Use alerts to send automated notifications about performance to users by e‑mail or to an XML file.
Metrics Management supports only SMTP servers. If your organization uses Exchange or Domino, you must enable SMTP support on those servers before you can e‑mail alerts. Metrics Management can send e‑mail alerts if the Metrics Management Server is behind the firewall. Metrics Management cannot send e‑mail alerts if the SMTP server is beyond the firewall.
Use the XML file as a log of sent mail, or as a way to send alerts through a Windows or internet application. For example, post XML file alerts to a web site.
The content of an alert is based on the book sections that the system specialist specifies when creating an alert. A section generates information based on specific measure and location pairs or on a filter. As each section is based on a view, the settings in the section’s view, such as the series, period display, top measure, or top location, affect the information a recipient sees in an alert. Typically, the selected sections use filters that reference <Current User> so that the output is specific to the current user.
The system specialist can generate an alert manually or automate sending alerts by using pbvcon. For more information about using pbvcon, see About pbvcon.
How to create an alert
Use the following procedure to create an alert.
1 In the Navigation Pane, choose Setup➛Alerts➛Create.
2 In Name, provide information about the alert:
1 In Name, type a name for the alert.
2 In Description, type a description.
3 For Categories, choose Edit. In Categories, select or create categories. Then, choose OK.
3 In Header, specify the recipients, sender, and subject of the alert:
1 To select groups and users to receive the alert, choose Edit. In Groups and Users, add groups and users to the Selected list. Then, choose OK.
2 In Send the alert only to users in this list who are, refine the recipients of the alert within the groups and users you selected in the previous step. Select any of the following groups and users:
Owners of any measure in the section’s views
Owners assistants of any measure in the section’s views
Data-entry users for any measure in the section’s views
Commentary-entry users for any measure in the section’s views
3 Optionally, change the user that is the sender of the alert from the user creating the alert to a different user. Typically, the system specialist sends alerts. In From this user, select a user to be the sender of the alert.
4 In Subject, type the subject of the alert. This text appears in the subject line of the e‑mail.
4 In Contents, provide the text for the body of the alert:
1 In Insert this text above alert’s contents, choose Edit. In Edit, type any introductory comments for the alert. Then, choose OK. The text appears in Insert this text above alert’s contents, as shown in Figure 8‑13.
Figure 8‑13 Introductory text for an alert
2 To select sections from which the alert generates information, in Sections, choose Edit. In Sections, add sections to the Selected list. Then, choose OK.
3 To show the description of the section after the section name in the alert, select Include sections’ description.
4 To inform a user that a particular section has no results, select Insert this text for empty sections. Choose Edit. In Edit, type the text to appear in the message. Then, choose OK. The text appears below Insert this text for empty sections, as shown in Figure 8‑14. Alternatively, to send no notification to a user when a section is empty, deselect Insert this text for empty sections.
Figure 8‑14 Sample message informing users about empty sections
5 To show base and comparison series values for data measures, select Include base and comparative values.
6 To exclude index values for measures, select Exclude index.
7 To inform a user that no selected sections have results, select Insert this text if all sections are empty. Choose Edit. In Edit, type the text to appear in the message. Then, choose OK. The text appears below Insert this text if all sections are empty, as shown in Figure 8‑15. Alternatively, if you do not want a notification sent to a user when all their sections are empty, deselect Insert this text if all sections are empty.
Figure 8‑15 Sample message informing users that all sections are empty
5 In Destination, configure how Metrics Management sends alerts. To configure a mail server authentication method:
1 Select E‑mail this Alert.
2 In Address of SMTP mail server, type the SMTP address or the TCP/IP address of your mail server.
3 In Mail server authentication method, select an authentication method:
To use no authentication, select None required. An account name or password is not required.
To use a plain text user name and password, select Login. Metrics Management sends alerts encoded as base-64.
To send e‑mail alerts through a secure Microsoft Exchange Server using Windows NT Login Manager and SSPI, select NTLM (Microsoft Exchange only).
To attempt to send the alert using first None and then NTLM, select Automatic. If both methods fail, Metrics Management does not send the alert.
4 If you selected the Login, NTLM, or Automatic methods, specify credentials for the SMTP server. In Account on mail server, type a user name. In Password for this account, type a password.
5 To test the alert e-mail, choose Test.
6 To send an alert to an XML file, perform the following tasks:
1 Select Write this alert to an XML file.
2 From the XML file name list, select a named path. Alternatively, choose Browse. In Select Filename, navigate to the location in which to save the file, and type a name having an extension of .xml. Then, choose Open.
7 In Status Log and Errors, specify how to log errors in sending alerts:
To log no errors, in Log status messages, select Do not log status messages.
To log errors to a file:
1 In Log status messages, select Log status messages to file.
2 In Log file, select a named path. Alternatively, choose Browse. In Select Filename, navigate to the location in which to save the log, and type a name having an extension of .txt. Then, choose Open.
3 Select whether to replace or extend the log file when Metrics Management writes a status message:
To overwrite the log file, select Overwrite existing file.
To append to the log file, select Append to existing file.
4 Specify how Metrics Management responds to error conditions:
To stop sending alerts if an error occurs, in Error limit, select Stop after first error.
To continue to send alerts until Metrics Management reaches an error limit, select Stop after this many errors. Then, type or select a value.
8 To assign access rights to groups and users, use the Security tab.
9 Choose Save.
How to generate an alert
1 In the Navigation Pane, choose Data➛Alerts.
2 In the main window, select an alert. Then, choose Generate.
Owners of any measure in the section’s views
