Amanda Work Group Norstar Work Place Instructions Manual

							Chapter 8:
Generating Reports
Overview
You can create, view, and print customized reports about Amanda. You can also save the 
report as a text file, which can be imported into other applications, such as word 
processors and spreadsheet applications. There you can add other information to the 
report, reformat it, and so forth. Here are some examples of how to use reports.
 To find out who is storing vast numbers of messages, create a report that lists mail-
boxes and their message statistics.
 To review the contents of the employee directory, you can create a report that lists 
mailboxes and the directory names associated with them.
 To monitor use of the Amanda system, create a report that lists mailboxes and 
their numbers of calls, logins, notifications, and transfers.
 When doing a lot of token programming, create a report that lists mailboxes and 
the contents of their Extension fields.
For reports that you routinely generate, you can create report templates to be used 
whenever you want to regenerate the reports they define.
A report consists of rows and columns of mailbox information and statistics. There is one 
row for each mailbox on your Amanda system and a column for each field of information 
that you decide to include in the report. The rows are sorted numerically based on the 
mailbox. 
In the upper left corner of the printed report is the page number. The Example Report 
consists of only one page, which is labeled page 1. If there had been more rows than 
would fit on a page, there would have been additional pages.
Depending on the number of columns selected and the widths of those columns, more than 
one printed page might be needed to show all the columns in a row. For example, the 
printed report might have pages 1A, 1B, and 1C to accommodate all the columns in each 
row and pages 2A, 2B, and 2C to accommodate the number of rows.
You use the Report screen to create reports. 
						

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Example Report
page 1 Amanda Administrator Report Fri Apr 26 14:32:41 1996
Directory Directory Total New
Mailbox Extension Name 1 Name 2 Messages Messages
0 @G(201) 168 0
2 @M(G6,2,20 7306 5
111 111 John Slaughter 1987 3
112 112 Tom Fernandez 1303 14
113 113 Pam Slaughter 313 6
114 114 Stephanie Young 1745 0
115 115 Cory Crocker 581 0
116 116 Richard Nelson 453 7
117 117 Peter Friend 1882 12
118 118 Kevin Ebrahimzad 573 1
170 @G(175) 4 0
Managing Reports and Report Templates
Managing reports includes:
 Deciding what reports to create and when
 Creating templates for reports that will be generated more than once
 Making decisions about disk space, users, and so forth based on the information 
in the reports
The next few sections explain how to create reports and report templates. It also explains 
how to print reports and save them as text files.
Creating Reports and Report Templates
This section explains how to create a report. After reviewing a report, you can return to the 
Report Template dialog box or the Reports screen to adjust column order or column width 
and to save the definition as a template for later use.
Amanda stores report templates in the C:\AMANDA\RPT.DB directory. She adds .RPT as 
the file extension to the name you give each report template.
To create a report:
1. From the Main screen, press Alt+R. 
The password dialog box appears.
2. Type in the password. (The default is AMandA with only the first two and the last let-
ter capitalized.)
3. Press Enter. 
						

