Create and Maintain Batches

To open the Maintain Batches window:

1. From any Eagle window, click the Eagle Navigator button to access the Eagle Navigator.

2. Enter Reporting in the Start Search text box.

3. Click the Reporting Center link to access the Reporting Center component.
   You see the Client Reporting workspace.

4. Open the Client Reporting folder, and double-click the Administrative folder.
   You see the Client Reporting options.

5. Double-click Maintain Batches.
   You see the Maintain Batches window.

   

6. Complete the options on the Maintain Batches window.

Create a Batch

To create a new batch, you define the entities and clients you want in the batch, schedule the batch, and select the reporting packages you want to run for each month of the year.

To create a batch:

1. Click the Create New Batch link on the Maintain Batches window
   You see the Create New Batch dialog box. The Batch Definition tab is displayed by default.

   

2. Complete the options on the Batch Definition tab.

3. Click Next to display the Scheduler tab and schedule the criteria based batch.
   You see the Scheduler tab.

   

4. Select the Schedule this batch check box.

5. Complete the options on the Scheduler tab.

6. Click Next to display the Reports tab to specify which reporting packages you want to run for each month of the year.
   You see the Reports tab.

   

7. Complete the options on the Reports tab.

8. Click Finish.
   The entities or clients that match the criteria are automatically included in the batch details when the batch is submitted for processing.

Preview the Entities and Clients

This procedure describes how to preview the entities and clients specified in a criteria based batch. If the list is not what you expect, you can modify the criteria until the clients or entities are included.

1. Select the Evaluate Custom Filter link on the Create New/Edit Batch dialog box to preview the entities and clients you specified for a criteria based batch.
   You see the Clients dialog box if you created a criteria based client batch. If you created a criteria based entity batch, you see the Entities dialog box. Both the Entities and Clients dialog box lists the clients/entities that meet the criteria you defined in the criteria based batch.

2. To sort the clients or entities on the dialog box in ascending order, single click the column heading. To sort the clients or entities in descending order, double click a column heading.

3. Click Configure Fields to customize the columns on the Clients/Entities dialog box.
   You see the Configure Fields dialog box.

   

   If you created a criteria based batch at the client level, the Configure Fields dialog box displays the field attributes defined against the RULESDBO.CLIENT table. If you created a criteria based batch at the entity level, it displays the field attributes that have been defined against the RULESDBO.ENTITY table.

4. To select a field to display on the Entities/Clients dialog box, double-click the field in the left pane of the Configure Fields dialog box or select the field and click the right arrow button. To select all fields, click the right double arrow button.

5. To remove a field from displaying on the Entities/Clients dialog box, double-click the field in the right pane of the dialog box or select the field and click the left arrow button. To remove all fields, click the left double arrow button.

6. To re-order fields, select the fields in the right pane and use the Move Down and Move Up links to change the order of the selected fields.

7. Click OK to save the field selections. The selected columns are displayed the next time you display the Clients/Entities dialog box.

Define Approval Dependencies

Approvals are tasks that help you automate production of client reports. Complete the following procedure to define approvals:

To define approval dependencies:

1. Click Define Approval Dependencies on the Reports tab of the Create New/Edit Batch dialog box.
   You see the Approval Dependencies dialog box.

   

2. Click Fetch Associated to add approvals assigned to the batch directly, or to the clients or entities in the batch.

3. Click Fetch All. For a client level batch, approvals assigned to the entities owned by the clients contained in the batch are retrieved. For an entity level batch, approvals assigned to the clients that own the entities contained in the batch are retrieved.

When you create a batch, the Selected Approvals section is populated by default. Selected approvals and the order in which they are to be approved are displayed in the Selected Approvals section. You can change the values in the Order column, making one approval dependent on another in the same stage. An approval with a greater order value is dependent on an approval with a lesser order value. The approval with the greater order value is not available for an approval status change until the approval with the lesser order value is marked as approved.

When editing a batch, use the Fetch buttons to populate the Selected Approvals section. This allows the process to function more quickly since most users do not add approvals when editing a batch.

Batch level approvals that are not assigned to the current batch are displayed in the Available Approvals section. To add other batch level approvals, drag them from the Available Approvals section to the Selected Approvals section.

