Absorb's Report Actions provide the Admin with the ability to execute generalized commands on individual LMS Reports, treated as a single combined unit.
With that in mind, Scheduled Report Emails actually draw some functionality from the Generated Report File Action. In order to have reports emailed at scheduled intervals, Absorb has the report generated prior to delivering it to an admin's specified recipients. In the event that you need to access the report later, and you do not have yourself included in the recipient list, you can access it from the Generated Reports found in Setup.
Components
With Absorb, the Admin can arrange to have up-to-date Generated Report Files sent to other individuals via email, automatically and on an regular pre-determined basis, by using the Schedule Report Email workspace.
| Element | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Email Report |  |
This switch determines whether or not a updated version of the Generated Report File will be regularly distributed via email (mandatory). |
| Send Frequency |  |
This drop down menu provides a list of the available intervals the Admin will be required to select from in order to establish how often the Generated Report File will be automatically assembled and distributed by Absorb in the future (mandatory). |
| Recipient Email Addresses |  |
This field can be used to include other individuals (Admins, LMS Users and Non-LMS Users alike) in the distribution of the Report, in the event they are not already a member of the LMS Group receiving the regularly scheduled message (optional). |
| Email To Group |  |
This drop down menu, which is accessed by clicking on the Add button (+), provides a list of the available LMS Group(s) that the Admin can select from, in order to assemble their Schedule Report Email distribution list (optional). |
| Format |  |
These tick boxes are for selecting the data format that will be utilized in generating the Generated Report File and downloadable link - Excel or CSV (mandatory). |
| Actions |  |
This portion of the workspace provides the executable option available to the Admin (mandatory). |
Actions
When working with Absorb's Schedule Report Email feature, the Actions available for use by the Admin are:
| Element | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule Report Email |  |
This button will open the Schedule Report Email workspace. |
| Add Group |  |
Refer to the Email To Group item in the section above. This button is used by the Admin during the initial setup of the Schedule Report Email feature (and/or anytime thereafter) to add any of the Groups that should receive the Generated Report File. |
| Remove Group |  |
This button, which is represented by the circular (x) located to the right of a Group Name, is used by the Admin during the initial setup of the Schedule Report Email feature (and/or anytime thereafter) to delete any of the Groups that should not receive the Report message. |
| Save | |
This button will both store and enable the future distribution of the Report in the exportable file format that the Admin has selected from the drop down list (mandatory). The same button will also store the choice to disable the same Scheduled Report Email. |
Instructions
Absorb's Schedule Report Email button will open a workspace where an Admin can configure the automatic future delivery of one of their custom Reports, which will then be sent on a regularly scheduled basis to a select list of internal and external recipients.
Every one of these scheduled Reports will be regenerated each time as both a physical data file and a downloadable link (using one of Absorb's three exportable data formats) with the most up-to-date information contained in the LMS.
Usage
Automated Reporting
Absorb's Schedule Email Report feature is intended to be engaged once, and then left to operate both independently and indefinitely, until such time as the Admin decides it is no longer needed.
Having this fully automated task makes it very useful for Admins to be able to quickly distribute their Reports on a regular basis to any individual and/or portal Group, as a standing reporting tool of their LMS.
Benefits
This particular Report Action can be beneficial to Admins because it spares them the manual work of having to:
- Generate an exportable data file (and then save it locally to their computing device) or upload it to Absorb's Files (and then obtain the Private File URL link).
- Draft an email using their own email software or Absorb's Messages tool.
- Add the appropriate recipients (for either type of messaging program) as well as add the necessary file attachment or URL link.
- Send out the message.
- Repeat the same entire process again every time they need to send out an updated version of the Report.
Applications
Regardless of the convenience this feature provides, if an Admin does not need to have an automated and repeatable sharing of one of their Reports (but only the one time and/or occasional delivery of that LMS data), then they should opt for Absorb's Generate Report File feature and assume direct control of the delivery of their Report instead.
Operation
Creation
In order to have one of their Reports automatically transmitted by the LMS on an ongoing basis, the Admin will need to:
- Navigate to the Report page in their LMS that they want to have as the basis of their scheduled email.
