Running Reports

This chapter describes how to run, view, monitor, and delete reports. It includes the following topics:

Running Reports in Siebel CRM Clients

This topic describes how to run reports in a Siebel CRM client. It includes the following information:

Setting User Preferences for Siebel Reports

This topic describes how to set user preferences for Siebel Reports. A user preference that you set overrides the configuration that exists in the report templates.

To set user preferences for Siebel Reports

Log in to the Siebel client.
Navigate to the User Preferences screen, and then the Report Parameters view.
Modify the Locale and Language parameters, as required.
For example, if you set the Locale and Language preferences to German (DEU), then Siebel Reports displays the report output in the German language for all reports. For more information, see How Siebel CRM Runs Multilingual Reports.
Modify the Output Type parameter.
For example, if you set the Output Type to PDF, then Siebel CRM uses PDF as the report output for all reports. The business user determines the default values that Siebel CRM displays for the report output file types. For more information, see Output File Types That Siebel Reports Supports and Types of Users Who Use Siebel Reports.

Running Reports

The example in this topic describes how a sales representative can periodically run the following reports:

Account List
Pipeline Analysis
Opportunity Marketing Events Summary

To run reports

(Optional) Override the default report language and locale.
If a report template includes a default locale or default output type, then Siebel CRM uses this default and overrides the user preferences. For information about overriding report user preferences, see Setting User Preferences for Siebel Reports. For information about how Siebel CRM uses multiple languages, see How Siebel CRM Runs Multilingual Reports.
Log in to Siebel Call Center connected to the Sample database.
Navigate to the Account screen, and then the Account list.
Identify the records that Siebel CRM must include in the report.
Do one of the following:
- Query the Account Type field for Residential.
  It is strongly recommended that you do a query to filter records before you run a report. This query limits the number of records that Siebel CRM must process. For more information, see Caution About Running Reports with a Large Number of Records.
- To choose multiple records in a list, hold down the CTRL key while you click each record that Siebel CRM must include in the report. For more information, see Using the CTRL Key to Choose Multiple Records for a Report.
In the application toolbar, click the Reports button.
Siebel Open UI displays the Run Report pane. The business user determines the default values that Siebel CRM displays for each field that the Run Report pane contains. For more information, see Types of Users Who Use Siebel Reports.
In the Run Report pane, in the Report Name list, choose Account List.
Siebel CRM displays different reports in the Report Name list, depending on the view that the client currently displays. For more information, see How Siebel CRM Displays Reports According to the View. For information about entering a custom name, see Entering a Custom Name.
(Optional) In the Output Type list, choose the file type that Siebel CRM uses to save the report.
For example, if you choose HTML, then Siebel CRM saves the report as an HTML file.
(Optional) In the Report Locale field, choose a language.
For example, if you choose English - United States, then Siebel CRM saves the report in the North American dialect of the English language. You can configure a user preference that overrides the default language. For more information, see Setting User Preferences for Siebel Reports and How Siebel CRM Runs Multilingual Reports.
In the Run Report pane, complete the fields, as necessary.
You can click the column heading in a list to sort records before you run a report. Siebel CRM then uses this order when it runs the report. If you configure the sort order on the integration object that Siebel CRM uses to run the report, then Siebel CRM uses the sort order that the integration object specifies. For more information, see How Siebel Reports Uses Integration Objects.
(Optional) To set search and sort order on an integration object, use the following example syntax:
'Account'.Search = "([Name] LIKE ""3*"")" 'Account'.Sort = "Name, Location"

Note: If you sort records before executing a report, then the sort order is preserved when the report is executed. However, if the sort order is configured on the integration object used to generate the report, then the user-defined sort order is overridden.
(Optional) To sort report columns on date fields, use the canonical function in the report template. For example:
<?sort:psfn:getCanonicalDate(ssHlsCreated);'descending'?>
Click Submit.
Siebel CRM runs the report and then displays a Notification Summary dialog box after it finishes running this report. This dialog box includes a list of the reports that you have recently run. You can click it to access it.
For more information, see Managing Report Notifications.
Click My Reports.
Siebel CRM displays the My Reports view of the BI Publisher Reports screen. This view displays the report details, such as the report name and status. The report might finish running in a few seconds to a few hours, depending on the number of records and complexity of the report. If a report encounters errors when it runs, then Siebel CRM creates a log file that the business user or administrator can use to troubleshoot the problem. For more information, see Troubleshooting Siebel Reports
Click Account List in the Report Name field.
Siebel CRM displays the report in the format that you specify in Running Reports. In this example, it displays the report in a PDF file. It stores the report in the Siebel file system.
(Optional) Use the Print menu to print the report.
In the application toolbar, click the Reports button to hide the Run Report pane.
To access this report again, you can navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, My Reports view, and then click the report in the Report Name field.

