Business Objects XI Release 2

[bessebo]

We are currently running Crystal Enterprise 9 and I was wondering if there were any improvements related to Event-based reporting within Business Objects XI Release 2?

Regards,
Bessebo

 

[satinsilhouette]

there are File-based events which wait for a particular file to appear before the event occurs. This is now monitored by the Event Server. The exception would be if you want an event to be triggered more than once, you must remove and recreate the file each time.

The Second is Schedule-based events. That is, a schedule-based event is triggered when a particutlar report has been processed.

 

[bessebo]

I assume with File-based events that you have to somehow clear out the file after the report is run?

 

[satinsilhouette]

Yes that would be correct.

 

[MJRBIM]

We use the microsoft scheduler to run a batch (*.bat) file that deletes the trigger between Events.

 

[bessebo]

Thanks for that. I'm confused when you say a batch file that deletes the trigger between events. Do you mean deletes the file? How do you know when the report has run. In other words, you want to delete the file right after the report runs. How do you know that the report has been run?

 

[MJRBIM]

We have an Application process that runs overnight and ends between 3 and 6 AM. When that process ends it writes a TXT file to a directory that is monitored by a FILE EVENT trigger on our CE-10 server.

On our CE-10 server we have a number of reports that are set-up run at 2 AM (with EVENT...so they start to run whenever the application process is finished.

As someone else mentioned, a FILE EVENT trigger only looks for the CREATION of a FILE - not an UPADTE. Therefore, we use Microsoft scheduler to run a BATCH file that deletes the existing (previous day) TXT from the directory at 11 PM each evening, in order to await the next cycle.

 

[bessebo]

OK. I get it. So the report either sees or doesn't see the TXT file. What I would like to do is to put the TXT file into the folder if a condition exists within the database (e.g. an invoice has been generated for a particular customer that day). Do you do such a thing? I'm trying to think of the best way to create the file and place it in the folder within a Trasact-SQL stored procedure. Then I could run the scheduler to run right before the routine and delete a previous file if it exists. At the same time I would have the an Event-based report that would email out the invoice to the customer and it would only run if that file existed in that folder.
I'm interested how other users create the file and place it in the folder within a Transact-SQL stored procedure.

 

[MJRBIM]

For the "e-mail invoice when required" function you might be better looking at a 3rd party tool from the bookmarks on Ken's site.

http://www.kenhamady.com/bookmarks.html

Some of them are designed just for that purpose.