Saved Extracts

For Statistical reports and Data extract reports, you can save your favourite report parameters, and, when you want to rerun that report, you can just select the saved favourite report/extract name from the sub menu under Reporting>Statistical reports or Data extracts.  The saved parameters will display together with the results of that report/extract.  You can also change the parameters and re-run the report/extract, or even create another saved report/extract at this point.

There is even and API that allows Data extracts to be run as a result of API requests, providing data for things like reports in Power BI (see the information about the Extract function in the RefTracker API documentation page.

Supervisors and Administrators can normally save and schedule reports/extracts (controlled by the “Schedule reports and extracts” Function in the user’s signon, under Searching & Reporting).

To save an extract

To save an extract that you have tested and is giving results that you want to produce on a regular basis, click the “Create saved extract” button.
You must give your new Extract a name, and optionally provide a Description of what it is reporting on.
Then click “Add new saved extract”.
The screen will redisplay with your additional details and a Key that can be used with the RefTracker API Extract functionality to have the report extracted for use with another application.

Scheduled extracts

Some Data extracts may need to be “scheduled” to run on a regular basis (in addition to being able to be run ad hoc from the Reporting>Data extract menu list), and those extracts are indicated in their menu list with an indication of their frequency in brackets (Cal= Calendar yearly, Date=Monthly by date, Day=Daily, Fin= Financial yearly, Hr=Hourly, Min= Minutely, Mth=Monthly by day, Qtr=Quarterly, Wk=Weekly).  If an extract has been set as scheduled, when you select it from the menu list, the saved parameters will display together with a sample of the data that the extract would provide (an extract for just the first 25 records – if you want to manually run the extract and get a full set of results, untick the “Sample only” parameter).

These saved extracts are per user – so that means that each user must create their own saved extracts, if any are required.

This functionality works similarly to the Saved searches, but is instigated from a button – whenever you are seeing extract results in the Data extract screen, a new “Create saved extract” button displays to the right of the “Run” button. 

Give your saved extract a helpful short name (max 50 characters) and in the Notes field, provide a description of why this extract is used (and if it is scheduled, when it is scheduled to run).  This note will prove very helpful as it appears as a pop up from the menu list, and at the top of the screen whenever you run this Saved extract, providing an explanation as to what the extract is showing.

Click the Add new saved extract button to create this saved extract.  The screen will redisplay with an option to Schedule the extract.

Use that button to save your extract parameters – you need to add a Name and Description.

Use  Update saved extract  to save the changes you have made.

The screen will redisplay, and now that you have saved your extract, a [Set Schedule] option will be included.

Only if you want this extract to be run automatically, on a regular basis, click [Set Schedule].  Note that some users may not be offered the [Set schedule] option. It is never offered to General or DeskStats level users.

If an extract has already been scheduled an option to Edit the schedule will display with a note about the current scheduled frequency.

If you then click the [Set schedule] link, the Schedule screen that displays will show the scheduling parameters for this Saved extract.  Adjust them to meet your needs, if you want to have this report run automatically on a regular basis.
Status: Choose enabled is you want this extract to run, and disabled if you want to stop it running.
Commences:  You only need to change this if you do not want the extract to start running until sometime in the future (only after the date you set here).
Expires:  Untick and set the date and time at which this scheduled task should stop running, if it needs to stop running at some time in the future.
Frequency:  Set how frequently you want this extract to run – further parameters will appear according to your selection here, or order to allow you to select the appropriate values for your choice.
Minutely = trigger this x minutes after the last time it was run
Hourly = trigger this x hours after the last time it was run
Daily = trigger this at the time specified each day
Weekly = trigger this on the selected days of the week at the selected time
Monthly by day = trigger this on the xth (e.g. 2nd) selected days of the week in each month at the selected time
Monthly by date = trigger this on the xth day of the month (1-28 and last day)
Quarterly = trigger this on the xth day of the quarter (1-28 and last day)
Calendar yearly = trigger this on the xth day of the calendar year (1-28 and last day)
Financial yearly = trigger this on the xth day of the financial year with starting month specified in parameter 2.19 (1-28 and last day)
Start at:  Set the time at which you want this extract to run on the chosen day, in your own time zone (RefTracker will work out what time to the server should run it at if the server is located elsewhere).  The minimum amount of time between runs is 1 minute, and at each run the server looks for processes that have exceeded their specified frequency to run.  Please take the overall processor load into account and only run processes as frequently as necessary. If the processes due to run take more than one minute, the system will not look for more processes to run until the next minute deadline arrives after the run finishes – so, for example, too many processes running every minute will result in all processes running, at best, after two minutes.
Output method:  Choose Email link(s) to send the extract as an email with a clickable link to the extract.  Using this method saves mailbox space and Internet traffic especially if the extract does not actually get looked at every time it is sent. This option is never offered for General or DeskStats users.
The report will remain available for parameter 0.3 amount of time – usually 45 days – and the time it is available is stated in the email that delivers the link. If you want a report to be available for a longer period, the best option is to deliver it as an attachment rather than as a link.
Choose Email file(s) to send the extract as an email with the extract/s as an attachment/s.  This is a more convenient method where the extract/s being sent are always reviewed. This option is never offered for General or DeskStats users.
Output file format:  Choose Excel (default as this is the best format for humans to read), CSV or XML as appropriate.
Email addresses:  The email address/es that should receive this extract (semicolon separated with no spaces, if there is more than one).
When you create a saved extract from your extract parameters, any email address/es you have specified will be copied into the saved extract parameters, as the saved extract is created, and any changes to the email addresses at that level will only be retained in the saved extract (they will not be offered when the extract function is used to run new Note that if there is nothing to report the Batch processing log will show “No results” for that run, and so that you know that the report has been run, an email will be sent showing the parameters and “No results to report”.  If the scheduled run errors out for any reason, the log will show “Failed”.
Note to recipient:  This field should be used if the extract is being sent to this user on a regular basis – use it to explain what the recipient is required to do with the data they are receiving.
Here’s an example email providing a scheduled report with a message to the recipient.

When you finish making changes to your saved extract, be sure to click Update saved report. The system will redisplay the parameters screen, and the name of the extract will be added to the extracts appearing at Reporting>Data extract (and if you have scheduled the extract, it will also be appearing at System>Batch process menu>Background processing>Data extract reporting so that the system administrator can manage ALL scheduled extracts).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Running extracts uses a lot of system resources. Please carefully consider the need for the scheduled extracts that you run.  Do not set up scheduled extracts unless the data truly is required on a regular scheduled basis, and where possible, minimise the number of extracts that are being scheduled to run at the same time, and ensure that different staff are not running the same extracts when they could be run just once for all users.
Despite this warning, we encourage you to use this feature to create the regular extracts that you need!
Your System administrator sees a summary of all scheduled searches, reports and extracts and can manage the load (by combining extracts being run by more than one user). If you have scheduled the extract, it will also be appearing at System>Batch process menu>Background processing>Extract reporting so that the system administrator can manage ALL scheduled extracts).

Managing saved extract collection

When you click that [Manage Saved extract collection] link in the menu list you can set the order in which your Saved extracts will display in the Saved extracts menu list, rename your saved extract, or delete it, as appropriate.

When you are finished using this window always click Update to save your changes and close the window.