SAS E-mail

[shenniko]

Hi,

Need some help from you guys...

Im using SAS to auto send an e-mail when my SAS report has finished using the below code:-

  filename mymail email ("Name1")
    subject="Please find attached Potential Saves for &yest."
    attach=("T:\TRAC\Robbie\Failed_Trucks\saves.zip");
  data _null_;
    file mymail;
	Put 'This is a SAS generated email.';
	Put ' ';
	put "Please find attached, Report for Potential Saves for &yest.";
	put ' ';
	put 'users can use the link attached and or users can use the zipped attachment.';
	put 'Please note that if you use the zip file then you will need to extract all files';
	put 'so that the drilldown reports will work.';
	put ' ';
	put '[URL unfurl="true"]http://';[/URL]
	put '[URL unfurl="true"]http://';[/URL]
	put ' ';
	put 'This email has been sent automatically by SAS.';
	put 'Please reply to Name if you have any queries.';
	put ' ';
	put 'Thanks Robbie.';
  run;

But for some reason our sister company blocks these e-mails with the following reasons:-

Mailadmin Servers block a mail from the user if :

• It contains an illegal attachment such as an .exe file
• The attachment in it is either encrypted or password protected
• The attachment has been corrupted in some way
• The text of the mail or the attachment contains profanity (swearing, inappropriate words etc).

The following type of emails will be blocked by the Mail Sweepers :
Size:
Any email over the maximum size limit of 5mb will automatically be stopped and cannot be released through the network.

Undetermined:
Emails blocked under this description normally mean that the mail sweepers could not understand the data that was being transmitted through the network or the data within the message became corrupt during its journey to its intended recipients.

Dirty or Active Scripts:
Emails blocked under this description have been stopped for containing VBS Scripts. These are normally found in html pages or files and are the easiest way of transmitting a virus through the network. These types of messages are released once the attachment that contains the VB Scripts has been scanned for viruses.

Offensive:
Emails blocked under this description have been stopped for containing offensive text. On occasion it is the users error for editing in offensive text, but most of the time you will find that PowerPoint, excel, word, and many other applications are the main subject for the blocking, as the mail sweepers will scan through the scripting, macro’s, etc of the applications as well as the actual text content of the email to detect offensive text. These types of emails will be released.

Encrypted:
Emails blocked under this description have been stopped for being encrypted, this normally means that the presentations the users are sending through to be checked over are in fact password protected, or there have been macro’s enabled. These types of emails will be released.

Sound:
Sound files are not allowed through the NTL network under any circumstances. In unusual circumstances where the blocked sound files is business critical, the attachment will normally be saved off onto the users H. These types of messages are not released.

Banned:
Banned files come in the format of Executable files. These again cannot be released into the NTL network and when a sufficient business justification is supplied, the attachments, i.e. the .exe file, will be saved off scanned for any viruses and then placed on to the users H: These types of files are not released unless they are going OUT of the NTL network.
Within Banned there are also Movies files that are stopped as there are NOT allowed through the NTL network under any circumstances.

And the Mail server guys are about as much use as a chocolate fire place when it comes to helping.. do any of you guys know why the Mail is being blocked? or is there another way i can send the E-mail through SAS?

Thanks in advance

Robbie

 

[klaz2002]

Can you send it to another outside address? (like yahoo.com)

 

[shenniko]

I can send it to everyone in our company no problem, but when i try to send it to our sister company, thats when i get the mail back from their Mail Server advising that the e-mail has been blocked because of one of the above "Rules".

Thanks

Robbie

 

[klaz2002]

This looks like an IT issue not a SAS issue. They probably have their security settings, set to block all attachments (even zip files).
Try sending the file with a different extention. Rename the file from file.zip to file.txt. Then send it to them. See if they get the file. If they do get the file then you have two choices, 1 get IT to change their settings, 2 send them the attachment as a txt file and have them change the extension to zip before the click on the file and open it.
Let us know how you make out with this issue.
Klaz

 

[shenniko]

Thanks for the reply,

But the e-mails we send do not contain any attachments (well the majority dont)..

we have some SAS files that check the data in SAS to see if its been updated,

So it scans through the dataset and sees if any faults were entered, if there are then it e-mails out (in basic text) that the faults have been found and the reporting will start, if they havent been found, then it e-mails out stating that the faults havent been found and it will check again in 5 mins.

So no attachments are being sent, just plain text e-mails, but they are still getting blocked.

Any Ideas?

One thought i have is pretty much similar to a problem i had with PHP programming... When using a module in PHP certian Mail addresses would block the e-mail because it wasnt sent from a "Secure" server.. you needed to enter your Mail Server, username, and password for the other mail servers to recieve it... do you think there might be something similar to this with SAS?

Thanks

Robbie

 

[dje]

If it is a sister you plant and if you had access to common file storage location, you could consider saving the output to the network and then just send a link to them members in the sister plant.

dje

 

[ChrisW75]

Verbally beat up their IT people, then go to your manager and get it escalated, your IT department needs to be reminded that it's function is to ALLOW the flow of Information, not stop it.
I'm speaking as an ex-IT person myself. It really sh!ts me when IT departments act like that.

Chris
Business Analyst, Code Monkey, Data Wrangler.
SAS Guru.