You can create more than one approval with the same Order value. There are no dependencies between approvals with the same Order value, but they act the same with respect to larger and smaller Order values.

For example, if two approvals in a batch are created with Order values of 2, then both of those approvals are dependent on any approval with an Order value of 1. Similarly, any approval with an Order value of 3 is dependent on the approvals with an Order value of 2. However, there are no dependencies between the two approvals with an Order value of 2.

Select the Ignore check box if a particular approval should not be part of the workflow for the current batch.

Internal dependencies exist in the batch process. After Run approvals are not available for approval until the batch has progressed past the imaging stage. Similarly, Post Distribution approvals are not available for updates until the batch has completed the Distribution stage.

Define Approval Dependencies Right-Click Options

When you right-click, you see the Define Approval Dependencies dialog box. This dialog box displays a popup menu containing options that make the approval dependency set up process easier. Complete the options on the right-click menu.

Create and Edit an Advanced Report Profile Variation

To create and edit an advanced report profile variation:

1. Select an Advanced Profile, right-click, and select Edit Advanced Report Profile.
   You see the Advanced Report dialog box.

   

   On this dialog box, you can add entities or clients, date rules, date settings, and distribution settings. You can also submit an Advanced Report Profile. Like other Advanced Report Profiles, most of these settings do not impact Client Reporting, as the batch settings override the Advanced Report Profile level parameters.

2. Click the Batch Overrides tab.
   You see the Batch Overrides tab.

   

3. Right-click and select New Override from the popup menu.
   You see the the Advanced Report Override dialog box.

   

4. Right-click on the Selected Rules pane and select Add from the popup menu.
   You see the Select Advanced Rules dialog box. On this dialog box, you can add an Advanced Report rule as an override in the variation.

   

5. Click the Advanced Rules and click OK.
   The rules are displayed on the Advanced Report Override dialog box.

6. Enter a name for the variation in the Name text box.
   Each variation in a single Advanced Profile must have a unique name. However, two separate Advanced Profiles can have variations with the same name. The Comments text box is optional.

7. Click OK.
   You see the variation you created on the Batch Override tab of the Editing an Advanced Report Profile dialog box.

8. Click Next.
   You see the Scheduler tab. Complete the options on this tab.

9. Click Next.
   You see the Reports tab. Complete the options on this tab. Click No if you do not want to submit the report.

10. Click Finish.
    The Override column on the Reports tab of the Edit Batch dialog box is enabled. See the following section, Create a Batch Override, to apply the override to one or more of the recipients in the batch. Variation data is stored in the ADV_PROFILE_VARIATION table in the PACE_MASTER database.

Create a Batch Override

To create a batch override for one or more of the batch’s recipients:

1. Click the ellipses button in the Override column.
   You see the Batch Override dialog box. If you do not want the Batch Override dialog box to display contacts of the clients in a client level batch, you can enable the Hide Contacts from Batch Override screen check box on the Configure dialog box.

   

2. Apply the variation to the recipients in the batch, including entities, clients, or contacts, using the Variation drop down list. Click OK.
   The Override Column on the Edit Batch dialog box displays YES to indicate that there is a batch override.

3. Click Finish.

View Advanced Report Variations

You can view Advanced Report variations by name for each recipient on the Batch Status window, which is used to monitor batch information. When you select an Advanced Profile, the name of the Advanced Report variation is displayed in the batch details section of the Batch Status window for package level recipients who have a batch override configured in the batch. The Batch Status window in Hybrid mode contains a field for the hybrid entity type.

The batch details section of the Batch Status window contains the Entity (Hybrid Mode) column heading, which displays the entity long name followed by the client name of the client that owns the entity. The content of the client name is configured using the client identification option on the Configure dialog box. This dialog box is available when you click the Configure link. See Configure Batches for additional details.

This information is also displayed on the Review Batch dialog box. See Monitor Batches for details on the Batch Status window and Review Batch dialog box.

Edit Advanced Report Profiles with Overrides

If the Advanced Profile setting on the Reports tab of the Edit Batch dialog box is changed for a month with an override value set, you are prompted with a warning.

The warning indicates that changing the Advanced Profile setting removes the overrides established for the corresponding month in the batch. You can either cancel the Advanced Profile change request or accept the impact and proceed with the changes.