Using the CTRL Key to Choose Multiple Records for a Report

A business user must specify that you can use the CTRL key to choose multiple records for a report. For more information, see Allowing Users to Choose The Records That a Report Contains.

If you do one of the following:

Press the CTRL key to choose multiple records for a report, then Siebel CRM includes information only from these records in the report.
Query a list in the client, such as the Account list, or if you use a predefined query, and if you drill down on a record from this list view to a detail view, then Siebel CRM preserves the query context, and Siebel CRM includes the records in the detail view.

Caution: It is recommended that you choose no more than 50 records. If you choose more than 50 records, then the report might fail. For more information, see Allowing Users to Choose The Records That a Report Contains.

Caution About Running Reports with a Large Number of Records

It is strongly recommended that you run a query that filters records in the client before you run a report.

Caution: It is strongly recommended that you run a query that filters records in the client before you run a report. Running a query reduces the number of records that Siebel CRM includes in a report. Some views might include hundreds or even thousands of records. If you do not filter these records before you run the report, then the report might fail, and performance might degrade.

Entering a Custom Name

You can enter a custom name for the report in the Custom Name field instead of choosing a report from the Report Name list. If you do this, and then click Submit, then Siebel CRM creates a new report and uses the value you enter in the Custom Name field to set the name of this new report.

Monitoring Report Status

This topic describes how to monitor the status of reports that are currently running in the client. It does not describe how to monitor a scheduled report. For information, see Monitoring, Suspending, Viewing, and Deleting Scheduled Reports.

To monitor report status

Log in to the client.
Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, and then the My Reports view.
You can also click My Reports in the Run Report pane.

In the My Reports list, locate the report that you must monitor, and then examine the Status field using values from the following table.

Status	Description
In Progress	Indicates a report is currently running.
Success	Indicates a report successfully finished running.
Error	Indicates a report encountered an error while running.

A short delay might occur before the client displays a value for the status.

Viewing Report Output

This topic describes how to view details about a report that finished running. The report includes the state of the data that exists when you run the report. You can view reports that:

You create
Your team members create
Anyone creates

Siebel CRM saves these reports in the Siebel File System. For information about how Siebel CRM determines if you can view a report, see How Siebel CRM Controls Access to Reports.

To view report output

Log in to the client.
Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, and then the Reports view.
You can also click My Reports in the Run Report pane.
In the Reports list, click a link in the Report Name field.
Siebel CRM displays the report according to your browser settings. For example, assume the Output Type is PDF, you use Google Chrome, and that you set up Google Chrome to download files to the following folder:
```
C:\Documents and Settings\user_name\My Documents\Downloads
```
In this example, Siebel CRM downloads the report file to the Downloads folder. To view the report output, you can use Windows Explorer to navigate to this folder, and then use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the report file.

In the Reports view, examine fields in the Report Parameters form using values from the following table.

Field	Description
Bookmark	Describes the query details, including the applet search expressions, business component search expressions, and sort specifications that are active when you run the report. For example: 'Account'.Search = "([Type] LIKE ""Residential*"")" 'Account'.Sort = "Name(ASCENDING), Location" For more information about search expressions and sort specifications, see Configuring Siebel Business Applications.
Description	A text entry field that allows you to include a description of the report.
Start Time End Time	The start and end times that indicate when Siebel CRM ran the report.
Error Message	Includes any error messages that occurred when Siebel CRM ran the report.
File Size	Describes the size of the output file, in kilobytes.
Query String	Displays the query you entered immediately before you ran the report.
Report Access	Allows you to specify other users who can access this report.
Tags	An editable field you can use to add more descriptive information. This field is for your documentation purposes. It does not effect configuration in any way.
Task Id	Identifies the unique task ID of the report server request. You can use this ID to locate information that is related to this report request if you examine a log.
View Mode	Identifies the view mode that Siebel CRM used when it created the report. The value in this field is useful for administrators and debugging.

