain folder (for example, Sales) that contains the Standard Report you want to schedule. Select the report (for example, Product Sales) and then click OK. This populates the Server Name, Standard Report, Domain, and Folder fields, as shown in the following image.

   

6. From the Execution ID drop-down list, specify an Execution ID authorized to execute procedures on the server running the report.

   If this field is grayed out, it means that a default Execution ID and password have been specified in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool.

   If the Execution ID field is not grayed out, and you will be using an Execution ID that you previously used for a Task, you can select the Execution ID (for example, rcadmin) from the drop-down list, shown in the following image.

   

   If the Execution ID field is not grayed out, and you will be using a new Execution ID, perform the following steps:

   1. Type the Execution ID and click Password. The Password dialog box opens.
   2. Type the password for the Execution ID.
   3. Confirm the password for the Execution ID.
   4. Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.

      Note: The Execution ID is added to the ReportCaster Repository and is viewable in the ReportCaster Console.

7. Optionally, if your report has parameters or you want to schedule pre-processing or post-processing procedures, click Advanced. For more information, see Specifying Parameter Values and Scheduling Pre-Processing and Post-Processing Procedures.
8. Click Alert to specify alert schedule options. If you are scheduling an alert (Standard Reports only), the Alert button will be activated.

   The Alert Schedule dialog box opens, as shown in the following image.

   

   Select one of the following options:

   • Automatically Reset. After the alert is triggered, reactivate the alert when the condition is no longer true. The system will keep checking the condition after the alert has been triggered. As soon as the condition is no longer true, it will reactivate the alert.
   • Continue After Alert. After the alert has been triggered, reactivate the alert immediately.
   • Deactivate Schedule After Alert. Deactivate the schedule after the alert is triggered. This is the default value.
   • Delay. Restart the alert after a specified period. You can specify to restart the alert after a maximum of 99 hour(s), day(s), week(s), month(s), or year(s).

     Caution: An alert schedule distributes e-mails to your mail server more frequently than expected when the schedule interval is less than the time it takes to run the procedure and the Delay option is selected. Be sure to set the schedule interval to a time period greater than the time it takes to run the scheduled procedure.

   Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.

9. If you want to burst the report, select the Burst Report check box. The burst feature enables you to break a report into sections and distribute the sections separately. Burst values may be specified in a Distribution List, distribution file, or by creating a dynamic distribution list. For more information about bursting, see Bursting Guidelines and Limitations When Creating a Task, and the ReportCaster Administration manual.
10. From the Report Format drop-down list, select the report format from the drop-down list. HTML is the default value.

    Use the following guidelines when selecting a format:

    • The report format specified in this field overrides the format statement in the procedure, except for specialized formats (EXL2K FORMULA, EXL2K PIVOT, EXL2K TEMPLATE, PPT TEMPLATE, DFIX). When a report uses a specialized format, the format selection in the report schedule must match that specified in the report.
    • There are limitations on what formats are valid for certain options. For instance, not all formats are supported for bursting or printing.
      • The formats that support bursting are AHTML (except for FML reports), ALPHA, COM, COMMA, COMT, DHTML (except for FML reports), DOC, EXL2K, EXL2K FORMULA, EXL2K TEMPLATE, EXL97, GIF, HTML and HTML ODP (except for FML reports), JPEG, PDF, PNG, PPT, PS, SVG, TAB, TABT, and WP.
      • The formats that support printing are DOC, PDF (when ReportCaster is configured to enable PDF to print and the printer has the appropriate driver), PS, and WP.
      • The HTML ODP format can only be distributed to the Report Library.
    • If the report is a Coordinated Compound PDF Report, then you can select any supported compound format (AHTML, DHTML, EXL2K, Flash, PDF, or PPT), but remember that not all of these formats support bursting.

    ReportCaster administrators can specify which report formats will appear in the Tasks tab through the Schedule Format setting in the ReportCaster Server Configuration tool, as described in Specifying Schedule Format Settings).

    For detailed information about each format, see the ReportCaster Administration manual.

11. In the Save Report As field, type a name for the report to be distributed. By default, this value is populated as descname.ext, where descname is the descriptive name of the Managed Reporting procedure, and ext is the extension for the format you selected. For example, Regional Sales.htm. If the report is burst, it is distributed as Regional Sales_burstvalue.htm. If you change the default value, and you specify an extension, be sure to specify the extension of the format you selected. If you do not specify an extension, ReportCaster automatically uses the extension of the format you selected.
12. If the report is being distributed to the Report Library (as selected in the Distribution tab), then you have the option to designate an existing or new category in the Library where the report will be distributed. Select the Category in Library option and type an existing or new name for the category.