							Chapter 8: Generating Reports75
The Reports screen appears. It is almost identical to the Users screen, but it has the 
word Reports in the upper right corner. 
4. From the Reports screen, type a number in each field that you want to appear in the 
report. Number the fields in the order they are to appear in the report.
For example, placing a 1 in the Mailbox field in the Reports screen makes the Mail-
box field the first column of data in the report. Placing a 2 in the Extension field, a 3 
in Dir Name 1 field, a 4 in Dir Name 2 field, a 5 in Total field, and a 6 in front of 
“new” in the Current field defines the second through sixth columns. See the Example 
Report on page 74.
By default each column is wide enough for one more character than its header. But 
you can control the column width. After you type a number in the field, type a colon 
and then the width of the column. For example, 2:50 makes the second column 50 
characters wide. 
5. After defining the report, press Alt+R to run or generate the report.
A mailbox range dialog box appears.
6. Type the first mailbox to be included in the report in the First Mailbox text box then 
press Enter.
7. Type the last mailbox to be included in the report in the Last Mailbox text box then 
press Enter.
N
OTE:To include all mailboxes, leave both the First Mailbox and Last 
Mailbox fields blank.
8. (Optional.) To reset the statistics for these mailboxes, press the spacebar to toggle the 
Reset Statistics When Done? field from NO to YES.
For example, the number of calls would return to zero and the Statistics Started field 
would contain the current date and time.
 C
AUTION:If you reset the statistics and create the report, there is no way to 
retrieve the old statistical values.
9. Press Enter.
10. To view the report, press Alt+V.
The report appears on your screen. If the report is too wide for your screen, Amanda 
eliminates the columns that do not fit. These columns are in the report but not on the 
screen.
11. Use Page Up, Page Down, Up Arrow, and Down Arrow to view additional rows of 
the report. 
12. To return to the Reports screen to adjust the columns or save the report definition as a 
template, press Esc. 
						

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The Reports Screen 
Load  Save  Run  View  Print  File Esc/EXITReports
Mailbox: Comment: Security Code:
Extension:
Dir Name 1: Dir Name 2:
Basic Options Chains
Maximum Rings: Done:
Do Not Disturb: RNA:
Screen Calls? Busy:
Store Messages? Max:     sec Delay:
Copy Messages To:Menus
Message Volume: Guests: 1: 2: 3:
Current Greeting: Max:     sec 4: 5: 6:
Busy Message? Max:     sec 7: 8: 9:
ID Call? D/T? Name/Ext? 0:
Created: NEVER Conn Secs: Statistics Started:
Saved: NEVER User Secs: Calls: Last:
Messages Transfers: Last:
Current: ,       new (         sec) Logins: Last:
Maximum: Total: Fax: Notifies: Last:
menu barThe rectangle at the top of the Reports screen. The left side displays 
menu commands that you can access by pressing Alt plus the first let-
ter of the selection. For example, pressing Alt+S saves a new or mod-
ified report. The right side lists keys on the keyboard and the actions 
they perform. For example, pressing Esc allows you to exit the Re-
ports screen and return to the Main screen.
User InformationJust below the menu bar. These fields provide the minimum informa-
tion Amanda requires for defining a mailbox. See “Mailbox Field Ref-
erence” on page 44 for more details.
Basic OptionsJust below User Information and on the left side of the screen. These 
fields define the options for the mailbox. For example, to screen calls, 
the Screen Calls? Field must be set to ON. See “Mailbox Field Refer-
ence” on page 44 for more details.
Chains and MenusJust below User Information and on the right side of the screen, oppo-
site Basic Options. These fields control what happens to the caller if 
the user does not answer the telephone. See “Mailbox Field Refer-
ence” on page 44 for more details.
StatisticsThe bottom rectangle on the screen contains statistical information 
collected by Amanda about the mailbox. This information can be used 
in generating reports. See “Mailbox Field Reference” on page 44 for 
more details.
Status barThe bottom line of the screen (not shown in the figure) contains a one-
line description of the selected field. 
						

