The VETtrak Report Scheduler is an additional feature that be configured so that VETtrak will action the running (and exporting) of specific report files at a time chosen by the user. It is configured to use a Windows Service to drive the functionality, and may require a knowledgeable IT resource to assist with it's set up.
This is commonly used for exporting routine data for admin processes within a business, by collecting information at regular intervals.
This functionality has been dramatically changed as part of the VETtrak 21.2.0 Release
It is important that an experienced IT resource is available to manage this process.
Windows Service
The files needed for the VETtrak Report Scheduler can be downloaded from the VETtrak Report Scheduler Service option within the Downloads page in the support centre.
After downloading, check that your computer trusts the file. To do so, right-click the downloaded ZIP file, go to Properties, click the "Unblock" button if present, then OK.
New installation
If you have already installed the VETtrak Report Scheduler Windows Service and need to update it, skip this section and refer to the "Updating an existing installation" section below.
The automated part of the VETtrak Report Scheduler needs to be installed as a Windows Service on a machine that is able to access the VETtrak database. Preferably this would be a server on your network that isn’t likely to be turned off.
The service is made up of a couple of files that are located in the folder "VETtrakReportSchedulerService". This folder will need to be copied to a location on the server of your choosing, and changes made to the VETtrakReportSchedulerService.exe.config file to represent the path to the VETtrak ini file from this machine, and the VETtrak folder from this machine.
Once configured, open an administrative command prompt in that folder:
To install the service, execute the command:
VETtrakReportSchedulerService.exe /I /name=”myname” /user=myusername /password=mypassword
where:
- myname is the (optional) name you would like for the service, appended to the end of “VETtrak Report Scheduler Service”.
- myusername is the user that you would like the service to run as.
- mypassword is their password. .
You should see messages like those below, unless you have some of these details incorrect:
Once you have scheduled some reports in VETtrak, they will be run by this tool.
Updating an existing installation
This section is only relevant if you already have the VETtrak Report Scheduler Windows Service already installed and need to update it.
To update an existing installation of the VETtrak Report Scheduler Windows Service, on the machine that has it installed:
- Open the Services control panel in Windows and stop the "VETtrak Report Scheduler Service".
- Open the folder where the service is installed. One way to find this is to right-click the "VETtrak Report Scheduler Service" in the Services control panel, go to Properties, and check the "Path to executable".
- Replace just the VETtrakReportSchedulerService.exe file in your installed folder with the new version from the downloaded ZIP. Be careful not to replace your .config files with the ones from the ZIP otherwise you'll need to configure it again.
- In the Services control panel in Windows, start the "VETtrak Report Scheduler Service".