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AIV

Introduction

This document contains the definition of Report Bursting and explains its features.

Objective

The objective of this document is to understand what Report Bursting is and when it should be used.

Skill Level Required

Users should have a basic knowledge of report scheduling in AIV.

What is Report Bursting ?

Report Bursting is used when multiple reports need to be generated and shared with relevant users in the required output format. This feature allows the same report to be distributed to multiple users simultaneously, and it can also deliver user-specific data to each user in a single operation.

Please refer to the diagram below to understand report bursting at a high level.

Image

Here, the user can share reports with relevant data to multiple users in different output formats. Report consumers may or may not be in the same organization.

In this diagram, there are four users: Jack, John, Anna, and Rose. Each user belongs to a different organization: Company1, Company2, Company3, and Company4, respectively.

  • Jack wants the report output in PDF format, which is non-editable, so he can distribute this report to others.
  • John wants to perform some analysis on the report data, so he needs the report in XLSX format.
  • Anna needs to add additional details to the report, so she wants it in Word format.
  • Rose is a developer who needs to embed the report into another application, so she requires it in HTML format.

So, we have a single report that needs to be generated in different output formats with specific user data and shared directly with each user by email. This can be easily achieved with the help of report bursting. All you need is to bring all the required data into the dataset and provide it to report bursting.

Let’s understand this with one business requirement:

Problem Statement

There is a company XYZ where Sam is the Sales Manager. Sam has many salespersons working under him and needs to share Target vs. Achieved sales data with each salesperson at the end of each month. Currently, Sam generates these reports employee-wise manually, which is very monotonous and time-consuming, especially at the month-end. This is a common problem faced in many organizations.

Solution

Report Bursting is a solution to this monotonous and time-consuming task of generating and sharing reports with employees. Using report bursting, Sam can generate and send numerous reports with a single click. This saves a lot of time, and importantly, it is a one-time setup. Once Report Bursting is created, Sam can schedule the report generation and sharing process every month, automating the entire workflow.

Advantages of Report Bursting over Traditional Manual Activities

Report Bursting offers powerful features that enhance productivity and save time. Key advantages include:

  1. Efficient Distribution: Generate and share the same report with many users simultaneously.

    • Includes email distribution to each user.

  2. Personalized Data: Generate and share reports containing user-specific information.

  3. Multiple Formats: Create and share reports in various formats (PDF, XLSX, Word, HTML) as required by the user.

  4. Customized Report Names: Personalize and distribute the same report with different user names.

By providing the necessary data to Report Bursting, Sam can generate and share reports within minutes with a single click.

Let’s Understand How Sam Can Do This Step-by-Step

Prerequisites

  • Orders Dataset
  • Order Details Report

To demonstrate the working of Report Bursting, we will use the BIRT report “Order Details,” which takes an order number as an input parameter, and the Orders dataset, which contains order number information.

We will demonstrate all the mentioned advantages with the two scenarios given below.

Scenario

1. Generate and Share a Single Report with Multiple Users

In this scenario, we will explore how to generate and share the same report with multiple users. Using the example of the Order Details report, we will distribute this report via email to multiple users. A dataset containing the list of users, along with their names and email IDs, should be available. For this demonstration, we have created a dataset named “Orders,” which includes customer names and email IDs.

For step-by-step instructions on how to share the same report with multiple users, click here.

2. Generate Multiple Reports in Different Output Formats and Share with Multiple Users

In this scenario, we will learn how to generate and share the same report with multiple users in various output formats. Using the example of the Order Details Report, we will distribute it via email to multiple users. A dataset containing the list of users, their names, required output formats, and email IDs should be available. For this demonstration, we have created a dataset named “Orders,” which includes customer names, required output formats, and email IDs, as shown in the image below:

Image

For step-by-step instructions for this scenario, click here.

3. Generate User-Specific Report

In this scenario, we will explore how to generate and share the same report with multiple users, with each report containing data specific to that user only. Each user will not be able to see other users’ data in the report output.

To demonstrate this, we will use the example of the Customers Details Report. This report requires an input parameter of customer number, and based on the input provided, the report will be generated. We have consolidated all customer numbers into one dataset named “customers.” We will map the dataset columns with the report using report bursting to generate user-specific data reports.

For step-by-step instructions for this scenario, click here.