Schedule an Automated Report: Content Central 7.6 (Administrator Guide)

Schedule an Automated Report: Content Central 7.6 (Administrator Guide)

Content Central 7.6 · Administrator Guide

Schedule an automated report

Define a report once, then let Content Central generate it for you automatically: a CSV or Excel file produced on a schedule, with no one clicking a button.

AlertWho can do this. You need to sign in as an administrator (or a user with the Report Templates and Workflow administration permissions). 

The big picture: a scheduled report needs two pieces. a report template doesn’t run on its own.

  • A Report Template defines what the report contains (which documents, which columns, the output file).: Part 1 below.
  • A Workflow Rule decides when it runs, by tying together a Report Scheduler trigger (the schedule) and a Generate Report action (which template to run).: Part 2 below.

If you only build the template, nothing happens. The Workflow Rule is what actually generates the file.

Part 1: Build the Report Template (the what)

Step 1: Sign in as an administrator

Open Content Central, enter your administrator Username and Password, and click Login.

The Content Central 7.6 sign-in screen with Username and Password boxes and a Login button.
Sign in with an account that has administrator rights.


Step 2: Open Administration › Report Templates

Click the menu button ☰ › Administration, then click the Report Templates card.

The Content Central 7.6 Administration page showing a grid of cards including System Settings, Users, Groups, Catalogs & Document Types, Workflow, and Report Templates.
The Administration page. You’ll use the Report Templates and Workflow cards.

Step 3: Create a new template

The Report Templates page lists your saved templates. Click New Template in the top-right corner.

The Content Central 7.6 Report Templates list showing one template named Monthly Invoice Report (type Documents, output CSV, status Enabled), with a New Template button and counters for Total, Enabled, Disabled, and With Files.
The Report Templates list. Click New Template to open the designer (the example here is the one we build below).


Step 4: Fill in the template designer

In the template designer, set the essentials:

  1. Give it a Report Name (and an optional Description).
  2. Choose the Report Type: what the report is about (see the list below).
  3. Add Filters to narrow which documents are included (optional: with none, all documents are considered).
  4. Set the output Filename (defaults to report.csv) and pick the Output Columns that appear in the file.
  5. Click Apply to save.
The New Report Template designer in Content Central 7.6 with an Enabled toggle, Report Name and Description fields, a Report Type dropdown set to Documents, a Filters section, a Segments section, and a Report Output section with a Filename field.
The template designer. At a minimum, give it a Report Name and a Report Type, then Apply.


The Report Type decides what the report counts or lists:

The Report Type dropdown open, showing Documents, Documents by Approval Process, Documents in Work Queue, Total Documents, Total Pages, and Incomplete Packets.
Documents lists matching documents; Total Documents and Total Pages give counts; others report on approval, work queue, or packets.


Use Add Filter to scope the report: for example, only one Catalog or Document Type, or documents matching a particular Field value.

The Filter Details dialog with a Filter Type set to Catalog and a Catalog set to Accounts Payable, with Cancel and Apply buttons.
A filter narrows the report. Here it’s limited to the Accounts Payable catalog.


WarningHeads-up about fields. If a field is used by a report template (as a filter, segment, or column), Content Central won’t let you delete or change that field until the template is updated or removed. You’ll see a message listing the templates to fix first.

Part 2: Schedule it with a Workflow Rule (the when)

Your template is saved, but it still won’t produce anything until a Workflow Rule runs it. Go to Administration › Workflow.

The Content Central 7.6 Workflow page with cards for Triggers, Actions, Rules, Export Templates, Message Templates, Export Queue, and Export History.
Workflow has three building blocks you’ll use: Triggers (when), Actions (what), and Rules (which tie them together).


Step 5: Create the trigger (the schedule)

Open Triggers › New Trigger. Set the Type to Reports → Report Scheduler, then choose how often it should run with Process Interval (for example, Every Hour, or a daily/weekly schedule). Click Save.

The New Trigger form with Type set to Reports and Report Scheduler, a Trigger Name of Report Scheduler, a Process Interval of Every Hour on Minute 0, and a Process Start of On First Interval.
The Report Scheduler trigger. Process Interval is how often the report is generated.


Step 6: Create the action (run the template)

Open Actions › New Action. Set the Type to Generate Report, then choose the Report Template you built in Part 1. Click Save.

The New Action form with Type set to Generate Report, an Action Name of Generate Report, and a Report Template dropdown set to Monthly Invoice Report.
The Generate Report action points at a specific Report Template.

Step 7: Create the rule (tie them together)

Open Rules › New Rule. Give it a name, then:

  1. Click Add Trigger and choose your Report Scheduler trigger.
  2. Click Add Action and choose your Generate Report action.
  3. Make sure Enabled is on, then click Apply.
The New Rule form named Generate Monthly Invoice Report, Enabled, with a Report Scheduler trigger (tagged Reports, Report Schedule, Primary Trigger) and a Generate Report action.
The rule connects the Report Scheduler trigger (when) to the Generate Report action (what). This is what actually produces the file.

Where the file goes. On each scheduled interval, Content Central generates the report and saves the file on the server. Once a template has produced a file, you can pull the most recent one with the Download Report button on the Report Templates list. 

IdeaJust need a one-off list? If you don’t need this on a schedule, skip the template entirely: a regular user can run a Search and click Export CSV directly from the search results page. 

Applies to Content Central v7.6. Your catalogs, document types, triggers, and actions will differ from screenshots.

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