Add/Edit a Report Task

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When you edit or create a new report task, the Edit Task window appears. This window allows you to define the task, its name, the report(s) it includes, the method of delivery, and the format of the report(s).

Adding a Report Task

To schedule reports:

Select the Management tool and click on Schedule Reports.
In right pane, right-click and select New from the pop-up menu. The Edit Task - New window appears.
If SMTP email protocol has not been configured on the computer a message appears. Click OK to continue. You will need to configure SMTP protocol before requesting delivery of reports via email.

If you have logged in under SQL Server authentication, a message appears telling you that you must use Windows authentication. Click OK.
On the Edit Task toolbar, click Report. The Report Selection window opens. This window shows all Reports Folders and all available reports within them.

On the Report Selection window, select a report you want to schedule and click the Add button. Select additional reports to run with this task, if you wish. See Report Selection. Click OK to save your selection and close the window.
Back in the Edit Task window, type a Task Name and Description.
Select a Report Format.
The report will be generated automatically and saved to the file type you choose.

Adobe Acrobat - Formatted as a PDF file (Acrobat Reader).
HTML - Formatted for display in an Internet browser.
Microsoft Excel - Formatted for display in a spreadsheet.
Microsoft Word - Formatted for display in Microsoft Word.
Rich Text Format - Formatted for display in most word processors.
Select Report Delivery.
The report (in the above format) will automatically be delivered via:
Email - Sent to the address you specify. See below.
File Folder - Saved at the file location you specify. See below.
Printer - Printed on the network printer you specify. See below.
Below Report Delivery, specify the report destination.
Enter a specific Email address, File Folder location, or Printer name and location on network. See below.
Schedule the task.
Click Schedule on the Edit Task window toolbar. The Task Schedule dialog box also appears when you click Save before having set the schedule. See Scheduling the Job. Fill in the "Schedule" and "Settings" forms on the Schedule Job box as needed, then click OK.

Criteria Dates vs. Task Schedule
Keep in mind that the Report Schedule and Criteria work together. If you change the Global Criteria to "Previous Month" before the report is scheduled to run, any scheduled report using Global Criteria will take data from the "Previous Month." If you schedule the report to run 2 months from now, the report will take data from the "Previous Month" in relation to the day on which the task runs.

Save the task.
Click Save to add the task to the Windows Task Manager list. When the task has been saved, close the window. If you attempt to close the Edit Task window without saving, a prompt appears asking if you really want to close without saving.

Note: You cannot Save a task scheduled for email delivery until you have configured the SMTP settings for the email address (destination).

Delivering Reports by Email

To send reports via email:

Next to Report Delivery on the Edit Task window, select Email.
In the Email field, type the email address where the report should be sent. To send the email to more than one address, use a semi-colon and add the next address. For example, aengland@mycompany.com; someoneelse@myscompany.com; me@mywebsite.org.
Click Configure SMTP.
The Email Transport Configuration window appears. This specifies the mail server that will send out the email.
Transport Protocol: SMTP is the only choice.
SMTP server: Name of the computer, domain, or IP address of the mail server to use for this email. For example, the name might be SERVER1 or mail.mywebsite.com. An IP Address would have the format 11.22.333.44.

Click OK.
Click Save on the Edit Task window.

Delivering Reports to a File Folder

To send reports to a file folder:

Next to Report Delivery on the Edit Task window, select File Folder.
In the File Folder field, type the file destination, or click the Browse button to open a Browse For Folder box.
Navigate to and select the folder where you want the reports to be delivered. Use Make New Folder to create a new folder at the currently selected location.
Click OK.
Click Save on the Edit Task window. You may be prompted to enter the Windows password to access the folder location.

Delivering Reports to a Printer

To send reports to a printer:

Next to Report Delivery on the Edit Task window, select Printer. Your default Windows printer appears in the Printer field.
To select a different printer or set print properties, click the Printer button to open a Print dialog box. Only the printers set up for access by this computer are available for selection. Make other printer selections as desired, then click OK.

Adjusting the Selected Reports

The Edit Task box lists all reports selected for the task: the Report Name, Report Description, and Report Criteria. You can add or delete a report from this list, or change the criteria of any report.

To delete a report:

Right-click on the report you want to delete and select Delete from the menu. A prompt asks you to confirm the deletion. Click Yes to remove the report from the scheduled task.

To add a report:

Right-click in the Selected Reports area and select Reports, or click the Report button at the top of the Edit Task window. The Report Selection window opens. Follow instructions in Using the Report Selection Box.

To change report criteria:

Right-click on the report you want to adjust and select Report Criteria, or click the ... button next to the Report Criteria field. The General / Events Criteria box for the report opens. Change the criteria as you wish and click OK.