Deleting Reports

This topic describes how to delete a report. It does not describe how to delete a scheduled report. For more information, see Scheduling Reports.

To delete a report

Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, and then the Reports view.
You can also click My Reports in the Run Report pane.

Note: Choose a report in the Reports list, and then click Delete.
You can delete any report that you create or that you can access. Siebel CRM removes the report from the client and from the Siebel File System.

Scheduling Reports

This topic describes how to schedule a report. Note the following:

You can schedule a report in Siebel Open UI. You can also schedule a report that includes parameters. For more information, see Using Report Parameters to Filter Reports.
You can schedule a report only in a connected client. For more information, see How Siebel CRM Runs Reports in Connected Clients.

To schedule a report

Log in to the client, and then navigate to a view where you must schedule a report.
Click the Reports button in the application toolbar.
In the Run Report pane, choose a report in the Report Name list.
Expand the Schedule section.
Some reports might not include a schedule. If the Run Report pane does not display the Schedule section, then you must choose another report in the Report Name list. If a report does not include a schedule, then you can configure Siebel CRM to add one. For more information, see Customizing Siebel CRM Reports.
Set the schedule.
The elements that Siebel CRM displays in the Schedule section depends on the report that you choose in Step 3. The report template that Siebel CRM uses for this report determines the elements that it displays. For more information, see Setting the Schedule for a Report.
If you cannot access a report, then ask your administrator to assign the XMLP_SCHEDULER responsibility to you. For information, see How Siebel CRM Controls Access to Reports.
(Optional) Enter a custom name.
For information, see Entering a Custom Name.
Click Submit.
Siebel CRM displays a message that indicates that it scheduled the report. This message includes a job ID.
Monitor the report status.
For more information, see Monitoring Report Status.
View the report output.
For more information, see Viewing Report Output.

Setting the Schedule for a Report

This topic describes how to set the schedule for a report.

To set the schedule for a report

Click the Frequency list in the Schedule Section of the Run Report Pane.

Choose a value using information from the following table.

Value	Description
Run Immediately	Siebel CRM runs the report immediately when you click Submit.
Run Once	Siebel CRM displays the Run Date element that allows you to specify the time, day, month, and year to run this report. You use the following elements to specify the time: Hour. Choose the hour of the day when Siebel CRM must run the report. Minute. Choose the minutes after the hour when Siebel CRM must run the report. For example, if you set Hour to 23, and Minute to 30, then Siebel CRM runs the report at 11:30 PM according to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). If you click Submit, then Siebel CRM runs the report only one time according to the run date that you specify.
Run Daily/Weekly	Siebel CRM displays the following elements, and you can set a value for each of these elements. If you click Submit, then Siebel CRM runs the report according to the values that you specify: Run Time. Specify the hour and minutes after the hour when Siebel CRM must run the report. For example, if you choose 23 in the Run Time list (left), and then 30 in the Run Time list (right), then Siebel CRM runs the report at 11:30 PM according to the time zone that the Oracle BI Publisher Server uses. Start Date. Set the day, month, and year when Siebel CRM must run the first instance of this report. The Start Date and End Date use the date format that the user preference specifies. End Date. Set the day, month, and year when Siebel CRM must run the last instance of this report. Days. Choose the day or days of the week when Siebel CRM must run this report. Public. If you make this button active, then all users can view this report. Save Data. If you make this button active, then Siebel CRM saves the unformatted report data in an XML file. Save Output. If you make this button active, then Siebel CRM saves the formatted report output, such as a PDF file, and you can view this output in the Scheduled Reports view.
Run Monthly	Siebel CRM displays the same elements that it displays for Run Daily/Weekly, except it does not display the Days element. It also displays the following elements. You can set a value for each of these elements. If you click Submit, then Siebel CRM runs the report according to the values that you specify: Months. Choose the month or months when Siebel CRM must run this report. Dates. Enter the day, days, or a date range when Siebel CRM must run this report. For example, you enter the following value in the Dates field, and if you choose March for the month, then Siebel CRM will run the report on the second, third, and fourth days of March: 2-4 You can also use a comma to chose nonconsecutive dates. For example, if you enter the following value in the Dates field, then Siebel CRM will run the report on the first, third, and fifth days of the month: 1,3,5

