Adding more scheduling options for emailing Scheduled Reports (Alma Analytics Objects)
Currently, there are limited scheduling options for emailing Scheduled Reports (Alma Analytics Object area). Many of our users need reports delivered on the 1st of each month in order to capture the previous month's data. The only option right now somewhat close to that is delivery on the 2nd of each month. This doesn't work for us because it adds the first day's worth of data from the next month to the previous month. I propose adding delivery options for the 1st of each month. Better yet - how about offering a drop-down list where users can choose a certain day of the month for report delivery?
Dear Colleagues,
We have added a new and flexible scheduling Module in the Analytics UI. With it, it is possible to schedule any day or time and define its recorrance level (wether monthly/daily or hourly). In addition we have added the ability to schedule Analytics links as well as attachments (links will work for authorized users) . We encourage Analytics admins who did not switch on the new analytics UI yet, to do so and try the new UI and its new scheduling capabilities.
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Steven van Heijningen commented
Like others have said before, quarterly, half year and annual would be additions with great practical value.
I don't see how a large gap between runs defeats the purpose of a scheduling option?
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Michelle Fisher commented
It would be really helpful to be able to schedule reports for different days of the week. Currently, all of our weekly reports can only be set to Mondays, which tend to be a busy day for other tasks. It would be great if we could schedule reports for Friday PM/Saturday AM. This would allow our staff who work over the weekend to process reports when it is less busy.
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Marlise Daum commented
I also vote for the possibility to produce reports on a quarterly, half-yearly and yearly basis. As we have many IZ's in our network with more than 490 libraries, the production of (annual) statistics is no longer a manual task.
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Andrew Brown commented
Can I request as part of this that an every x weeks option is added please? Our semesters work in weeks not months, so we'd like to be able to schedule some reports to run every 4 weeks for example.
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Michelle Morgan commented
We schedule our SUSHI harvesting for the 18th of the month (as most vendors do not make the previous month's COUNTER usage available until the middle of the month). We would like to run a report directly after the harvest so that we can identify any unsuccessful harvests but more so so that we might monitor any sharp variances in usage or turnaways.
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Anonymous commented
It would also be necessary to have more hour options, as Analytics data often is not available at 9:00. E.g. add 12:00 and 15:00 as additional options for daily reports.
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Natasha Stephan commented
I second the option for (calendar year) quarterly and annually! I am very disappointed by the response from Ex Libris indicating that this will not be implemented...
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Katie Wallis commented
We'd like options for quarterly and annually. They would be incredibly helpful!
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AN - UNSW commented
It is good this has been accepted.
What we find is if there is a problem or delay with analytics reports it is often on a Monday and as weekly reports are schedule only for a Monday this means a lot of work to run the reports manually. Having the ability to choose the day a weekly report is run will be good. -
Ann-Louise commented
Hi. What's the status on this idea? Any progress?
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Geoffrey Spear commented
I'd love to have a code table where each site can define their own schedules (not just for analytics, but for anything scheduled.)
I'd settle for a schedule option "Daily, after data is actually refreshed", since it's becoming apparent that it's not safe to assume the refresh will actually run before 7AM every day.
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Hello. We are looking at some options of doing the desired scheduling changes. If it will be done it will be part of a larger "scheduling" project and will be part of the long term roadmap. Meanwhile we will leave this issue open. Thank you for time, patience and understanding, and of course for the suggestion as well.
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Ann-Louise commented
Hi,
I agree with everyone who says that different time-options for the morning is unnecessary, but still it seems that this is what you decide to keep, and add to one more day of the week.On our part what you add will not be an enhancement for our institution. Quaterly, half year and annual would be, but I notice that Ex Libris doesn't view this like the rest of the institutions that have been commenting on this case.
Maybe I just don't understand the tecnical limitations behind not implementing these options.
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Hello everyone.
Quarterly and every half year will not be added as scheduling options. There is too much gap between runs to justify a scheduling option.
See below what we can possibly add. See section "We have now" and "We add"We have now
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Every Monday at 03:00
Every Monday at 07:00
Every Monday at 09:00
Every Day at 03:00
Every Day at 07:00
Every Day at 09:00
On the 02 of every month at 03:00
On the 02 of every month at 07:00
On the 02 of every month at 09:00We add
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Every Friday at 03:00
Every Friday at 07:00
Every Friday at 09:00
[note Friday will include data from up to Thursday]On the 15 of every month at 03:00
On the 15 of every month at 07:00
On the 15 of every month at 09:00
[note 15 will include data from up to 14] -
Lesli M Moore commented
Weekly (choice of day)
Semimonthly (choice of day)
Monthly (choice of first, middle, last day)
Bimonthly (choice of first, middle, last day)
Quarterly (choice of first, middle, last day)
Triannual (not triennial -- choice of first, middle, last day)
Biannual (choice of first, middle, last day)Times don't really matter, though 9pm through 7am work best as far as load and ETL processing, I would think.
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Karen Schlesser commented
Every two months, quarterly, and every semester. Semester is obviously difficult because everybody is on a different schedule, but that is one we would use very frequently. Maybe Dec/May/Aug would cover enough institutions to be useful?
I agree that we don't need 3, 7, and 9am. One of those would be sufficient.
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Jason Hallen commented
I don't see much value in having the option to choose 03:00, 07:00, or 09:00. They are all early in the morning, and the Analytics data hasn't been refreshed in between any of those times. As far as we're concerned at our libraries, those times can all be consolidated into a single morning option. It would be more useful to have both a morning option and an option to run the report after the Analytics data has been refreshed in the evening.
Here's our use case. The bursar job runs on Sunday evenings at 8 pm, which is after the Analytics data has been refreshed. We use an Analytics report to pull information about the fines that were processed in the bursar job, and we'd like that Analytics report to be automatically sent to us soon after the bursar report is run. If we schedule the Analytics report, our only weekly option is to run it on Monday mornings. Since the bursar job is run the evening before AFTER the Analytics data had been refreshed, the automatic Analytics report the next morning doesn't have the data from the bursar job. We would need to wait until the following Monday morning to get data from the bursar job run a week prior.
There are two solutions that would address our need. 1) Allow us to schedule an Analytics report for Tuesday mornings so we can get the data from the Sunday evening bursar report. 2) Allow us to run the bursar report on Sundays before the Analytics data is refreshed.
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Veronika Leitner commented
I think quarterly, half year and yearly would be a good addition.
And at which day of the week instead of just monday. For me it'd be okay if the times here were reduced to one early option instead of 3, 6, 7, 9 am.
Also to freely choose a specific date (e.g. every 20th of the month) for a monthly report would be neat. -
Cathrine Fjeldstad commented
I would also like to see added quarterly, 6 months, and yearly scheduling options. The more automation we can build into Alma the better if you ask me. Why is this a problem?
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Ann-Louise commented
Dear Yeol,
then you leave me with the options of quarterly and half year. But, I still believe annual would be a good option. We do have several reports that are run on an annual basis. They are fixed and ready in Analytics, and adding them as a annually scheduled report in Alma, would benefit both the person needing to otherwise run and distribute the reports, and the receivers of the report, who then doesn't have to remind the said person to provide them with the reports.
I believe we are not the only institution where the maker of the reports isn't the one actually taking interest in the report. In my case I do provide the institution with a lot of different reports, but not being the person interested in the report as such, I tend to forget when I'm expected to run them. I have to add reminders in the calendar. But that wouldn't be necessary if we had more scheduling options.