Reports Workflow
The Reports Workflow feature in NinjaCat provides a detailed view of all recent report generation activities. This tool is especially useful for monitoring, rerunning, and troubleshooting individual report executions within a 30-day rolling window.
Overview
Each row in the Workflow Manager view represents a single instance of a report run, which is a combination of:
- A report profile which consists of:
- A report template
- A linked account
- This view is focused on the process of report generation and delivery. This added focus on the process is the benefit of this view. The details of the profile are still the focus of the Reports page.
If a report is scheduled to run frequently (e.g., daily), you will see multiple entries for that report over time.
Key Concepts
1 - Rolling One-Month Activity Window
- The workflow view displays report activity from the past month (the same day last month through today).
- For reports that run frequently, you will see a higher number of entries (e.g., 30 entries for a daily report).
2 - Static Snapshot (Manual Refresh)
- The page does not auto-refresh. You must click the Refresh button to update statuses.
- This design prevents instability during peak activity times (e.g., the first of the month).
3 - Statuses and Their Meanings
Reports move through several statuses:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Queued | Waiting for resources; seen mostly during high-volume times. |
| Running | Report is gathering data and generating the output. All stages of Report Generation will be viewed here, including Waiting for Requests. Row actions: Cancel and View Template. |
| Error | The report ended in Data Error, Critical Error, Email Error, or Cancelled. Use Review to open the error details, or Rerun to run it again. |
| Ready | The report has successfully generated and is available to download or send. |
| Sent | The report has been sent via automated or manual delivery. Note: 'Sent' indicates NinjaCat handed the email off to your configured SMTP server. If there are issues with your SMTP configuration, the email may not actually be delivered to recipients, and NinjaCat does not have visibility into those downstream delivery errors. See SMTP Configuration troubleshooting for more. |
Note: A report instance only exists in one status at a time. It transitions from Running → Ready → Sent (or Error if failed).
4 - "Started At" Timestamp
- Displays when the run was scheduled to start, or when Run Now or Rerun was last clicked.
Actions & Interactivity
5 - Manual Rerun
- You can rerun a report instance with Rerun: the main button on Error rows, or in the row menu on Ready and Sent rows. Rerun isn't available on Queued or Running rows.
6 - Bulk Actions
- Select multiple report entries to perform actions in bulk.
- Bulk actions depend on the tab: Run Now on Queued, Cancel on Running, Rerun and Send All Available on Error, and Send All Available on Ready and Sent.
Additional Features
- Error details: Review/View Errors opens an Error Report showing the report, account, template, owner, date range and start time, plus each error's type, page, widget and message.
- Dropdown Options: Each report row has actions that depend on the tab. Running rows offer Cancel and View Template. Error rows offer Rerun, Review/View Errors, View Template, and, when a report file exists, Download, Send and Add Notes. Ready and Sent rows offer Download, Send, Rerun, Add Notes, View Errors and View Template. Queued rows offer Run Now.
Troubleshooting Tips
| Issue | Possible Cause | Suggested Action |
|---|---|---|
| No entries shown in Queued | Normal unless it's a high-volume day | Check on the 1st of the month for queue activity |
| Statuses not updating | Static snapshot by design | Use the Refresh button to update |
| Report in Waiting for Requests has no Review button | Review only appears on Error-tab rows | Wait for the report to finish and move to the Error tab, then use Review |
| Report keeps showing Cancelled | A user is cancelling it in Workflow Manager (singly or in bulk). NinjaCat never cancels reports automatically. | Check with your team who is cancelling it in Workflow Manager |
Key Takeaways
- Workflow Manager shows individual report runs from the past month.
- Manual refresh is required to see status updates.
- Reports move through defined statuses and never exist in more than one at a time.
Updated 3 days ago
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