Using the Communication Generation Process

Select the type of IDs to process: All IDs, All Person IDs, One Person ID, All Org IDs, One Org ID or Population Selection. These are translate values and should not be modified.

Available only when the ID Selection is One Person ID. You must enter the specific person ID to process here.

Available only when the ID Selection is One Org ID. You must enter the specific organization ID to process here.

Enter the letter code to use.

Only letter codes set up for the Communication Generation process and that are currently assigned to the specified IDs are available. For example, if you select All Person IDs and the FAN letter code is not assigned to any ID, the FAN letter code is not available.

See Defining Letter Codes.

Displays the administrative function associated with the letter code.

Only the reports to which the report definition gives you security access, are available.

If the letter code is associated with only one report, the system displays the report name, the data source file, and a list of the templates associated with that report.

If the letter code is associated with more than one report, click Report Name to select the additional reports to use. When you select a report, the system displays the list of templates associated with that report along with the language and method for which the template is created. The Template List group box shows which template the system will use as a default template if there is no specified template.

See Creating a Template.

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Click to open a new browser window displaying the Report Definition search page. In the new browser window, enter the report name or other information about the definition that you want to view and click Search to access the Report Definition component for the report. View the definition to confirm that it is the definition that you want to make available and to preview the templates.

You can make changes to the report definition if you have security access to the page.

If the letter code includes softcopy enclosures for the IDs, the system displays each enclosure code and its relevant information. Enter the report name to use for each enclosure.

If no softcopy enclosures are included, the system collapses the group box.

Click to cause the Enclosures Assigned (Softcopy) section to include all available softcopy enclosures including enclosures that were added to the system since the last refresh of the process run control ID.

Refresh the list of enclosures periodically to make sure you are processing the communications appropriately in scheduled runs of the process. Failure to refresh the list could result in producing missing enclosures for some IDs.

For example, assume that you schedule a run control ID of AAA to run every night to generate a communication for all IDs that have the letter code ABC assigned. The next day, an administrator assigns letter code ABC to John Smith and includes enclosure XYZ. XYZ is not already included in the Enclosures Assigned (Softcopy) group box for run control AAA. If you don't refresh the list to cause XYZ to be included before the next run, the process will not generate the XYZ letter for John Smith.

These fields behave the same in the Enclosures Assigned (Softcopy) group box as in the Letter Code Selection group box

Select an option to specify what to do if the language and method combination to use for an ID is not listed in the template list for the report name selected.

Select Use Default Template to use the template set as the default inside the report ID, or select Do Not Produce Communication to not produce the communication for an ID where no template is found.

For example, if in the Communication Language Usage section the language to use is Preferred and the preferred language of the ID is Italian but no Italian template is associated with the specified report, do you want the system to use the default template, which in this case is the English Letter template, or do you want the system to skip the communication for that ID?

The system selects the Specified option by default and sets the Language field to the base language that was set at installation. You can change the language to use, however, the Template List group box for the main letter code must include a template that uses the language that you specify.

If your institution supports language preferences, you can select Preferred to cause the system to evaluate and use the preferred language of each ID if any. When Preferred is selected, the Language field becomes unavailable.

If your institution did not set communication preferences to Support multiple languages on the Installation CC page, then the system automatically selects the Specified option and makes both the Specified and Preferredoptions unavailable. You must specify the language to use.

The system selects the Specified option by default and sets the Method field to Letter. You can change the specified method, however the Template List group box for the main letter code must include a template that uses the method that you specify.

If your institution supports method preferences, you can select Preferred to cause the system to evaluate and use the preferred method of each ID. When Preferred is selected, the Method field is unavailable.

If your institution did not set communication preferences to Support multiple methods on the Installation CC page, then the system automatically selects the Specified option and makes both the Specified and Preferredoptions unavailable. You must specify the method to use.

Enter the type of address, from the Address Usage page, to extract for this communication. You can list address types in a preferred search-and-use order. For example, if you list an address usage that contains mailing, billing, and home address types, the system searches for the mailing address first; if none exists, then for the billing address; if none exists, for the home address last.

Enter the type of name, from the Name Usage page, to extract for the address section of this letter. As with addresses, you can list address name types in a preferred search-and-use order.

Enter the type of name, from the Name Usage Table page, that the system should extract for use in the opening or salutation of this communication. For example, you might want to use the individual's primary full name in the address section of the letter, but use his preferred first name in the salutation (Dear Dave). As with addresses, you can list salutation name types in a preferred search-and-use order.

The extra name is an additional way to extract name data using the name usage. For example, you might want to use the individual's primary full name in the address section of the letter (Mr. Juan M. Dominguez), his preferred first name in the salutation (Dear Juan), and his last name in the text to say "We are sure the Dominguez family will enjoy participating in this event." As with addresses, you can list ID name types in a preferred search-and-use order.

Select this check box to use the preferred email address (as indicated on the Electronic Addresses page) for this communication.

Enter the usage for the process to evaluate. The process evaluates this usage to find and retrieve the recipients to use for the organization communication.

Enter the usage for the process to evaluate. The process evaluates this usage to find and the name type to use in the output for each organization recipient contact.

Select to use the communication assignment date from the Person Communication page for individuals or the Organization Communication page for organizations, to use as the date of generation.

Select to extract the current system date to use as the date of generation.

Select to use the specified date as the date of generation. You must supply the desired date.

Select to use the date when the communication was assigned as the communication completed date.

Select to use the current system date as the communication completed date.

Select to use the specified date as the communication completed date. You must supply the desired date.

Enter how to sort the generated outputs.