    Note: When you distribute a Standard Report or My Report to the Library, by default, the report is placed in a category named with the Managed Reporting domain name of the report.

13. Click OK.

    The task is listed with the Task ID, Name, Type of procedure, and Scheduling Object (procedure name), as shown in the following image.

    

14. If you are creating a schedule with multiple tasks and want to use an existing task as a template, select the task you want to clone from the list and click Clone.

    A duplicate of the selected task appears in the list with the name Clone Of taskname.

    Open the cloned task and modify, as needed.

15. Click the Distribution tab to specify distribution options (see Specifying Distribution Options), or optionally select one of the following options:
    • New. Schedule another Task within your schedule. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate procedure for the Task type you want to schedule. You can only create multiple Tasks when using the e-mail or printer distribution methods.
    • Insert. Schedule another Task within your schedule. The newly created Task will appear where your cursor is positioned.
    • Edit. Edit a selected Task within your current schedule.
    • Delete. Delete a selected Task within your current schedule.

    Note: If you have multiple Tasks, you can move the position of a Task within the window by clicking the following up or down arrows.

Note: Reporting Objects that have the Show as Standard Report or Show Only as Standard Report property selected appear as Standard Reports. However, these Reporting Objects cannot be scheduled by ReportCaster.

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1. From the New Schedule - ReportCaster window, click the Tasks tab and then click New. The New Task - ReportCaster window opens.
2. In the Task Name field, type a name that describes this Task.
3. From the Task Type drop-down list, select URL. The following image shows the options that appear.

   

4. From the Execution ID drop-down list, select an Execution ID that is authorized to execute a URL on a secured Web server.
   1. Click Password. The Password dialog box opens.
   2. Type the password for the Execution ID.
   3. Confirm the password for the Execution ID.
   4. Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.
5. In the URL Address field, type the fully qualified path of the URL address you want to schedule (for example, http://www.informationbuilders.com).

   Note that you can also specify parameter names and associated values using the following format:

   www.address.com?&parameter1_name=parameter1_value&parameter2_name=parameter2_value

   The maximum length of this field is 1200 characters.

6. Optionally, if you did not specify parameters in the URL Address field, click the Advanced button to specify parameter names and associated values. The Advanced Task Options window opens, displaying the contents of the Parameters tab, as shown in the following image.

   

   1. Specify both the Name and Value for each parameter.
   2. Click OK to return to the New Task - ReportCaster window.

      Note:

      • When the ReportCaster Distribution Server runs a URL Task, it concatenates all parameter pairs together, for example, &parameter1_name=parameter1_value&parameter2_name=parameter2_value. ReportCaster uses a URLEncoder to encode all parameter values, then the ReportCaster Distribution Server posts the parameter values to the Web server identified by the URL Address parameter. Alternatively, you can opt to instead specify the parameter pairs in the URL Address parameter, as described in Step 5.
      • By default, the Parameters tab displays ten rows for a URL Task. You can select and then right-click a row to enable the menu options shown in the following image.

        

        Remove - Removes the selected row.

        Insert Above - A new row appears above where you position the cursor.

        Insert Below - A new row appears below where you position the cursor.

        If you are positioned on the last row and you press the Enter key, you will be returned to the first row. To insert a new row, right-click and then select Insert Below or Insert Above.

7. In the Save Report As field, type a name for the content to be distributed. Be sure to include the extension. For example, you might save this report as informationbuilders.htm. This content will be distributed as informationbuilders.htm.
8. Leave the Category in Library field blank unless you are distributing to the Report Library (this is specified in the Distribution tab). If you are distributing to the Report Library, this is a required field, and the value you type here is the category name under which the scheduled output (in this case, informationbuilders.htm) will be stored.
9. Click OK.

   The task is listed with the Task ID, Name, Type, and Scheduling Object, as shown in the following image.

   

10. If you are creating a schedule with multiple tasks and want to use an existing task as a template, select the task you want to clone from the list and click Clone.

    A duplicate of the selected task appears in the list with the name Clone Of taskname.

    Open the cloned task and modify as needed.

