moving reports in Symposium Express 2.0 1

[neilmc33]

Hi!

We have Symposium Express 2.0, and we put the client on another pc as a backup as well. Does anyone know how to move the user-created reports from the 1 pc to the other??? We have almost 50 user-created reports, but we can't figure out how to move them. We've searched all over, but makes no sense to me...

 

[NortelGuy1979]

Do you mean user-defined, as in copies of the standard ones that you set the date, time, skillset, etc; or actual user-created ones that someone made in Crystal Reports? Either way, it should be a simple as moving some files, and then re-importing them. The reimporting step you can't skip, unfortunately. Thanks, Matt...

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA

 

[neilmc33]

Hi Steve!

Thanks much for the reply

I believe they are user-created, but done from inside SE. They were done by someone who left over a year ago. But maybe not - the main ones we need to move over "sound" like variations of standards - App performance, Skillset summaries, and login-logouts, all customized for 3 different desks... The rest would be nice, but not critical..

My main problem, is that I can't find anywhere on either system, any of the reports, even the standard ones on the new install. I did find a directory buried in the app, called "rpt" that has many, many, many reports, but nothing matches. I thought about maybe just copying everything in that directory to the new one, but after opening a few randomly in Wordpad, it says they are config files, so I don't want to do that. Also, that directory is 208 meg, and that makes me nervous too...

Is there a standard way to identify what report is what??? I can export a report that's printed, but how do you export the report's guts so that it can be run with the same parameters on a different machine????

Thanks!!

neil again

 

[neilmc33]

Matt, so very sorry I called you Steve :-( Got you confused with my Boss...

ps: I might add additionaly to my last reply, that I THINK that they are "reports" in the "RPT" directory - they are at least all have ".rpt" extensions, but that, of course, doesn't mean they are actually "reports"...

 

[NortelGuy1979]

You're right - the RPT folder (in my case with Symposium v4.2 it is C:\Program Files\Nortel Networks\Symposium Call Center Server\Client\en\rpt) contains all of the standard report structures. They are in .rpt format which is a Crystal Reports format. When you make a copy of a standard report, and modify the options, it makes a new entry in a database that the client keeps and simply notes the changes, but doesn't make a new .RPT file.

Now, custom-created report structures, which I think is what you are referring to, can be kept anywhere on a drive that is accessible to Symposium - even a network drive that the machine will have access to if the correct person is logged in. Then, that same database is updated with the necessary information. It sounds like your previous report-writer put them in the RPT folder with the rest of the report structures.

In the client, go to Reports, then go to View menu, and un-check "Standard Reports" and "User-Defined Reports". Make sure that "User-Created Reports" is still checked. Is what's left the reports you are looking for? If so, then right-click on one, then left-click on properties. It should show you what .RPT filename the report is linked to (including the path), as well as the timestamp linked field that is required to generate the report. That will tell you what to move where; and also what the linking field (or database view, whatever it is called) is to type in when you re-import the report structures on your new client.

I only have SECC 3.0 docs (not 2.0) but I am hoping the procedure is similar - I have the NTP in adobe format that I could email if you like; it tells you how to reimport the structure.

This was a long post - let me know if you get lost in it, my mind sometimes jumps from topic to topic sometimes!! -Matt

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA

 

[NortelGuy1979]

Oh - and if you un-check everything except for "User-Defined" reports, and the reports you want are listed there, then I don't *think* you could move that info - you would just have to re-duplicate the standard reports you wanted with the criteria you want. It is *possible* that you could copy the database over to your new machine that holds the report data, as long as your paths and filenames were *exactly* the same on the new machine, but I don't know. I've never tried it. Lots if info I know; let me know what you think! -Matt

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA

 

[neilmc33]

Matt, the reports I need are in the "user-defined" group, and not in the "user-created" category... Sorry, I'm still relatively new to this. I did click on the properties on several, and no-where in there on any of the tabs is there a path and file-name for them.

Since this is the case, I'm assuming then, that they are modified standard ones, and so are then in the RPT folder somewhere (my path is the same as yours)... But, I still don't know how to identify them - there are almost 300 .rpt files in that folder!!!

And yes, you can email me ANYTHING you like!!!!

 

[NortelGuy1979]

OK - since they're in the "user-defined" category, there is no separate .RPT file for them. They are just variations of the "standard" category reports, which is all those .RPT files you are seeing. Here's how we should proceed then:

1) Install the client on the new machine.
2) Go to the old machine, and locate the file "nicrpt.mdb" in my PC it is C:\Program Files\Nortel Networks\Symposium Call Center Server\Client\en\data folder.
3) Make sure you are *not* logged into that client, and make a copy of that file (on a floppy, or network drive that the new PC can access, etc).
4) Go to the new PC, and rename that file to "oldnicrpt.mdb" just in case we need it later
5) Copy the "nicrpt.mdb" file from the old client to the same place in the new client.
6) Start the client on the new PC, and see if your reports are there.

Now, here's my disclaimer - I haven't done this before; and I'm also working on a newer version than you. However, the clients seemed to have not changed in basic structure, so I'm hoping we'll be OK. If it doesn't work, then you will need to just delete the copied nicrpt.mdb file from the new client, and rename oldnicrpt.mdb to nicrpt.mdb; and it should work as a freshh installation. *Then* you will need to go to each report on the old client, and simply write down its settings, then go to the new one, and make copies (known as "User-Defined") and define them as they were on the old one. Let me know if you get to that step, I can walk you thru it or email you the NTP from v3.0.

Wishing you the best of luck! -Matt

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA

 

[neilmc33]

Matt, if you were here, I'd not only buy you a beer, I'd buy you the entire keg!!!!!!!!! It works perfectly!! You have probably saved me AT LEAST a week of re-creating!!!!!! I'm just sorry that I can't now submit you for tipster of the week

Out of curiosity, how the h**l did you know that the user-defined reports are stored in there??? I read almost the entire manual that came with our SE and it had NOTHING about exporting/importing reports!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NortelGuy1979]

LOL - well, I learned about the report structures when I had to build custom reports in our Symposium, using Crystal Reports. Our managers kept getting confused about the statistics in the standard or custom-defined reports - they just didn't make sense. It was easier for me to spend the few weeks building our own reports and controlling the calculations, etc. So I kind had to get a crash course in reporting, etc. In the newer NTPs, there is info about user-created reports and how to make them, link them, etc.

But - there is no info about where user-defined report info is stored, so I learned about the database that stores all that info just today. I ended up creating a user-dfined report, and then searching for files in the client directory/subdirectories that were modified with today's date, and I found a database file that was modified. So, I opened it to see what was in it, and sure enough, the database seemed to contain what we wanted. I was pretty much flying by the seat of my pants - thus my disclaimer on the previous post! I am very glad it worked for you - I know changing those report details is a repetitive pain in the rear! -Matt

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA

 

[sandyml]

Well, I'LL give you a star! Yours is the very sort of information I end up forgetting and scratching around for when asked -- so I've just added your post to my "oh yeah" file. Good job.

 

[TheWorkingMan]

Good job Matt!!! How is Truman??????

TWM

 

[NortelGuy1979]

SandyML - thanks so much for the star - very much appreciated!!

And TWM... well, either I know you; or TMC in KCMO is easy to figure out? But Truman is well - thanks for asking! -Matt

Matt H.
TMC - KCMO, USA