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This is the archived documentation for Reportworq 5. It is kept for reference and is no longer updated.

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The Distribution step defines how report output is produced and distributed.

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This article includes the following major topics:

Distribution Options#

In the Distribution Options area, you can specify what types of files are produced and where they can be delivered.

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File Name#

Specify a name for the generated report.

The file name can include static text and/or Reportworq variables such as timestamps, parameter values, or cell data from the generated report. The following example includes text and a parameter variable named Region.

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File Format(s)#

Select zero or more file formats for report output. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.

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If no output formats are selected, the distribution will not include any files. This is useful when developing an HTML newsletter where all the content is placed in the body of an email. Another example is an exception report where a message or warning is sent if the report triggers an exception, but an attached report is not required. For example, sending a Slack message if the trial balance doesn't tie out or data did not load properly from a nightly process.

Settings that affect how each output format is generated are described in the Format Options section, later in this article.

Supported file formats are as follows:

Destination(s)#

Select one or more Reportworq Distributors as destinations for report delivery. Only enabled Distributors are shown. In the following example, Email is selected.

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Job Options#

When you select the blue link beside Job Options, the options appear.

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Note: The Workday Adaptive Planning Options area appears only if a Workday Adaptive Planning Datasource is configured and enabled.

General options are as follows:

Workday Adaptive Planning Options#

These options enable you to adjust the Relative Start Date that is used in Workday Adaptive OfficeConnect report specifications. The date can be adjusted to a specific absolute date, or a relative date based on today, for example, beginning of the week or the beginning of last month.

To configure the relative start date:

  1. To use the default relative start date with no adjustments, select Do Not Override.
  2. To set a specific start date, select Absolute Date and then specify the Start Date.
  3. To set a relative start date, select Relative Date and then do the following:

Format Options#

The Format Options area has one box for each selected format, listing current options for that format. Select a box to access its options settings.

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Excel#

When you select the Excel box, options for Excel output appear.

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Format options for Excel output are as follows:

PDF#

When you select the PDF box, options for PDF output appear.

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Format options for PDF output are as follows:

PowerPoint#

When you select the PowerPoint box, options for PowerPoint output appear.

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Format options for PowerPoint output are as follows:

CSV#

When you select the CSV box, options for CSV output appear.

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Format options for CSV output are as follows:

Files#

When you select the Files box, the options for adding and removing files appear. In the following figure, two files have been added:

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To add files:

  1. Select Add Files. The Select Files dialog appears. The tree shows a hierarchy of report provider folders.
  2. Browse to the files you want to add and select them. Tip: If the files you want to add are not present, you can upload them to the selected report provider folder.
  3. Select OK. The Select Files dialog closes, and the files are added.

To remove a file from output:

Select the trash can icon.

Destination Options#

Destination options control what is delivered to each selected destination (Distributor). Options vary by distributor, and may include delivery locations, selection of attachments, and messages to recipients either with or without AI Generated Insights.

There are sets of options for AI Generated Insights and for each distributor. These options appear in collapsible areas below the other distribution options. In the following figure, the Network Folder Options area is expanded, while all others are collapsed. To expand a set of options, select its expansion icon.

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Tip: To view a set of options in full screen mode select Enter Full Screen icon.
To exit full-screen mode, select the Exit Full Screen icon.

Text fields in options settings accept static text and/or Reportworq variables. For more information, see Reportworq Variables.

This section contains the following topics about configuring destination options:

AI Generated Insights#

This section describes how to create AI Insight prompts that can be inserted into message definitions to produce AI Generated Insights.

AI Insight prompts are requests that tell the AI model what to do. They are sets of instructions, questions, and data that tell the AI model to find and/or analyze information and to format the results as requested. Prompts can include Reportworq variables, which enable you to provide the AI model with report data and other Job-related context. The AI model ingests the variable data and provides meaningful analysis to message recipients.

Note: AI Generated Insights require connections to supported AI providers and AI models. For more information, see AI Connections Overview.

Example: Adding AI Generated Insights to a P&L Report#

In this example, a P&L report compares current year results to prior year results. The Reportworq Distribution Job produces one iteration of the report for each state and emails it to the manager for that state as a PDF attachment. The following figure shows report output for New York State.