Preview Distributions

You can preview batch distributions by right clicking on the Advanced Report Profile in the Reports tab of the Edit Batch dialog box. You see the Batch Distribution Preview dialog box.

Information includes client/contact names, advanced report profiles, variations, communication types and values, file formats, distribution categories, and entity names. You can also preview batch distributions from the Maintain Batches window. Select the batch and click the Preview Distributions link.

Configure Batches

The Configure link on the Maintain Batches window displays the Configure dialog box. The Maintain Batches tab on this dialog box allows you to configure settings for the batches you create and edit on the Maintain Batches window.

Complete the options on the Maintain Batches tab as described in the following table.

Set up the Code Value for the Category List

To set up a code value for the category list.

1. Click Create New Batch or Edit Batch.
   You see the Create New Batch or Edit Batch dialog box.

   

2. Select a category from the Category drop down list.

3. Click Finish to close the Batch dialog box.

4. Click the Go to another component drop down list on the Maintain Batches window.

5. Select Maintenance/Codes.

6. Click the Add Code link.
   You see the Codes dialog box.

   

7. Complete the fields on the Codes dialog box and click Add.
   You need to set the Type field to “X” for the code to function properly in the Client Reporting windows.
   Make sure that an Inventory of Fields record is created for the new CATEGORY column in the RULES.DBO.CR_SCHEDULES table.

8. Click the Go to another component drop down list and select Meta Data/Inventory of Tables/Fields. Select a table to review the inventory of fields.
   Additionally, you need to create a field attribute that points to the Category column in the RULES.DBO.CR_SCHEDULES table. The field attribute should refer to the code you created. See the Editing Regular Field dialog box displayed below.

   

General Tab

The General tab on the Configure dialog box has a number of settings that apply to all Client Reporting functions.

The following table describes the options on the General tab.

Diagnostics Options for Troubleshooting

If you selected the Enable the Diagnostics Features for troubleshooting option, a Diagnostics menu appears next to Quick Links. The Diagnostics area contains the following options.

Submit an Ad Hoc Batch

The Submit Batch link on the Maintain Batches window allows you to submit the selected batch on an ad hoc basis for the specified report start and end dates. You can also specify a due date, override the batch log level, submit the ad hoc batch as a scheduled event, and run the event as a high priority.

To submit a batch on an ad hoc basis:

1. Select a batch on the Maintain Batches window.

2. Click the Submit Batch link. Or right-click and select Submit Batch from the popup menu.
   You see the Submit Batch dialog box.

   

3. Select the Report Start Date check box and specify a value for the Report Start Date and Report End Date. Or use the default Report Start Date. The Report Start Date check box is designed to support off-period report processing.
   The specified report start/end dates determine which package is submitted. It works with any date rule that is specified in the underlying Advanced Report and Advanced Report Profile to determine the start and end date of the reporting package.

4. Click the Select a Due Date link.
   You see the Due Date dialog box.

   

5. Specify the date the batch should be completed and click OK.
   You see the Submit Batch dialog box.

6. Click the Submit the Engine at Log Level check box and select a log level from the drop down list. This option allows you to override the batch log level. A more detailed log is generated without requiring the log level to be changed at the PACE Server level. Or for the PACE Servers to be recycled to generate more detailed logs.
   The log level override value also applies to any Advanced Reporting, Concentration, or Distribution engines submitted by the current instance of the Client Reporting batch engine.

7. Click the Submit as Scheduled check box. This option allows you to submit the ad hoc batch as a scheduled event. Two edit checks are included in the submission process.
   A warning message appears if the batch has already been submitted with the same effective date (report start/end dates). You can ignore the warning and submit the batch again with the same date.
   You cannot submit a batch for a future effective date (report start/end dates). If you attempt this, you will see the warning displayed below. You cannot override this edit check.

   

8. Click the Run this event at High Priority link to run the event at a high priority.

9. Click OK to submit the report for processing.

Default Ad Hoc Batch Submissions

When the Adhoc Batch submission default to prior month end check box on the Configure dialog box is enabled, and the default Report Start Date on the Submit Batch dialog box defaults to the prior calendar month end date.

