Working with Report Processing

Some reports support automated processing. If so, the File Processing task pane displays collapsed on the left side of the screen when you open the report.

NOTES:  

  • The File Processing menu command and the associated task pane are only available to administrators or to users with the Allow File Processing permission for the current file.
  • Other file types can be set up to use file processing, but the most common use is in a report.

You can use processing to perform the following actions:

  • Save snapshot of file – Create a snapshot copy of the current file, and then save and/or email it.

  • Save snapshot of form – Create a snapshot copy of a form-enabled file, and then save and/or email it.

  • Print – Print the current file, using one or more print views.
  • Export to delimited text file – Export data in the current file to a delimited text file, and then save and/or email it.
  • Save data – Perform a save-to-database from the current file.
  • Alerts – Process alert conditions defined in the file.
  • File collect – Combine multiple spreadsheet files into a single file, and then save and/or email it.
  • Batch – Perform file processing on multiple files in a batch process, including the ability to override certain file processing settings for the file.

One common use for file processing is report distribution, which allows you to automatically deliver report files to multiple recipients. This frequently involves using several different features of file processing, for example:

  • Multiple reports configured for snapshot file processing and using Multipass processing. For example, an income statement processed by department, region, or VP, and creating a separate snapshot file for each element.
  • A report configured for file collect, to collect all of the snapshots into targeted report packages, including adding things like cover sheets and other supporting information. These packages could be saved to designated file locations and/or emailed to the appropriate recipients.
  • A report configured for batch processing to run everything at once. For example, the batch would contain an entry for each report configured for snapshot processing, and then finish with the file collect report.

File processing is set up on a per-file basis. File processing can be set up on any Axiom file, but the primary use case is in reports.

After the file has been configured to use file processing, you can process it by selecting an option in the Main ribbon tab’s File Output section: File Output > File Processing. From this menu, you can choose to Process File or Process File Multipass. File processing can also be performed using Scheduler and from a task pane.