SyteLine Report Options: PDF, Excel and email output

Short answer

When a report runs, SyteLine checks the Report Options form for that report and user. That sets the Output Format (PDF, Excel, Word, CSV or Printer), whether to send an E-mail Notification, whether to Attach Report, and the email address. If there's no Report Options record, SyteLine falls back to the Intranets form, whose default output format is PDF, and uses its email address. On-premises, output files land in the TaskMan output folder, in a subfolder per user. So when a report "goes to the wrong place," check Report Options first. That also answers the common request for "this report in Excel": set the report's Output Format to Excel, no DataView needed.

How SyteLine decides where a report goes

Report runs
   │
   ├─ Is there a Report Options record for this report / user?
   │     ├─ yes → use its Output Format, printer, email settings
   │     └─ no  → use the Intranets form (default format: PDF)
   │
   └─ Output: file in the output folder, printer, and/or email

Most "report problems" that aren't errors are really this: a Report Options record nobody remembers creating, pointing somewhere unexpected.

The Report Options settings that matter

Setting	What it does	Typical gotcha
Output Format	PDF, Excel, Word, CSV, or Printer	Set to Printer, so no PDF file is ever created
Printer	Which printer receives the job when the format is Printer	Still pointing at an old or test printer
E-mail Notification	Sends an email when the report finishes	On for a user who left, off for the user who needs it
Attach Report	Attaches the output to that email	No, so the email arrives without the report
Email address	Where the email goes	Blank, so it falls back to the Intranets address

Supported formats: Infor's documentation for current releases lists PDF, Excel, Word and CSV as supported output formats. Older help pages say only PDF is supported. If a report's layout looks wrong in Excel or Word, try PDF before assuming the report is broken.

"Can I get this report in Excel?" (without building a DataView)

Many requests for "a version of this report in Excel" don't need any development:

Open Report Options and create or select the record for that report, and for that user if it's personal.
Set Output Format to Excel.
Save, then run the report as normal.

Check the result once. Some layouts export to Excel cleanly, others less so. If people want to filter and sort the data rather than read the document, a DataView may still be the better answer. See SyteLine reporting options.

Emailing a report

On Report Options, set Output Format to anything except Printer.
Set E-mail Notification to Yes.
Set Attach Report to Yes if the report should be attached. With No, the email is just a notification and the file stays in the output folder.
Make sure the right email address is set. If Report Options has none, SyteLine uses the Intranets address.
Run the report and check that the email arrives.

Email delivery also depends on the site's mail (SMTP) setup. If notifications don't arrive for anyone, that's the place to look, not the report.

Sending documents to customers and vendors

For documents that go to customers or vendors, some report forms have a Use Profile check box. When it's ticked, SyteLine uses the Customer Document Profile or Vendor Document Profile for that customer or vendor to decide how the document is sent. If a customer isn't receiving their invoices, check both: is Use Profile ticked on the report form, and does the customer have the right document profile?

Where report files are saved (on-premises)

Output files are written under the TaskMan installation's report output folder, in a subfolder named after the user ID. If users can't find a report, check:

the Report Options output format (Printer creates no file)
permissions on the output folder for the account TaskMan runs as
disk space

The full checklist is in SyteLine report stuck in WAITING, or no PDF in the output folder.

Scheduled reports

When a report is scheduled through the Background Queue, it uses the same Report Options as when run by hand. That makes Report Options the place to decide who gets the Monday report and in what format. See How to schedule a SyteLine report or utility.

Good habits

Review Report Options a couple of times a year, and when people leave. Old records quietly send reports to leavers or old printers.
Keep personal (user-specific) Report Options records to a minimum, and know which ones exist. Each one is a place a report can quietly go somewhere different for one person.
After an upgrade or server move, check printers and email settings before go-live. See the go-live checklist.

FAQ

How do I get a SyteLine report in Excel?

Set the report's Output Format to Excel on the Report Options form, then run it as normal. No DataView is needed.

Why doesn't my SyteLine report create a PDF?

Check Report Options: if the Output Format is Printer, the report goes to the printer and no file is created.

Where does SyteLine send report emails?

To the email address on Report Options for that report or user. If none is set there, SyteLine uses the address on the Intranets form.

Why did the SyteLine report email arrive without the report?

Attach Report is set to No on Report Options. Set it to Yes, or collect the file from the output folder.