Overview
The Jet Scheduler allows you to schedule your reports which are automatically run by the Windows Task Scheduler. You can choose the output format of the report and where to save it. After running the report, Jet Scheduler also gives you the option to email the report to desired recipients.
Listed below are the steps required in using the Jet Schedule.
Create a New Scheduled Task
To schedule a report in Excel, click the Jet ribbon, and click the Schedule button.
Select New to schedule a New Task in newly opened window.
General Tab
The General tab allows you to specify a name for your scheduled task. It allows you to run the report when you are logged off. You can also log the events of the Schedule process and troubleshoot at the end in case of errors, as well as to use Batch File Generation for the reports.
- Task Name: This allows you to specify a name for your scheduled task.
- Run when logged off: This allows you to schedule the task out of working hours. When a user is logged off, only then the task will run. More details on the configuration of permissions needed to enable this feature can be found in the Knowledge Base article by Insightsoftware here: Scheduler Permissions
- Logging: When the scheduled task is run while logging being turned on, it will generate details of the execution process. These details will be used to troubleshoot an issue with the Scheduler.
- Batch File Generation: This functionality is used when we run the same report for multiple scenarios using a batch file.
Reports Tab
The reports tab contains the general information about the scheduled task such as where to save the file after running it. You can also specify the format in which the output file is saved.
- Source: This option will allow you to schedule a single report or an folder containing group of reports to be run.
- Input: This represents the folder and file name of the report that will be run
- Output: This represents the folder and file name of where the finished report will be saved.
- Format: This drop-down list will specify the format in which the output file is saved.
- Jet Workbook: The report will be saved as a normal Excel file and it will contain all Jet Reports functions.
- PDF: This will save the report as a PDF file (if your version of Excel supports that ability)
- Values Only Workbook: This will save the report as an Excel file while removing all Jet functions. The file can not be refreshed as it is a static Excel file.
- CSV: This type of format permanently removes all Jet functions and deletes all hidden rows, columns, and sheets. Finally, it saves the workbook in the output directory as a CSV file containing all visible sheets.
- TXT: It runs the report and breaks all links with the Jet add-in by permanently removing all Jet functions. It deletes all hidden rows, columns, and sheets. Finally, it saves the workbook in the output directory as a text file with all visible sheets.
- Web Page: This will save the report as a HTML file with a single sheet. This should be used when there is a single sheet in the report
Schedule Task
This particular tab describes the frequency of how often the report will be run.
- Recurrence: This selection allows you to schedule how often the report will run. The available options for the recurrence field are:
- Once: The report will only be run one time.
- Daily: The report will be run every day (it is possible to set the number of days to wait between runs on the next tab).
- Weekly: The report will be run every week (it is possible to set the number of days to wait between runs on the next tab).
- Monthly: The report will be run every month (it is possible to set the number of days to wait between runs on the next tab).
- When Idle: The report will be run every time the computer is in idle mode.
- At Startup: The report will be run every time that the computer is turned on.
- At Logon: The report will be run every time that you log on.
- Frequency Selections: This choice depends on the selection made in the Recurrence field. After selecting a field in Recurrence, the Schedule tab will populate general information about when the schedule task will be run:
- Date: This represents the first date that the report will run
- Time: This represents the time of the day when the report will for this and subsequent schedules.
- Weeks between report runs: This specifies the number of weeks the Scheduler will wait between report runs before running the report again.
- Days: This represents the days in a week that the report is scheduled to run on.
Email Tab
The Email tab allows you to sent email to desired recipients if required.
- Send method: This drop-down list provides you the option to specify whether to send the report in an email or not. The sending options include using Outlook email or the more generic Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). SMTP must be pre-configured in the Application Settings in order for it to be used.
- Recipients: Email addresses of the recipients of the report will be specified here. Email addresses should be separated by a semi-colon.
- Subject: The subject of the email can be written in this field.
- Body: You can write a custom message here to be sent as part of the email.
- Attach report: The report will be sent to the recipients of the email if this box is checked. If the box is unchecked the report will not be attached. This can be used as a type of notification when used in conjunction with the subject and body of the email to allow a user to know that the report has been run.
- Send Error Notification: If the report does not run successfully, then we can notify the recipients by sending error notification.
You can also check out how to use the First Sheet option in the Jet Scheduler.