11. Click the Distribution tab to specify distribution options (see Specifying Distribution Options), or optionally select one of the following options:
    • New. Schedule another Task within your schedule. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate procedure for the Task type you want to schedule. You can only create multiple Tasks when using the e-mail or printer distribution methods.
    • Insert. Schedule another Task within your schedule. The newly created Task will appear where your cursor is positioned.
    • Edit. Edit a selected Task within your current schedule.
    • Delete. Delete a selected Task within your current schedule.

    Note: If you have multiple Tasks, you can move the position of a Task within the window by clicking the following up or down arrows.

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1. From the New Schedule - ReportCaster window, click the Tasks tab and then click New. The New Task - ReportCaster window opens.
2. In the Task Name field, type a name that describes this Task.
3. From the Task Type drop-down list, select File. The following options appear.

   

4. In the File field, type the name of the file you want to schedule. You must type the fully qualified path (for example, d:\reportcaster77\filename.doc) of the file. In addition, the file must be accessible to the ReportCaster Distribution Server.
5. In the Save Report As field, type a name for the content to be distributed. Be sure to include the extension. For example, you might save this report as hrletter.doc. This file will be distributed as hrletter.doc.
6. Leave the Category in Library field blank unless you are distributing to the Report Library (this is specified in the Distribution tab). If you are distributing to the Report Library, this is a required field, and the value you type here is the category name under which the scheduled output (in this case hrletter.doc) will be stored.
7. Optionally, you can select to delete the file once it has been distributed. To delete the file, select Delete the file after it is distributed.

   Note: If a schedule has multiple tasks and one of the tasks fails, then the file will not be deleted. This is true even when the file is distributed successfully.

8. Click OK. The Task ID, Name, Type, and Scheduling Object of the Task display as follows:

   

9. If you are creating a schedule with multiple tasks and want to use an existing task as a template, select the task you want to clone from the list and click Clone.

   A duplicate of the selected task appears in the list with the name Clone Of taskname.

   Open the cloned task and modify as needed.

10. Click the Distribution tab to specify distribution options (see Specifying Distribution Options), or optionally select one of the following options:
    • New. Schedule another Task within your schedule. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate procedure for the Task type you want to schedule. You can only create multiple Tasks when using the e-mail or printer distribution methods.
    • Insert. Schedule another Task within your schedule. The newly created Task will appear where you position the cursor.
    • Edit. Edit a selected Task within your current schedule.
    • Delete. Delete a selected Task within your current schedule.

    Note: If you have multiple Tasks, you can move the position of a Task within the window by clicking the following up or down arrows.

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1. From the New Schedule - ReportCaster window, click the Tasks tab and then click New. The New Task - ReportCaster window opens.
2. In the Task Name field, type a name that describes this Task (for example, Sales Report).
3. From the Task Type drop-down list, select FTP. The following options appear:

   

4. From the FTP Server Name drop-down list, specify the name of the FTP server from which you will retrieve the file.
5. In the FTP User and Password fields, specify the user ID and password you will use to gain access to the FTP Server.
6. In the File Name field, specify the name of the file you want to schedule. You can browse to the file or type the fully qualified path to the file on the FTP server. An example of a fully qualified path on Windows is C:\Reports\Inventory\NEstores.xls, and on UNIX is /Docs/Specs/proto5.txt.
7. From the File Transfer Type drop-down list, select Binary (for non-text files) or ASCII (for text files). Binary is the default value.
8. In the Save Report As field, type a name for the content to be distributed. Be sure to include the extension. For example, you might save this report as hrletter.doc. This file will be distributed as hrletter.doc.
9. Leave the Category in Library field blank unless you are distributing to the Report Library (this is specified in the Distribution tab). If you are distributing to the Report Library, this is a required field, and the value you type here is the category name under which the scheduled output (in this case hrletter.doc) will be stored.
10. Optionally, select the Delete the file on the FTP server after it is distributed check box if you want the schedule to run once and then be deleted on the FTP server. Note that the FTP user ID must be authorized to delete the file on the FTP server.

    Note: If a schedule has multiple tasks and one of the tasks fails, then the file will not be deleted. This is true even when the file is distributed successfully.

11. Click OK. The Task ID, Name, Type, and Scheduling Object of the Task display as follows:

    

12. If you are creating a schedule with multiple tasks and want to use an existing task as a template, select the task you want to clone from the list and click Clone.

    A duplicate of the selected task appears in the list with the name Clone Of taskname.

    Open the cloned task and modify as needed.

