Managing report data retrieval

You can control when data is retrieved for visual reports.

About this task

By default, visual reports are run against live data. Each time the visual report is run, queries are run, and the data in the report is updated. You control the data retrieval for a visual report using a set of expiration schedules. This option allows you to specify when, if at all, you want to run the visual report queries to update the data that is displayed in the report.

To set up expiration schedules for a visual report's data retrieval:

Procedure

  1. Create a new visual report, including the queries that will be used to retrieve data.
  2. From the Project Explorer view, expand the Globals folder, and right-click the Expiration Schedules node for the visual report. Select Insert Schedule from the pop-up menu. The Expiration Schedule Configuration wizard opens.
  3. You can create one or more schedules that will control the data retrieval for the visual report. Specify the name of the schedule in the Schedule name field. This can be any name that has meaning.
  4. The type of schedule controls when data that has been retrieved for this visual report will expire. You can choose one of the following schedule types by selecting one of the Data expires radio buttons:
    • daily: Select this option to specify that the same data will be used for a 24 hour period. If you select this option, the visual report will run, data will be retrieved, and every time the report is run in the next 24 hour period it will use the same data. When the 24 hour period expires, the next time the report is run, new data will be retrieved.
    • weekly: Select this option to specify that the same data will be used for a period of 7 days. If you select this option, the visual report will run, data will be retrieved, and every time the report is run in the next 7 days it will use the same data. When the 7 day period expires, the next time the report is run, new data will be retrieved.
    • monthly: Select this option to specify that the same data will be used for a month. If you select this option, the visual report will run, data will be retrieved, and every time the report is run in the next month it will use the same data. When the month expires, the next time the report is run, new data will be retrieved.
    • at specific date: Select this option to specify that the same data will be used until a specific date is reached. If you select this option, the visual report will run, data will be retrieved, and every time the report is run up until the specific date it will use the same data. When the specific date is reached, the next time the report is run, new data will be retrieved.
    • never expires: Select this option to specify that the same data will always be used. If you select this option, the visual report will run, data will be retrieved, and every time the report is run up it will use the same data.
    • always expires: Select this option to specify that the data will always be updated every time the report is run.
    • after the visual project is closed to have the schedule expire after you close the visual project.
  5. If you selected daily, weekly, monthly, or at specific date, click the Next.
  6. Depending on the type of schedule that you are creating one of the following variations of the Set schedule properties page of the wizard opens:
    • If you selected daily, you will specify the date that the 24 hour period will start in the Begin date field and the time the 24 period will start in the Begin time field. You specify when the 24 hour period will occur using the Data expires radio buttons. Select daily to specify that the 24 period will occur every day. Select each to specify that the 24 hour period will occur every number of days. Select the number from the drop-down list. Select days of week to specify that the 24 hour period will occur on one or more specific days. You must select the check boxes of the days.
    • If you selected weekly, you will specify the date that the week will start in the Begin date field and the time the week will start in the Begin time field. You can select a number from the each week list to specify that the 7 day period will occur every number of weeks. You can select a day from the days of week check boxes to specify that your 7 day period will begin on a specific day of the week.
    • If you selected monthly, you will specify the date that the month will start in the Begin date field and the time the month will start in the Begin time field. You can select or to specify that data retrieval will occur on a specific day of the week in the month. Select the month from the select months list of check boxes.
    • If you selected at specific date, you will specify the date and time that will trigger data retrieval in the Date and time list box. Click the cell to bring up a calendar where you will select the date and time.
  7. Click Finish. The schedule is created and listed in the Project Explorer view. You will repeat this process to define additional properties. After all schedules are defined you will assign the schedules to the queries in the visual report.