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The Job creator decides to enhance the email message that accompanies the report output by adding a summary analysis of the Expenses data. They create an AI Insight prompt named Expenses Summary, as shown below.

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The AI Insight prompt includes instructions about what to analyze and how to present the results, as well as a Cell Value variable that provides the AI model with data from the underlying source report. In this example, the cell range C19:E30 includes the expense category names and the expense data for both years.

All AI Insight prompts created for the Job are available to be added separately to Email messages, Slack messages, and Teams messages, so you can fully customize the message for each distributor. You can add any number of prompts to a message. The following figure shows a message definition that includes the Expense Summary AI Insight prompt.

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In this message definition:

The following figure shows the resulting email message as delivered to the manager for New York State. The three Expense Summary bullets are an AI Generated Insight. The message indicating that the content was automatically generated using AI is optional.

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Create AI Insight Prompts#

This section describes how to create AI Insight prompts.

After they are created, you can add them to Job messages as AI Insight variables.

To create an AI Insight prompt:

  1. At the top of the AI Generated Insights area, select the add icon. The New AI Prompt dialog appears.
  2. Enter a name for the new prompt and then select OK.
  3. Expand the AI Generated Insights area and then select the tab that is named after the new prompt. The tab text turns blue and settings for the AI prompt appear. The following example shows a fully configured AI prompt definition.
  4. From the AI Model list, select the AI provider connection you want the AI prompt to query against.
  5. Select the blue link beside Settings. The AI Prompt Settings panel appears.
  6. Configure the following settings:
  1. In the Message Editor area, create the AI Insight prompt. Prompts are requests that tell the AI model what to do. They are sets of instructions, questions, and data that tell the AI model to find and/or analyze information and to format the results as requested. Prompts can include text, hyperlinks, graphics, and Reportworq variables, which enable you to feed the AI model report data and other Job-related context. The AI model ingests the variable data and provides meaningful analysis to message recipients. Tip: From the Reportworq menu, you can save and load AI prompts as message templates to help you quickly create similar AI prompts for the current Job or other Jobs.
  2. If you want to test the AI prompt:

Message Editor#

Reportworq uses an HTML message editor to structure Email, Slack and Teams messages as well as AI Insight prompts. This WYSIWYG editor allows you to create and format HTML elements. The body of the message can include static text, Reportworq Variables, and hyperlinks.

Tip: In addition to variables that provide text, messages can contain variables that provide charts, images, screenshots, and AI Insights. For more information about these options, see Reportworq Variables.

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The message editor supports the use of Markdown syntax for hyperlinks.

To toggle between editing modes, select Toggle Format Mode from the Reportworq menu.

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Markdown syntax for hyperlinks is as follows:

[Insert Link Text Here](Insert Link URL Here)

This text-based syntax allows for the use of Reportworq variables in the link text and URL.

Message Templates#

You can save and load message templates. Loading a saved template can help you quickly create and customize messages.

The list of templates includes templates for Job messages, AI Insight prompts, and Contribution Campaign notifications.

Note: There are six built-in templates designed for use with Contribution Campaigns. Their names begin with either Approver or Contributor. These templates are not intended for report distribution. For more information, see Contribution Campaigns.

The options to Load or Save templates are on the Reportworq menu.

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Configure Email Options#

Email options apply to reports delivered as email messages with attached report output files.

To configure Email options:

  1. Specify which file formats to include as email attachments. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Select the Show More Fields icon beside the To field.
  3. Configure the following, using static text and/or variables:
  1. In the message editor, compose the email message. The message can include text, graphics, hyperlinks, and Reportworq variables, including AI Insights. For more information about composing messages, see Message Editor.
  2. At the top of the Email Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  3. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the additional Email Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure Google Drive Options#

Reports can be distributed to a user's Google Drive.

To configure Google Drive options:

  1. Specify which file formats to upload to the Google Drive. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Configure the following, using static text and/or variables:
  1. At the top of the Google Drive Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  2. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the additional Email Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure IBM Planning Analytics Options#

Reports can be distributed to Planning Analytics TM1 Application Folders.

To configure IBM Planning Analytics options:

  1. Specify which file formats to include. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Configure the following, using static text and/or variables:
  1. At the top of the IBM Planning Analytics Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  2. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the IBM Planning Analytics Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure Network Folder Options#

Reports can be distributed to a local or network file folder.