13. Click the Distribution tab to specify distribution options (see Specifying Distribution Options), or optionally select one of the following options:
    • New. Schedule another Task within your schedule. Follow the steps outlined in the appropriate procedure for the Task type you want to schedule. You can only create multiple Tasks when using the e-mail or printer distribution methods.
    • Insert. Schedule another Task within your schedule. The newly created Task will appear where your cursor is positioned.
    • Edit. Edit a selected Task within your current schedule.
    • Delete. Delete a selected Task within your current schedule.

    Note: If you have multiple Tasks, you can move the position of a Task within the window by clicking the following up or down arrows.

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1. Click Advanced. The Advanced Task Options window opens, displaying the contents of the Parameters tab.

   

2. Specify the parameter value(s) that correspond to each parameter within the report. For example, Web Sales may be a value for the Store Name parameter.

   If you are scheduling a WF Server Procedure, Standard Report, or My Report Task, the parameter name/description(s) are populated automatically, and you only need to specify the parameter value(s). For a URL Task, you must specify both the parameter name and value. This is documented in How to Create a URL Task.

   Note: For more information about specifying parameter values for a procedure, see Considerations When Specifying Parameter Values.

3. Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.

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The following are considerations when specifying parameter values for a procedure:

• Ability to create a new parameter for WebFOCUS Server procedures.
• The maximum number of characters for each individual parameter value is 3200. You can store multiple values for a single parameter. Multiple values for a parameter is stored as one entry which must not exceed the 3200 maximum character limit.
• Dynamic parameter prompting for WebFOCUS (WF) Server procedures is available.
• ReportCaster displays the description for the parameter when it is specified in the procedure. Otherwise, ReportCaster displays the parameter name.
• ReportCaster performs field validation for numeric and alpha formats, and range value validation.
• ReportCaster displays default variable values, as well as static or dynamic single-select and multi-select lists.

  Note:

  • The No Selection option is displayed for dynamic multi-select lists. When selected, this option does not perform any data selection test on that field.
  • ReportCaster does not support using the -HTMLFORM command to create a dynamic selectable list of parameter values.

    As an alternate method of creating a dynamic selectable list of parameter values, you can use the schedule technique in the HTML Composer (formerly known as HTML Layout Painter). For details, see Technical Memo 4626: Adding Schedule Capability to the HTML Layout Painter.

• The Specify All Parameter Values check box is always enabled if there is any parameters available for the report (Standard Report, My Report, or WF Server Procedure). You can check or uncheck this option to quickly enable or disable the check boxes for each individual parameter. If the check box for an individual parameter is unchecked, the input field for the parameter value is disabled, the default parameter value(s) are displayed (but cannot be changed), and no parameter data is saved to the ReportCaster Repository.
• ReportCaster will not prompt for variables with defaults set by the -DEFAULTH command. The purpose of the -DEFAULTH command is to be able to assign amper variables a default value and not be dynamically prompted for that variable.
• ReportCaster does not prompt for the value of its internal variables that are set by the Distribution Server at schedule execution time. For example, &DSTOWNER is the user ID of the schedule owner. If this parameter is referenced in a scheduled procedure, the value will be available because the Distribution Server sets the value to the owner of the schedule at schedule execution time. However, the scheduling tool will not prompt for this value at schedule creation time.
• When specifying parameters with special characters (for example, %, &, | ):

  If you are specifying the entire WHERE condition as the parameter value, you must enclose the value within two single quotation marks rather than a double quotation mark. For example: WHERE CAR NOT LIKE MOTO%

  If you are only specifying a value as the parameter value, you do not need to enclose the parameter value within quotation marks. For example: O&DINFO

• If you want to specify parameter values in a pre-processing or post-processing procedure, these must be typed in the Procedures tab. For more information about how to do this, see How to Schedule Pre-Processing and Post-Processing Procedures.
• Once a parameter has been added to the Schedule table, ReportCaster will continue to show that parameter even if it is removed from the underlying report. You must manually remove the parameter by un-checking it in the Parameter tab of the Advanced Task Options window.

Note: You can only schedule saved procedures using ReportCaster; HTML forms cannot be scheduled using ReportCaster. Parameter prompting is not available in pre-processing or post-processing procedures. For more information about WebFOCUS auto prompting, see Coding a User Interface in the Developing Reporting Applications manual.

The following are examples of how ReportCaster displays default variable values, as well as static and dynamic single-select and multi-select lists.