							Chapter 8: Generating Reports77
To save the report definition as a template:
1. From the Reports screen, press Alt+S. 
The Save As dialog box appears.
2. Type the name for the report template (for example, USERINFO) then press Enter.
Creating Reports from Templates
You can create a report from an existing template. First you load the template then 
generate the report. You specify what mailboxes to use for the report and whether 
statistical fields should be reset to zero. For example, if you reset these fields, Amanda 
starts counting messages from zero instead of the current message total.
To create a report from an existing template:
1. Access the Reports screen. (From the Main screen, press Alt+R and enter the 
password.)
2. Press Alt+L to load a report. 
The Load Which Report dialog box appears.
3. Select a report template:
a. Press F2 to see a list of the report templates that have been saved.
b. Use Up Arrow and Down Arrow to select a report (the name shows the .RPT 
extension).
c. Then press Enter.
The name of the selected report appears in the Load Which Report dialog box.
N
OTE:You can type the name of a report template that has been saved 
directly into the Load Which Report dialog box. You don’t need 
to type the RPT extension.
d. Press Enter again.
The name of the selected report appears in the Load Which Report dialog box.
4. Press Alt+R to run the report.
A mailbox range dialog box appears.
5. Type the first mailbox to be included in the report in the First Mailbox text box then 
press Enter.
6. Type the last mailbox to be included in the report in the Last Mailbox text box then 
press Enter.
N
OTE:To include all mailboxes, leave both the First Mailbox and Last 
Mailbox fields blank.
7. (Optional.) To reset the statistics for these mailboxes, press the spacebar to toggle the 
Reset Statistics When Done? field from NO to YES.
For example, the number of calls would return to zero and the Statistics Started field 
would contain the current date and time.
 C
AUTION:If you reset the statistics and create the report, there is no way to 
retrieve the old statistical values. 
						

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While Amanda runs the report, mailbox numbers appear in the bottom left of the 
range dialog box. When Amanda completes the report, the dialog box disappears, and 
you return to the Reports screen.
8. To view the report, press Alt+V.
The report appears on your screen. If the report is too wide for your screen, Amanda 
eliminates the columns that do not fit. These columns are in the report but not on the 
screen.
9. Use Page Up, Page Down, Up Arrow, and Down Arrow to view additional rows of 
the report. 
Printing Reports
Printed reports can have a variety of uses. You can post the results, make copies for a 
meeting, or file them for later reference.
To print the report:
 From the Reports screen, press Alt+P for Print. 
N
OTE:To print reports, the configuration option lpt_port must be set correctly 
(by default, it is set to 1). The printer must also be online and have paper.
Saving Reports as Files
 Saving a report as a text file allows you to use that file in a word processor, spread sheet, 
database, or file comparison application.
To save the report as a file:
1. From the Reports screen, press Alt+F.
The Copy Report To dialog box appears.
2. Type the name of a file in which to store the report template. 
Report names can be up to 8 letters long and consist of the letters A to Z and the digits 
0 to 9. Report names are not case sensitive. “LISTING”, “Listing”, and “listing” all 
refer to the same file.
Amanda stores the report as text in the C:\AMANDA directory unless you specify the 
path to another directory. Amanda adds no extension to the file name (unless you pro-
vided one). 
The file is a text file with the numbers in each row separated by a series of spaces. 
The rows are separated by carriage return/linefeeds.
For example, you might copy the report to a diskette:
A:\REPORT496.TXT
If you decide to use the saved report in another application, do not run that application on 
the Amanda computer. Use DOS to copy your report to a floppy disk. Import or read the 
report on another computer. (Use floppy disks that are preformatted for PC use.) 
						

							Chapter 9:
Using the Administrator Mailbox
Administering Amanda by Telephone
You, as system administrator, have a System Administrator mailbox (999) in addition to 
your personal mailbox. You access it by telephone or from the Users screen on the 
computer.
You log into Amanda using the System Administrator mailbox to perform the following 
duties:
 Record system-wide announcements
 Record busy hold music
 Create system-wide mailing lists
 Lock, unlock, and reset mailboxes
 Listen to system status information
When you dial Amanda’s extension and identify yourself as this mailbox, your top level 
menu has one additional choice (
  ) for System Administration. The System 
Administration menu is as follows:
   to record the system announcement
   to delete the system announcement
   to record the busy-hold music
   to manage users
   to shut down the system
   to review system status
   to return to the previous menu
Managing System Announcements
The system announcement gives out system-wide information. When recorded, it is 
played automatically to users when they log on to their mailboxes. A user can interrupt the 
announcement by pressing any DTMF digit, but the announcement plays every time that 
user logs on until he hears it once in its entirety.
When you see this symbol in this chapter, use one 
of the methods of logging into Amanda and identi-
fying yourself. See Using [email protected] for 
more information. 
						