To configure network folder options:

  1. Specify which file formats to upload. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Specify the UNC Folder Path to the destination folder, using static text and/or variables. The account that is running the Reportworq Bootstrapper Windows Service must have write access to the folder.
  3. At the top of the Network Folder Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  4. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the Network Folder Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure Secure FTP Options#

Reports can be distributed to secure FTP folders.

The Secure FTP Distributor is linked to a user account on an SFTP server. Reports are delivered securely to a remote folder associated with that user account.

To configure secure FTP options:

  1. Specify which file formats to upload. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. If you want to deliver the reports to a subfolder, specify the SFTP Location using static text and/or variables.
  3. At the top of the Secure FTP Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  4. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the Secure FTP Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure SharePoint Options#

Reports can be distributed to SharePoint folders.

To configure SharePoint options:

  1. Specify which file formats to upload. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Specify the SharePoint Location URL, using static text and/or variables. Do not use the URL visible in a browser for the SharePoint folder. It is not valid. Valid SharePoint Location URLs are case-sensitive, and must be in the following form: https://myofficeserver.sharepoint.com/sites/mysite/myfolder1/myfolder2 The URL consists of the following:
  1. At the top of the SharePoint Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  2. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the SharePoint Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure Slack Options#

Reports can be distributed directly to Slack channels and users.

To configure Slack options:

  1. Specify which file formats to include as attachments. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. Specify the destination Slack Channel, using static text and/or variables.
  3. In the message editor, compose the email message. The message can include text, graphics, hyperlinks, and Reportworq variables, including AI Insights. For more information about composing messages, see Message Editor.
  4. At the top of the Slack Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  5. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the additional Email Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Configure Teams Options#

Reports can be distributed to Microsoft Teams groups as an email message sent to one or more Teams channels.

Note: The ability to send emails to Teams channels is a feature that must be enabled by a Teams Administrator. For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/send-an-email-to-a-channel-in-teams-d91db004-d9d7-4a47-82e6-fb1b16dfd51e.

To configure Teams options:

  1. Specify which files to include as attachments. In the following example, Excel and PDF are selected.
  2. In the Chats box, specify one or more Teams channel email addresses, using static text and/or variables.
  3. In the message editor, compose the email message. The message can include text, graphics, hyperlinks, and Reportworq variables, including AI Insights. For more information about composing messages, see Message Editor.
  4. At the top of the Teams Options area, select the edit icon to access additional options.
  5. Configure the options as follows:
  1. Close the additional Email Options pane.
  2. Select Save Changes.

Reportworq Variables#

Reportworq variables can be used to import distribution-related data such as report file names, email recipients and subject lines, or charts and images for Email, Slack, and Teams messages.

When configuring distribution options, you can insert variables into text fields and message bodies.

To insert a variable in a text field:

  1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the variable.
  2. Expand the associated variables list and then select the variable type. A red variable pill appears.
  3. Select the variable pill and then configure the variable's properties as required.

To insert a variable in a message body:

  1. Position the cursor where you want to insert the variable.
  2. From the Reportworq menu, select Insert Variable and then select the type of variable you want to insert. In the following figure, Parameter is selected. A red variable pill appears. Its text varies by variable type.
  3. Select the variable pill and then configure the variable's properties as required. Tip: If you want to apply HTML formatting to variables, first select Toggle Format Mode from the Reportworq menu. Variable pills switch to plain text codes that can more easily be selected and formatted. To avoid breaking a variable, do not edit the code between the square brackets, for example, [[code]]. Apply any formatting to the entire pill text. To return to the WYSIWYG view, toggle the format mode again.

The following sections contain information about configuring variable properties:

Address Book Variables#

This variable provides access to contact fields and custom fields as defined in the address book. For example, you can drag the Address Book variable to the Email To field and select the contact's email address as the content. This variable is only valid when using burst sets and a contact is associated with each burst set.

Global Variables#

This variable provides access to the value of any defined global variable. Global variables enable you to change a value without navigating through Job configuration settings.

To create a global variable:

  1. From the menu bar on the left side of the Reportworq window, select the Global Variables icon. The list of global variables appears.
  2. Select Add Variable.
  3. Provide a Name and a Value for the new global variable.