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Example: Setting a Default Variable Parameter Value

Since ReportCaster requires considerations for special characters, Information Builders recommends using the syntax specified in the following examples.

The following procedure sets a default value of NY for the STATE (2-3 letters for US State) field, and a default value of Web Sales for the SNAME (Store Name) field. Note that there must be an ampersand in front of the field name in the -DEFAULT command for the amper variable(s) to contain a default attribute in ReportCaster.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
-DEFAULT &SNAME=Web Sales 
TABLE FILE CENTORD
SUM QTY_IN_STOCK BY STATE BY SNAME BY PRODNAME
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Inventory Report"
WHERE STATE EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE SNAME EQ '&SNAME.Store Name.'
END

The parameters for this procedure appear as follows in the ReportCaster Scheduler. Note that a default parameter value of NY is displayed for the STATE field, and a default parameter value of Web Sales is displayed for the SNAME field.

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Example: Adding a Static Single-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a list of static values that are valid for the SNAME (Store Name) field.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
TABLE FILE CENTORD
SUM QTY_IN_STOCK BY STATE BY SNAME BY PRODNAME
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Inventory Report"
WHERE STATE EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE SNAME EQ '&SNAME.(eMart,TV City,Web Sales).Store Name.'
END

The parameter values for the Store Name parameter appear as follows in the ReportCaster Scheduler. You can select only one value from the drop-down list.

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Example: Adding a Dynamic Single-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a list of values that are valid for the PRODNAME (Product Name) field. This list is dynamically populated with values from the CENTORD data source.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
TABLE FILE CENTORD
SUM QTY_IN_STOCK BY STATE BY SNAME BY PRODNAME
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Inventory Report"
WHERE STATE EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE SNAME EQ '&SNAME.(eMart,TV City,Web Sales).Store Name.'
WHERE PRODNAME EQ '&PRODNAME.(FIND PRODNAME IN CENTORD).Product Name.'
END

The parameter values for the Product Name parameter appear as follows in the ReportCaster Scheduler. You can select only one value from the list.

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Example: Adding a Static Multi-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a list of static values that are valid for the SNAME (Store Name) field.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
TABLE FILE CENTORD
SUM QTY_IN_STOCK BY STATE BY SNAME BY PRODNAME
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Inventory Report"
WHERE STATE EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE SNAME EQ &SNAME.(OR(eMart,TV City,Web Sales)).Store Name.
END

The parameter values for the Store Name parameter appear as follows in the ReportCaster Scheduler. You can select more than one value from the list, as shown in the following image.

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Example: Adding a Dynamic Multi-Select List of Parameter Values

The following procedure provides a list of values that are valid for the PRODNAME (Product Name) field. This list is dynamically populated with values from the CENTORD data source.

-DEFAULT &STATE=NY
-DEFAULT &SNAME='TV City' 
-DEFAULT &PRODNAME='''120 VHS-C Camcorder 40 X''' 
TABLE FILE CENTORD
SUM QTY_IN_STOCK BY STATE BY SNAME BY PRODNAME
ON TABLE SUBHEAD
"Inventory Report"
WHERE STATE EQ '&STATE.2-3 letters for US State.'
WHERE SNAME EQ &SNAME.(OR(eMart,TV City,Web Sales)).Store Name.
WHERE PRODNAME EQ &PRODNAME.(OR(FIND PRODNAME IN CENTORD)).Product Name.
END

The parameter values for the Product Name parameter appear as follows in the ReportCaster Scheduler. You can select more than one value from the list, as shown in the following image. You can also select No Selection if you do not want to perform any data selection test on that field.

Important: When coding a dynamic multi-select list of parameter values using -DEFAULT syntax without storing parameter values in the ReportCaster Repository, the -DEFAULT value is used as specified in the procedure, and the scheduled request will fail if you do not specify three single quotation marks before and after the parameter value string.

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1. In the New Task - Report Caster window, click Advanced.

   The Advanced Task Options window opens, displaying the contents of the Parameters tab.

2. In the Advanced Task Options window, click New.

   In the Advanced Task Options window, a highlighted new blank line appears in the parameters list and Parameter Properties fields appear at the bottom of the window, as shown in the following image.

   

   Note: An asterisk next to a parameter in the parameters list indicates that it was manually created.

3. In the Parameter Properties Name field, type a valid name for the new parameter.

   As you type, the Name/Description field in the parameters list reflects your entry.

4. In the Parameter Properties Value field, type a value for the new parameter.

   As you type, the Value field in the parameters list reflects your entry.