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After any recording:
To record a system announcement:
  
  +      +     +  make your recording  + 
To delete a system announcement:
  
  +      +  
Changing the Busy Hold Music
The busy-hold music is heard by callers when they hold for a busy extension by pressing 
*. Currently it plays approximately 30 seconds of custom music. You can replace this 
music with a recording that gives information about your company products and services. 
However, we strongly recommend that you prepare a professional recording for this.
To change the busy hold music:
  
  +      +     +  make your recording  + 
The busy hold music is stored in a file named HOLD.VOX in the C:\AMANDA directory. 
If you create HOLD0.VOX, HOLD1.VOX, etc. Amanda plays them after HOLD.VOX if 
the extension remains busy. Each one is created as HOLD.VOX, and must be changed to 
HOLDx.VOX with a DOS command:
COPY HOLD.VOX HOLDx.VOX
Do the recording for the real HOLD.VOX (the first music/message the caller hears) last.
Locking and Unlocking Mailboxes
You can lock a mailbox so that the user cannot access the mailbox. That means he cannot 
listen to his messages, record greetings, create mailing lists, and so forth. To allow him to 
access his mailbox again, you can unlock it.To D i a l
Review the recording
Rerecord
Add to the end of the recording
Cancel the recording
Save the recording 
						

							Chapter 9: Using the Administrator Mailbox 81
To lock or unlock a mailbox:
 (to lock)
  
  +      +     + enter mailbox  +     +  
 (to unlock)
repeat for more mailboxes
To  e x i t :
1. Re-enter the last mailbox then press  .
2. Press     to return to a previous menu.
Resetting Mailboxes
Resetting a mailbox reinitializes it to its default settings. Amanda copies all the field 
information from the mailbox template (usually mailbox 997) to the specified mailbox and 
the statistics for the mailbox are reset to zero. See “Using a Template” on page 36 for 
more information. 
If the mailbox is for a user, that user can change some of the settings over the telephone. 
For more information about what the user can change, see the guide Using 
[email protected].
N
OTE:You cannot reset a mailbox that is read-only.
To reset a mailbox:
  
  +      +     + 
enter mailbox  +     +  
repeat for more mailboxes
To  e x i t :
1. Re-enter the last mailbox then press  .
2. Press     to return to a previous menu.
Shutting Amanda Down
Amanda must always be shut down before she is turned off.  Also, whenever you shut 
Amanda down, you should turn off the computer (or off and immediately back on). 
						

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To shut down Amanda:
 
    +  
  +      +    (to confirm)
Listening to System Status
The system status option informs you about Amanda’s status. It includes the amount of 
disk space, port usage, and the date and time.
To hear system status:
  
  +      + 
Creating System-wide Mailing Lists
A system-wide mailing list is one that everyone can use when sending or forwarding 
messages. For example, you would usually create an all-employee mailing list and 
perhaps an all-managers list so that there would be only one of each of these lists on the 
system.
Each list, 1-3, in mailbox 999 is available to all users and can be accessed as a user sends 
or forwards a message to a list. Users must enter * followed by the system list number to 
use the list with a message. 
To create a system-wide mailing list:
  +  
  +  the list’s number (1-3)  +      +  mailbox  +     + 
(repeat for each mailbox)
  + record a name or description to identify the list  +   
To send a message using a system-wide mailing list:
  +  
  +     +     +  number of the system list  +  
  (to record) +     (to save the recording)  +     (to send)
Amanda processes messages sent to lists as a low priority task. This means that she might 
take several minutes to send the message to everyone on a large list, especially if the 
system is busy. By making this a low priority task, Amanda can maintain high system 
performance for tasks such as answering calls and notifying users. It also means that the 
sender does not have to wait to exit until all the messages have been sent.