BusinessObjects Board

Distributing reports to dynamic recipient list

Anyone know of a solution, similar to the built in publication feature, to:

  • Use a dynamic external data source as the distribution list

  • Filter the distributed report based on multiple fields in that data source matching values in the report

  • Distribute the filtered report to users listed in that data source

  • The destination location for each user is their inbox in LaunchPad --OR-- the report can be sent via email but the email needs to contain a link to the specific, filtered report generated for the user, not to the entire publication that contains a list of all of the filtered reports and not by attaching the report to the email

why not using “publication feature” ?

  • maintain the fields in a Excel file
  • use that Excel as additional datasource for merging/filtering your report
  • build a new WebI-report on top of that Excel that gives you the destination for publication

Dynamic content in the email body is only possible with coding/using SDK.

I agree with the publication approach.

Using a publication report to feed the report to be distributed can allow you to achieve the dynamic content that @dtolley is looking at. Very much like bursting a store report to each store manager without filtering the report each time. This document on the SAP site should help: SAP Help Portal

Problem is publications can’t use inboxes as a destination when using dynamic distribution lists. Or when sending to email, it can only send a filtered report as an attachment. If you send a link. It sends a link to the entire publication which is a list of all the filtered reports generated, not just the report for the user. And the file names of those reports are numbers, nothing identifiable to the user.

Hence my question and search for an alternative solution.

Have a look through this - it should give you exactly what you want…

Unfortunately, it doesn’t. It’s instructions for sending to email addresses as attachments. That is what we’ve been doing. Works great… but, we must discontinue the practice as it has been deemed unsecure by our CSO.

I need to find a way to either send to dynamic inbox recipients (preferred) or I can send to email, but must send a link to the user’s filtered document (not the entire publication, which is what users get when adding in the URL placeholder) instead of an attachment.

You may have to write something using the RESTful web service. That way you can pass in a dynamic list of recipients and then use that to schedule the reports to their BI Inbox.

if there is a complex logic needed for publication, you should think about external tools:
e.g.: 360Cast Business Objects Report Bursting - 360Suite