Parameter Variables#

This variable provides access to the parameter value(s) used to generate the report. For example, if the report was created for the Canada Business Unit, then we can include the title Canada in the filename by dragging this variable to the filename field and selecting Business Unit as the content. If a parameter resulted in a list of values, the content will include a comma-delimited list of those values. This may be useful in the body of the email message, but likely not desired in the filename if it is long.

Timestamp Variables#

This variable generates timestamps based on the current and local date and time. A custom timestamp format may be selected or created by using the timestamp parts available in the button in this editor. For example, a timestamp in the format MMMM d yyyy might produce August 12, 2025, whereas the format MM.dd.yy would produce 08.12.25. Use this tool and the example output in the editor to craft the desired timestamp format.
Tip: When distributing reports to a folder-based destination, timestamp variables in the folder path can help to organize report outputs by year and month, for example. Reportworq will automatically create these folders based on the timestamp values.

Cell Value Variables#

This variable sources variable information from a cell reference or named range from inside the generated report. The worksheet with the desired information does not need to be included in the final output because Reportworq will obtain this value after calculation but before removing worksheets. If the worksheet that was referenced by this variable was also used with a parameter that caused the worksheet to be replicated multiple times, then this variable will hold the comma-delimited list of values from this cell location from each of the generated worksheets. This variable allows the user to generate, calculate, or source data from the Microsoft Excel file to be used as part of the Distribution step. One example may be to include the title NEEDS REVIEW in the filename if the data in the report exceeded a threshold defined by an IF statement. Another example would be to dynamically load the email address from the report, based on a formula such as a VLOOKUP or element attribute formula for a specific data provider.

Cell value variables can also be used in AI Insight prompts. Data from the referenced cell(s) or named range is included in the AI prompt sent to the associated AI model. The context of the report is respected; in the case of iterative reports such as for burst sets, only data for the current iteration is included.

To insert a cell value variable:

  1. In the message editor, position the cursor where you want the variable to appear.
  2. On the Reportworq tab, select Insert Variable and then Cell Value.
  3. A red Select Value variable pill appears at the cursor position.
  4. Select the variable pill. The Edit Cell Value panel appears. In the following example, the settings are fully configured.
  5. Select the Report that contains the cell(s) or named range that you want to include in the message or AI prompt.
  6. Select the Worksheet that contains the cell(s) or named range.
  7. Select the named Range or enter the cell range reference.
  8. In the Render Mode area, specify how you would like the data to be rendered in the message. Tip: For AI prompts, select Markdown Table or Plain Text Table for best results.
  9. Select Save & Close. The variable pill turns blue and displays the render mode and the cell reference or named range. In the following example, the render mode is Markdown Table and the named range is RNGLOCATION.

Chart Variables#

This variable can be used to insert a copy of a named chart into the body of an email message.

The Range option in this editor permits the user to select the name of the chart from a cell location. This option supports the use case where there are multiple candidate charts for the email message, but based on a formula, the most appropriate chart will be inserted.

Image Variables#

This variable can be used to insert a copy of a named image into the body of an email message.

The Range option in this editor permits the user to select the name of the image from a cell location. This option supports the use case where there are multiple candidate images for the email message, but based on a formula, the most appropriate image will be inserted.

Screenshot Variables#

This variable allows for a range of cells to be inserted into the body of the email message as an image.

Tip: If you want to omit the worksheet that contains the inserted cells from all attached files to avoid duplication, clear the worksheet's check box on the Reports tab.

AI Insight Variables#

This variable allows you to insert AI Insight prompts into email messages, Slack messages, and Teams messages that accompany Job output.

Each AI Insight prompt is configured to query an AI model and insert the generated query results directly into the host message.

You can use any number of available AI Insight prompts in a given message.

To insert an AI Insight prompt into a Job message:

  1. In the message editor, position the cursor where you want the AI Insight to appear.
  2. On the Reportworq tab, select Insert Variable and then AI Insight.
  3. A red Select AI Prompt variable pill appears at the cursor position.
  4. Select the variable pill. The Edit AI Insight panel appears.
  5. Select the AI Insight Prompt you want to insert.
  6. Select Save & Close. The variable pill turns blue and displays the name of the selected AI prompt.

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