Available options are:

All Alphabetically by ID Type to sort first, organization communications sorted alphabetically by the first letter of each recipient's name, contact, department, or location name depending on how the output is addressed, and then individual communications alphabetically by each recipient's last name/first name.

Country, Postal (default value) to sort by each recipient's postal or zip code. Use this sort option to streamline mass mailings sent through the postal service.

Country, Postal by ID Type to sort first, organization communications by each recipient's country and postal address, and then individual communications by each recipient's country and postal address.

Select to preview the output online in PeopleSoft Report Manager.

When selected, the system sends a sample of all related outputs to PeopleSoft Report Manager with corresponding links for you to click to preview each output. For example, if an ID has two enclosures and three communication recipients, Report Manager displays a total of 12 document links labeled with the report definition name for each letter code and the name of each recipient. One document link is for the main letter code output and two links are for the enclosures associated with the main ID. The same links appear for each of the three recipients.

If the communication method usage is either Email or Preferred on the Selection Parameters page and the Online Preview check box is selected, then the Email Address field appears.

Enter an email address whose inbox you can access to see how the emails will be sent. When you provide an email address for online previewing, the generated outputs do not appear in the PeopleSoft Report Manager.

Continuing with the example from the Online Preview field, the email address that you enter will receive four different emails: one for the main ID and one for each of the three recipients. The enclosures will be attachments to the emails. If an email is missing for a specific recipient, it is probably because no email address exists in the Related ID (or Name) field in the Relationships component.

See Entering Relationship Addresses.

See PeopleTools: Process Scheduler, "Using Report Manager."

If the communication method usage is either Letter or Preferred on the Selection Parameters page, then the Send to Printer option is available.

Select the check box to send letter communications directly to the printer. When selected, the Destination Printer field appears. You must enter the path to the printer.

When you are generating letters, you can retrieve the output at the specified printer or by clicking the View Generated Communication link in each processed ID's Person or Organization Communication component (if the letter code is set to save the data to the communication record), or both.

See Setting Up a Letter Code.

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If the communication method usage is either Letter or Preferred on the Selection Parameters page, then the Send to File option is available.

Select the check box to save the generated letter communications as a single file. When selected, the File Path field appears. You must specify the file path to use.

When the process runs, it sorts and merges all the final letters into one file and saves it to the file path that you entered. The filename is CommGen_<process instance nbr>.pdf, where <process instance nbr> is the unique process instance number assigned by the Communication Generation process for that run.

You can use the file to make last-minute changes to the communications or send to a third-party vendor such as a mailing company.

When you are generating letters, you can retrieve the output from the file at the destination you specify or by clicking the View Generated Communication link in each processed ID's Person or Organization Communication component (if the letter code is set to save the data to the communication record), or both.

See Setting Up a Letter Code.

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If the communication method usage is either Letter or Preferred on the Selection Parameters page, then the Create Envelopes and Create Labels options are available.

Select the appropriate check box to generate envelopes or address labels for the letter communications.

When selected, the Report Name link appears. You must select the report definition for the Communication Generation process to use. The report definition enables the process to retrieve address information from the associated data source to merge into the appropriate envelope or label template.

Only the report definitions that are created with a data source configured with the same administrative function used in the main letter code are available. For example, if the main letter code has a data source configured for the ADMA administrative function, then only the report definitions created with a data source set up for administrative function ADMA are available for envelopes and labels.

When the Send to File option is selected and you select Create Envelopes or Create Labels, the process sorts and merges all the address data into one file and saves it to the file path that you entered. The process applies the salutation, address, and sort order specified for the main letter to the corresponding envelopes and labels.

The filename for envelopes is CommGenENV_<process instance nbr>.pdf and the filename for labels data is CommGenLBL_<process instance nbr>.pdf, where <process instance nbr> is the unique process instance number assigned by the Communication Generation process for that run.

When the letter code is set to save data to the communication record and the Create Envelopes option is selected, the Communication Generation process saves the respective envelope inside each processed ID's Person or Organization Communication Management component. Click the View Generated Communication link, and then the View Envelope link to view and reprint the envelope if needed.

See Setting Up a Letter Code.

See Assigning Communications.

If the Send to Printer check box is selected and you select the Create Envelopes or Create Labels options, the Envelope Printer or Label Printer field appears. Enter the path to the printer that is set up to print envelopes or to the printer that is set up to print labels.

Select this check box for the process to produce the communication even if critical data is missing, for example, even if address information or name of the recipient is missing.

Select this check box for the process to set the status to Complete on the communication record, even if critical data is missing.

Critical data is set in the Communication Data Source component.

See Creating a Data Source File.

Enter the administrative function associated with the checklists to use.

If the checklists that you want to use are associated with different administrative functions, use the add button to enter each administrative function and select the checklists and items associated with that function.

Select the context by which to select the checklists to extract.

The fields on the page change based on the checklist context that you select.

Enter the types of checklists from which the process should extract data for this letter or email.

You can select more than one checklist type for an administrative function. For example if you select Requirement List, the process extracts checklist information for checklist codes set up with that checklist type.

Enter the institution related to the desired checklist. Often the same checklist codes are shared by more than one institution, and the system needs to use the correct one.

Enter the specific checklist codes whose checklist item data should be extracted for this letter or email.

You can specify more than one checklist code.

Select the status of the checklists from which to extract data for this letter or email.

You can select either the status of Completed or Initiated, or you can add a row to list both.

Enter the tracking group codes whose checklist item data should be extracted for this letter or email.

You can enter more than one tracking group for an administrative function.

Select the group status from which to extract checklist data for this letter or email.

You can select Completed or Initiated, or you can add a row to select both.