Distribution via File Mapping

File mapping is used to dynamically distribute publications to an existing list of roles, users, or emails. The distribution list contains the list of recipients, and the slice elements that they will be assigned to. The list is imported, and the publication distributed to each recipient according to the specified slicer element. This article reviews the process of configuring file mapping for both bulletin board and email distribution, and how to format and upload a distribution list. For examples of file mapping, click here.

To learn about configuring dynamic distribution based on user security, see Data Mapping.

File Mapping for Bulletin Board Distribution

Select this option to distribute to an imported list of roles or users via the Bulletin Board in Pyramid:

  1. From the Bulletin Board, select Use Dynamic List from the Content Access drop down.
  2. Choose whether to distribute to roles or users.
  3. From the Slicer drop down, select the relevant slicer. If your report contains multiple slicers, choose the slicer that should be used to lookup the distribution list. This is the slicer whose elements appear in the distribution list that will be imported.
  4. Under Mapping Method, choose File Mapping.
  5. Under Map By, choose either Unique Name or Captions; captions are the slice names (i.e. Bikes), while Unique Name is the member written in PQL syntax (i.e. [Products].[ProductCategory].[Bikes]) .
  6. Import a distribution list in comma delimited text format (see below for details). Click the folder icon next to the drop down to find and import the distribution list from its file location. See below for details about the distribution list.

File Mapping for Email Distribution

Select this option to distribute to an imported list of email addresses:

  1. From the Email window, select Use Dynamic List from the Email Address Source drop down.
  2. From the Slicer drop down, select the relevant slicer. If your report contains multiple slicers, choose the slicer that should be used to lookup the distribution list. This is the slicer whose elements appear in the distribution list that will be imported.
  3. Under Map By, choose either Unique Name or Captions; captions are the slice names (i.e. Bikes), while Unique Name is the member written in PQL syntax (i.e. [Products].[ProductCategory].[Bikes]) .
  4. Import a distribution list in comma delimited text format (see below for details). Click the button next to the drop down to find and import the distribution list from its file location. See below for details about the distribution list.
  5. Select 'Attach content' if the publication should be attached to the email (only available with the Extended Report Bursting license). Deselect if it shouldn't be attached; in this case, you may add a link to the presentation. See Shortcuts below for details.
  6. Configure your email template.

Shortcuts

Use the shortcuts (blue highlight above) to add the required element to the subject line or message. For instance, if you want to send a link to the presentation, write [L] in the message; when the recipient clicks the link, the presentation will be downloaded.

Upload a Distribution List

The distribution list may be a .txt, .csv, or .tsv file. It should conform to the following formatting, as displayed in the image below:

  1. The first row must contain the column headers - the list of names and emails must start from the second row.
  2. Column 1 must contain the names of the matching elements that are used in the slicer (from #1 above). Values are case sensitive.
  3. Column 2 must contain the matching email addresses (or roles) that will be used as targets for the given slice value. Multiple emails should be included in the same column, separated by semi-colon.
    • Dynamic distribution to the bulletin board supports importing a list of roles.

This is the format that must be used, regardless of the number of slicers in the publication. If your publication contains multiple slicers, the distribution list should still contain only a single elements column, with elements from a single slicer only. The corresponding slicer should be selected from the Distribution window.