Example of Scheduling a Report

The example in this topic runs the By Sales Rep opportunity report in HTML format every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:15 a.m. for a two week period, starting on August 2-15, 2009.

To schedule the By Sales Rep Opportunity report

Navigate to the Opportunities screen, My Opportunities, and then the Opportunity list.
Run a query to filter the number of opportunity records.
For more information, see Caution About Running Reports with a Large Number of Records.
Click the Reports button in the application toolbar.

In the Run Report pane, set element values using information from the following table.

Element	Value
Report Name	By Sales Rep
Custom Name	My Opportunities Report
Output Type	PDF
Report Locale	English - United States

Expand the Schedule section, and then set the schedule using values from the following table.

Element	Value
Frequency	Run Daily/Weekly.
Run Time	Choose 23 in the left Run Time list. Choose 30 in the right Run Time list.
Start Date	Set the day, month, and year.
End Date	Set the day, month, and year.
Days	Choose the day or days of the week when Siebel CRM must run this report. Siebel CRM displays each day as not chosen, by default. You must choose each day that you require Siebel CRM to run the report.
Public	Make this button active.
Save Data	Make this button inactive.
Save Output	Make this button active.

Click Submit.
Monitor the report status and view the report output.
For more information, see Monitoring Report Status and Viewing Report Output.

Monitoring, Suspending, Viewing, and Deleting Scheduled Reports

This topic describes how to monitor a report that is currently running, temporarily suspend a report that is currently running, view a report that finished running, and delete a report.

To monitor, suspend, view, and delete scheduled reports

Navigate to the BI Publisher Reports screen, and then the Scheduled Reports view.
Monitor the status in Oracle BI Publisher by doing one of the following:
- Click the Schedules tab to view the report jobs you scheduled and their status. Drill down on a report to view detailed information about the report job.
- Click the History tab to view a history of your report jobs.
(Optional) Suspend and resume a scheduled report:
1. Click the Schedules tab.
2. Click the check box next to a report, and then click Suspend or Resume.
(Optional) Delete a scheduled report:
1. Navigate to the Scheduled Reports view.
2. Click the check box next to the report you must delete, and then click Delete.
  This step removes the report instance from the report list. It does not remove the report from the Oracle BI Publisher repository. For more information, see Deleting Scheduled Reports from the Oracle BI Publisher Server.

Using Report Parameters to Filter Reports

Note: The example in this topic describes how to use a report parameter to filter a report in Siebel Call Center. A report parameter is a type of filter that refines the data that Siebel CRM includes in a report. It allows you to do the following work:

Narrow the query when you run a report.
Create different reports from the same report template.

Siebel Open UI supports report parameters starting with Siebel CRM versions 8.1.1.10 and 8.2.2.3. For more information, see Customizing Reports That Use Parameters.

To use report parameters to filter reports

Log in to Siebel Call Center, and then navigate to a view that includes a report that includes report parameters.
For example, navigate to the Accounts list.
Run a query in the Accounts list to filter the number of account records that Siebel CRM includes in the report.
For more information, see Caution About Running Reports with a Large Number of Records.
Click the Reports button in the application toolbar.
In the Run Report pane, in the Report Name list, choose Parameter.
Expand the Parameters section.
Set Param4 to February.
Siebel CRM gets these report parameters from the report template. For more information, see Adding Report Parameters to Report Templates.
Click Submit.

The Oracle BI Publisher Server runs the report, and then Siebel CRM sends it to the client. If you include a report parameter, and if you also schedule a report to run at some point in the future, then Siebel CRM stores the values you set for the report in memory when you click Submit, and you cannot modify them. If you must modify these values after you click Submit, then you must modify them and then run the report again.