- Select and load one of their Saved Layouts (or create and save one, if one does not already exist) for that Report and then set the Email Report switch to 'On'.
- Designate how often the Report's data file will be assembled and distributed upon being activated, using the list of choices in the Send Frequency drop down menu.
- Determine which recipients - be they Groups of LMS Users and/or individuals - that will receive the Report.
- Configure which data format (i.e. XLS or CSV) will be used to transmit the Report file and then click the Save button to start the process (which will be confirmed by the Schedule Report Email button switching from grey to blue).
Activation
Once activated, Absorb will assume the responsibility for assembling and distributing the Generated Report File on a continual basis, for as long as the Report Action is enabled:
- Each time the Admin's desired time interval is reached, the LMS will automatically generate the Report using the parameters of the Admin's Saved Layout and populate it with whatever current data is contained in the portal, at the moment it is created and sent.
- As soon as the Report is ready, the LMS will immediately transmit the file to the selected recipients via email as both a physical attachment (if the file size is less than 20 Megabytes) and a downloadable link.
- Message recipients will then receive this email (directly addressed from the Admin sender), informing them that their Report has been successfully generated (along with the time it was assembled) and advising them that it can be accessed using the aforementioned file or link.
- As all Scheduled Report emails are automatically generated by the LMS, recipients will not be able to directly reply to the Admin's message itself, only make use of its contents. If a recipient does need to contact the Admin about the contents of their email or their Report, then that recipient will need to contact the Admin sender using the email address located in the signature of the incoming message.
Revisions
The Admin is entirely free to update and resave the active Report Layout being used for their Scheduled Report Email (e.g. in the event that some of the configured settings are no longer accurate), at any time and as many times as necessary, without affecting the distribution whatsoever.
Just as long as the name given to the Saved Layout being used for the scheduled email is not changed, the distribution of the Report email will continue on uninterrupted.
Deactivation
Should the time come when the Admin determines their Scheduled Report Email is no longer required, they will need to deactivate in the LMS by:
- Returning to the particular LMS Report being automatically distributed.
- Loading the same Saved Layout used to generate the actual Report.
- Clicking once again on the Schedule Report Email button and setting the Email Report switch back to 'Off' (which will be confirmed by the Schedule Report Email button switching from blue back to grey).
Output
Report File Formats
Given that the Reports that email recipients will be regularly receiving are directly based on Absorb's standard Generated Report File feature, they will also be distributed in one of those same file formats:
- Excel (xls data).
- Comma Separated Values (csv data(.
Report File Access
Accessing the actual Generated Report Files that will be transmitted by this LMS feature is entirely dependent on
- What sort of individual is attempting to access the Report.
- Which method that same person is using, in order to try and gain access to the emailed Report.
Access: Admins
Generated Report Files 20 Megabytes or less: Will be directly attached to the message and be immediately accessible by the Admin.
Generated Report Files larger than 20 Megabytes: Will not be directly attached to the message and the downloadable link will be the only means for the Admin to access the Report.
Downloadable File Link:Will be accessible to the individual attempting to download the Report once they authenticate their portal identity with valid Administrator login credentials.
Access: LMS Users & Non-LMS Users
Generated Report Files 20 Megabytes or less:Will be directly attached to the message and be immediately accessible by both the LMS Users and Non-LMS Users alike.
Generated Report Files larger than 20 Megabytes:Will not be directly attached to the message and there will be no means of accessing the Report file by either type of individual, whatsoever.
Downloadable File Link: Will not be accessible to either type of individual, whatsoever.
(Report Files are generated / stored at the Admin User level of the LMS, requiring valid Admin login credentials.)
Access Summary
| Report File | Administrator | LMS User | Non-LMS User |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attachment < 20 MB |
Always Attached / Direct Access |
Always Attached / Direct Access |
Always Attached / Direct Access |
| Attachment > 20 MB* |
Never Attached / Link Only | Never Attached / Link Only | Never Attached / Link Only |
| Downloadable Link | Always Attached / Admin Access | Always Attached / No Access | Always Attached / No Access |
0 Comments