If the prior month does not specify an Advanced Profile, Client Reporting will use the most recent month with an Advanced Profile selected. For example, if a batch with an Advanced Profile configured for each month of the year is submitted on an ad hoc basis on January 1 and the Adhoc Batch submission default to prior month end check box is enabled, the Report Start Date on the Submit Batch dialog box defaults to December 31 of the previous year.

If a batch with an Advanced Profile configured on a quarterly basis, for example, January, April, July and October, is submitted on an ad hoc basis on January 1 and the Adhoc Batch submission default to prior month end check box is enabled, the Report Start Date on the Submit Batch dialog box defaults to October 31 of the previous year.

This setting only affects the default Report Start Date on the Submit Batch dialog box. You can enable the Report Start Date check box and enter a value for the Report Start Date and Report End Date. This feature is designed to support off-period report processing. You can configure Client Reporting to enable the Report Start Date check box by default when you display the Submit Batch dialog box. Refer to Configure PACE for Client Reporting.

Process Batch Submissions

When a submitted batch contains a client, the Client Reporting engine determines the entities owned by the selected client and submits the underlying Advanced Report for that entity.

When a submitted catch contains an entity, Client Reporting submits the underlying Advanced Report for that entity. The Client Reporting distribution engine determines the clients that own the entity in the batch.

Evaluate Client Relationships to Entities

Client Reporting fails batches if they are run for a client with no Client Reporting eligible relationships to entities. When the Advanced Reporting engine evaluates the selected client for its relationship to entities, it queries the CR_FLAG value in all CLIENT_RELATIONSHIPS records for the selected Client. If all of the CLIENT_RELATIONSHIPS records have a CR_FLAG value of zero, which indicates that the relationship should be ignored by the Client Reporting process, the Advanced Report fails with an error message indicating that the report cannot run without entities.

Pass Client Info Setting

Client Reporting also recognizes the Pass Client Info check box in Advanced Report rules. This check box, originally intended to forward client level information from an Advanced Report down to the underlying standard PACE Report, is also used by the Advanced Reporting engine when run in Client Reporting mode.

The Pass Client Info check box determines which client relationships are recognized and used by Client Reporting. It controls the clients returned by the underlying concentration reports. When the Pass Client Info check box is enabled in the Advanced Report Rule, the client from the batch is retained. Client fields included in the concentration report only include data from the client submitted in the batch. When the Pass Client Info check box is not enabled, the client in the batch is examined to determine the entities owned by the client. The Advanced Report is then run for these entities, and if the underlying concentration report contains any fields from the CLIENT tables, data is returned for all clients that own the entities.

Print Options Tab

Use the options on the Print Options tab as described in the following table.

Overview of Distribution Logic

This section contains an overview of the distribution logic maintain batches functionality.

When you create a batch via the Maintain Batches function at the client level, the report packages are run for all of the entities owned by the selected clients. In Figure 30, client Jones owns two accounts, or entities A and B, in PACE. When a batch is run for client Jones, the selected Advanced Report profile is run for both entities A and B, and client Jones receives, assuming valid distribution information, a package of reports containing both entities.

A copy of this package is also delivered to all of client Jone’s contacts. In Figure 30: Client-Level Batch Distribution, the contact type feature in the Client Reporting configuration has been used so that the contact receives a different version of the report package in terms of the reports contained in the package, but the package is still run for all entities owned by client Jones.

When you create a batch via the Maintain Batches function at the entity level, the report packages are run for each entity separately. If a client owns two entities contained in a batch, that client receives two separate packages via client reporting distribution, each containing one of the entities.

In the Entity Level Batch Distribution example shown above, batch 1 contains entities A and B. Clients Jones and Smith both own entity A, so they each receive a copy of the package containing entity A. Client Jones also owns entity B. Therefore, client Jones receives two separate packages via the distribution engine.

The contact distribution logic differs in an entity level batch. A contact receives a copy of the package if they are connected to the client at the client/entity relationship level. This feature allows you to associate different contacts with each entity owned by the client. In: Figure 31: Entity-Level Batch Distribution, contact Brown is related to client Jones at its relationship to entity A and, therefore, receives a copy of the package that contains entity A.

Contact White is related to client Jones at its relationship to entity B and, therefore, receives a copy of the package that contains entity B.