   The following images shows the typed entries in the Parameters Properties fields reflected in the parameter list.

   

5. Click OK.

The new parameter is created and the Advanced Task Options window closes.

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You can only delete manually created parameters. These parameters are indicated by an asterisk next to the name. To delete a manually created parameter:

1. In the New Task - Report Caster window, click Advanced.
2. In the Advanced Task Options window, click New.
3. Uncheck the box next to the parameter you want to delete, and click OK.

The parameter is deleted and the Advanced Task Options window closes.

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If you are scheduling a report Task (WF Server Procedure, Standard Report, or My Report), you can schedule a maximum of two pre-processing and post-processing procedures. The pre-processing and post-processing procedures that you schedule must reside on the WebFOCUS Reporting Server.

1. Click Advanced. The Advanced Task Options window opens.
2. Click the Procedures tab. The following fields display.

   

3. Optionally, type the following information:
   1. Pre-processing Procedures:

      First. Type the name of the first pre-processing procedure (omit the file extension). ReportCaster will run this procedure immediately preceding the scheduled Task.

      Second. Type the name of the second pre-processing procedure (omit the file extension). ReportCaster will run this procedure immediately after the first pre-processing procedure, but before the scheduled Task.

   2. Post-processing Procedures:

      First. Type the name of the first post-processing procedure (omit the file extension). ReportCaster will run this procedure immediately following the scheduled Task.

      Second. Type the name of the second post-processing procedure (omit the file extension). ReportCaster will run this procedure immediately after the first post-processing procedure.

      Note: For information about specifying parameter values in a pre-processing or post-processing procedure, see Specifying a Parameter Value in a Pre-Processing Procedure.

4. Click OK to return to the Tasks tab.

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The following examples show how to use parameters in pre‑processing procedures.

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Example: Specifying a Parameter Value in a Pre-Processing Procedure

This example shows how to specify a parameter value in a pre-processing procedure. The following code represents the pre-processing procedure, CARPROFIT, that ReportCaster will schedule. This procedure computes your company growth rate by country. The growth rate is computed based on the parameter value you specify for RATE.

DEFINE FILE CAR
PROFIT/D12.2 = RCOST-DCOST;
RATE/D5.2=&RATE - 1;
END
TABLE FILE CAR
SUM PROFIT FST.RATE
COMPUTE GROWTH/D12.2 = (PROFIT * &RATE);
BY COUNTRY
ON TABLE HOLD AS CARPROFIT FORMAT FOCUS INDEX COUNTRY
END

The following code represents the primary WebFOCUS Reporting Server procedure, CARJOINPROFIT, that will be scheduled by ReportCaster. This procedure joins the CAR and CARPROFIT tables and computes sales by country based on the growth rate in CARPROFIT.

JOIN COUNTRY IN CAR TO COUNTRY IN CARPROFIT
TABLE FILE CAR
HEADING
"Growth Forecast using rate: <RATE "
SUM SALES
BY COUNTRY
ON COUNTRY SUBFOOT
"Profit is <PROFIT>"
"Growth Forecasted is <GROWTH>"
END

When scheduling the CARJOINPROFIT procedure, specify the name of the pre-processing procedure (for example, CARPROFIT) and the parameter value (for example, RATE=1.05).

Note:

• To change the parameter value specified for pre-processing or post-processing procedures, edit the schedule.
• Do not specify the EX command when specifying a parameter value in a pre-processing or post-processing procedure. For more information about the EX command and the passing of parameter values from one procedure to another, see Customizing a Procedure With Variables in the Developing Reporting Applications manual.
• ReportCaster internal variables can be referenced in pre-processing procedures when you specify to pass the variable value to the pre-processing procedure. For example, the &DSTOWNER variable can be read to access the owner (user ID), or the &DSTEDAUSER variable can be read to access the Execution ID.
• Resource Analyzer GKE commands are executed prior to pre-processing procedures.

When the pre-processing procedure and the primary procedure run, the following information appears in the log report, indicating that both procedures ran successfully.

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Example: Passing an Internal Variable in a Pre-Processing Procedure

When specifying a pre-processing procedure in ReportCaster, the format for passing an internal variable value is

filename variable=&variable

where:

filename

Is the file name of the pre-processing procedure, excluding the file name extension.

variable

Is the ReportCaster internal variable, for example, DSTOWNER.

The following sample image shows how to pass an internal variable value in ReportCaster.