Insights into Web Reporter and NarrowCast (Eileen Kontrovitz & Brian Rawlings)
Wonderful product, but the roll-out hasn’t been the best!
(Brian Rawlings, Alpha G)
Optional components (add on services) for Web Reporter…
- OLAP – used for data mining:
- report objects – include items included in the SQL but not included in the report (e.g. correct sorting by “reconst” fields such as title or call/class number)
- view filters – includes items in the SQL Query but filters the results displayed in the report
- derived metrics – create a new metric on the fly based on existing metrics on the report
- …who benefits? – sites with large databases will benefit the most, as well as people creating “what if?” reports
- consider purchasing OLAP only for the administrator
- Report Services:
- Crystal Reports type interface that can draw data from multiple grids
- useful for creating letter-type output (e.g. invoice notice letters)
- …who benefits? – schools, home services, anyone wanting to create form letters
- in the future, larger number of Report Services documents will be created in future metadata releases
- not every user needs Report Services
- Narrowcast:
- pro-active, automated report delivery
- reports can be sent to email, files, printers, or SMS devices (text messaging)
- …who benefits? – everyone!
- Narrowcast users are cheaper – you may have plenty already
- savings – you can enter multiple email addresses for the same user
[Narrowcast] is the most exciting part of Web Reporter
(Brian Rawlings, Alpha G)
Brian’s general recommendations:
- buy as few users as possible
- buy analysts licenses rather than reporter licenses
- compliance is based on the number of logins created
- enable add-on services for individual users as needed
General MetaData rule: when including item attributes, look for them first in the request, circ, circ_history, burb, and burb_history folders
Narrowcast automation can…
1) save you and your staff money and time:
- automate report delivery
- notices (inc. pre-overdue)
- newsletters
- performance based alerts
2) deliver reports to a fixed group of people, or a dynamic group of people on a specified schedule
3) deliver any type of email notice:
- dynamic subscription, dynamic content
- hold notices, pre-overdues, overdue, billing, etc
- html formatted email, text completely customisable
- queries database for notice conditions, updates records after sending email
- needs a few custom attributes if using MSTR 7.5.0
Narrowcast can keep a copy of emails sent, or it can write to the Horizon database to write a block.
Narrowcast Newsletters:
- email newsletters and event calendars
- keep your patrons informed of library events
Narrowcast can sent performance based alerts – e.g. alert me when Day End did not run