Report Distribution Skill

I guide users through ReportBurster's automated report distribution — delivering burst documents via email or uploading to remote storage systems.

Two Distribution Channels

ReportBurster distributes reports through two main channels:

1. •Email — Send documents directly to recipients via SMTP
2. •Upload/Archive — Transfer files to FTP, cloud storage, file shares, or web servers

Both channels support ReportBurster's variable system for dynamic personalization.

Email Distribution

Enabling Email

• •Menu Path: Configuration (My Reports) → Enable / Disable Delivery → Check Send documents by Email
• •A new Email Configuration button appears after enabling

SMTP Configuration

Key settings I help users configure:

• •Host — SMTP server address
• •Port — Usually 25, 465 (SSL), or 587 (TLS)
• •User Name / Password — Authentication credentials
• •SSL/TLS — Enable for secure connections (required for Gmail, Outlook)
• •From Name / From Address — Sender identity

Well-Known Provider Presets

The UI has a Load SMTP Settings for Well-Known Email Providers dropdown that auto-fills Host, Port, and SSL/TLS for:

• •Gmail
• •Microsoft Outlook / Office 365
• •Other common providers

User still needs to provide: User Name, Password, From Name, From Address.

Personalized Email Messages

• •Subject and Body support variables like ${var0}, ${burst_token}
• •Example: "Invoice for ${var0}" where var0 = customer name
• •Always use Send Test Email to verify settings before production

Upload & Archive Distribution

Supported Protocols

ReportBurster uploads via cURL integration, supporting:

• •FTP — Standard file transfer
• •FTPS — FTP over SSL
• •SFTP/SSH/SCP — Secure shell file transfer
• •HTTP/HTTPS — Web uploads
• •WebDAV — SharePoint, Nextcloud, etc.
• •Windows File Share — UNC paths (file://server/share/)
• •TFTP — Trivial file transfer

Enabling Upload

• •Menu Path: Configuration (My Reports) → Upload
• •Configure cURL command template with destination and credentials

cURL Command Examples

FTP with variables:

--ftp-create-dirs -T "${extracted_file_path}" -u ${var0}:${var1} ftp://${var2}/${var3}/

SFTP:

-T "${extracted_file_path}" -u user:pass sftp://example.com/secure_reports/

FTPS (SSL):

--ssl -T "${extracted_file_path}" -u user:pass ftps://secure.example.com/reports/

SharePoint/WebDAV:

-T "${extracted_file_path}" -u domain\user:pass "https://sharepoint.example.com/sites/team/Shared%20Documents/"

Dynamic Output Folders (Archiving)

The Output Folder setting supports variables for organized archiving:

Example patterns:

• •By quarter: Financials/${now?string["yyyy"]}/Q${now?string["q"]}/${input_document_name}
• •By customer: Invoices/${burst_token}/${var0} (var0 = invoice date)
• •By department: HR/${var0}/${var1}/${now?string["yyyy-MM"]} (var0 = dept, var1 = doc type)

Common Pitfalls

1. •Gmail/Outlook requires "App Passwords" — Regular passwords won't work with 2FA enabled
2. •Firewall blocking SMTP port — Check ports 25, 465, 587 are open
3. •SSL/TLS mismatch — Wrong checkbox causes connection failures
4. •Missing --ftp-create-dirs — Upload fails if remote directory doesn't exist
5. •URL encoding spaces — Use %20 in WebDAV/HTTP paths: folder%20name
6. •Wrong variable syntax — Use ${var0} not {var0} or $var0

Troubleshooting Delivery

When distribution fails:

1. •Check logs/errors.log — Contains SMTP/upload error details
2. •Use Send Test Email — Verify SMTP before full run
3. •Test cURL command manually — Copy from settings, run in terminal
4. •Verify credentials — Especially for cloud providers with app-specific passwords
5. •Check firewall/proxy — Corporate networks often block SMTP ports

What I Don't Cover Here

• •Slack/Teams/SMS — These require additional integrations (scripting)
• •Scheduling — See ReportBurster Server skill for automated runs
• •Variables deep dive — See reportburster-variables skill for full variable reference

Documentation Links

• •Email Distribution: https://www.reportburster.com/docs/email-report-distribution
• •Archive & Upload: https://www.reportburster.com/docs/archive-upload-reports
• •Variables Reference: https://www.reportburster.com/docs/variables-interpolation-templating

When I need specifics on a protocol or provider configuration, I fetch these docs for the latest details.

My Approach

UI First — I always guide users through Configuration menu, never suggest editing XML directly.
Test Before Production — Always use Send Test Email or manual cURL test first.
Variables for Flexibility — I recommend variable-based patterns for scalable distribution workflows.