Distributing Reports

About Distributing Reports

The Distribute Report Wizard enables you to distribute reports by using e-mail with a PDF attachment or as embedded HTML. Reports can be distributed multiple times. 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 about his or her respective region only. A recipient list contains the e-mail addresses that you want to use for distributing a report.
Note: Only advanced users can distribute reports or manage recipient lists. If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator.
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. If you have the capability to distribute any report, then you will see the distributions that you have created, as well as those created by other employees at your company. For more information about authorization and capabilities, contact your system administrator.

Prepare for Distribution

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

Distribute a Report for the First Time

If a report does not have any distributions associated with it, then the first page of the Distribute Report Wizard lets you define the execution time, date, and recurrence. However, if one or more distribution plans are associated with a report, then the first page of the Distribute Report Wizard lets you choose a distribution. For more information, see Edit or Delete a Distribution Using the Distribute Report Wizard.
Note: You cannot prepare for distribution and distribute a report during the same report distribution process.
Follow these steps to distribute a report that has prompts but no distribution plans associated with it. The Distribute Report Wizard has only three steps when there are no prompts in the report.
  1. To launch the Distribute Report Wizard, perform one of these tasks:
    • When a report is displayed in View mode, select Filethen selectDistribute.
    • In the File Management window, next to the name of the report that you want to distribute, click actions icon in the Actions column, and then select Distribute.
    The first wizard page appears.
    Note: You cannot distribute a stored process.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 distribution.
    Distribute Report Wizard: Define Execution Time, Date, and Recurrence
    Distribute Report Wizard: Define Execution Time, Date, and Recurrence
  4. Click Next to go to the next wizard page.
    Note: If the report has prompts that are not optional, then you must specify prompt values before exiting.
  5. If the report has prompts, a wizard page displays those prompts.
    Distribute Report Wizard: Select Prompt Values
    Distribute Report Wizard: Select Prompt Values
  6. After you enter the required prompt values, click Next to go to the next wizard page.
  7. Specify whether you want to distribute the report as a PDF attachment or as embedded HTML.
  8. (Optional) Enter text for the subject line of the e-mail.
  9. Enter the Sender e-mail 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 filled in the next time you distribute a report.
  10. (Optional) Enter a Sender display name. If your e-mail address is stored in metadata, then this field is automatically filled in. If you type another display name here, then it is stored in the repository and filled in the next time you distribute a report.
  11. (Optional) For Message, enter text for an e-mail message to accompany the report.
    Distribute Report Wizard: Specify Output and Recipient Rules
    Distribute Report Wizard: Specify Output and Recipient Rules
  12. If you want to change a currently selected recipient list, the currently set group break division, or the section that a report is distributed on, then 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 Recipients and Distribution 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
      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 distribute. You can select the Include all sections check box to distribute all sections.
    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 12c. For example, if you selected the third group break level in Step 12c, 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.
      Recipients and Distribution Rules Dialog Box with Group Break Selected
      Recipients and Distribution Rules Dialog Box with Group Break Selected
      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 the Recipients and Distribution Rules dialog box also contains a create recipient list icon that opens the New Recipient List dialog box where you can create a recipient list based on the current report. The edit recipient icon icon opens the Edit Recipient dialog box where you can edit the e-mail addresses and publication channel for a recipient list. The delete icon removes a recipient list. For more information about creating and removing recipient lists, see the SAS Web Report Studio information in SAS Intelligence Platform: Web Application Administration Guide.
  13. 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 (or times) 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: Summary
    Distribute Report Wizard: Summary
  14. (Optional) Perform one or more of these tasks:
    • Send a copy of the distributed report to the Sender e-mail address that you selected on the previous wizard page.
    • Test your distribution settings. You can send the results to the Sender e-mail 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.
  15. 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 distributed, complete these steps:
  1. From the Welcome window or Edit mode, select Filethen selectManage Files to access the File Management window.
  2. Open the Scheduled and Distributed Reports dialog box. The name of the link that opens the dialog box depends on your role:
    • If you do not have permission to schedule or distribute reports, you will not see a link.
    • If you can schedule but not distribute reports, then click View my scheduled reports.
    • If you can both schedule and distribute reports, then click View my scheduled and distributed reports.
    The Scheduled and Distributed 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 iconRefresh 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. It also displays the prompt values if the report is prompted.
    To see a menu of options for editing and deleting a specific distributed report, click actions icon 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. The number of occurrences for each report listed, not including occurrences with the status of Running, depends on the number specified in the Maximum number of history occurrences to display field.
    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
    Maximum number of history occurrences to display
    This field specifies the maximum number of history occurrences that you want to retrieve. After you change the value, click refresh Refresh lists to make sure the value takes effect. The value that you enter is stored with your user profile, so it will appear the next time the dialog box opens.
    Note: The system limit for the value is 10. If the value is 0 (zero), then all history records are retrieved.
    Note: The distributing features are not available if a scheduling server is not available or if you do not have authorization to distribute reports.
    A List of Scheduled and Distributed Reports
    A List of Scheduled and Distributed Reports
  3. When you are finished viewing the information, click Close.

Updating a Distribution Plan

Edit or Delete a Distribution Using the Distribute Report Wizard

If there is at least one distribution associated with a report, then you can edit or delete the distribution using the Distribute Report Wizard.
Note: You cannot prepare for distribution and distribute a report during the same report distribution process.
To edit or delete a distribution for a report, complete these steps:
  1. To launch the Distribute Report Wizard, perform one of these tasks:
    • When a report or stored process is displayed in View mode, select Filethen selectDistribute.
    • In the File Management window, next to the name of the report that you want to distribute, click actions icon in the Actions column, and then select Distribute.
    The first wizard page appears.
    Distribute Wizard: Choose or Create a Distribution
    Distribute Wizard: Choose or Create a Distribution
    Note: You cannot distribute a stored process.
  2. (Optional) If you have the capability to distribute any report, then you can select the View only my distributions check box. For more information about authorization and capabilities, contact your system administrator.
  3. To add a new distribution, click the add row icon.
  4. To edit the existing distribution, select the row and then click the edit row icon.
  5. To delete a distribution, click the delete row icon.

Edit or Delete a Distribution Using the Scheduled and Distributed Reports Dialog Box

Note: Only authorized users can edit or delete reports that they have distributed. If you have questions about your authorization, contact your system administrator.
To edit or delete a distribution for a report, complete these steps:
  1. From the Welcome window or Edit mode, select Filethen selectManage Files to access the File Management window.
    Note: You can also use the Choose or Create a Distribution page in the Distribute Report Wizard to edit or delete distributions.
  2. Open the Scheduled and Distributed Reports dialog box. The name of the link that opens the dialog box depends on your role.
    • If you do not have permission to schedule or distribute reports, you will not see a link.
    • If you can schedule but not distribute reports, then click View my scheduled reports.
    • If you can both schedule and distribute reports, then click View my scheduled and distributed reports.
  3. Next to any report or folder of reports that you want to edit, click actions icon in the Actions column.
    Scheduled and Distributed Reports Dialog Box
    Scheduled and Distributed Reports Dialog Box
  4. If you want to edit the distribution for a report, select Distribute. Make your changes in the Distribute Report Wizard.
  5. If you want to delete the distribution, select Delete Distribution. Click OK in the confirmation dialog box.
    Note: When you delete a distribution, all references to executing the distribution are also removed from the Occurrence, Status, Date/Time box.
  6. Click Close.
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