Report Automation: How To schedule a Report?

June 01, 2026 09:14

1. Overview

The Schedule Report feature enables users to automate report generation and delivery directly from the RetailCloud Console. Instead of manually exporting reports or relying on backend teams, users can configure rule-based schedules to automatically generate and deliver reports at specified intervals.

Key Capabilities

Automate CSV report exports on a Daily, Weekly, or Monthly schedule
Apply report-specific filters to narrow down report data
Define the time period for report data (e.g., Previous Day, Last 7 Days, Custom Range)
Deliver generated reports via Email or FTP
Activate or deactivate schedules at any time

📝 Note: This feature is available to users with the System Admin, Central Admin, or Financial role.

2. Accessing Schedule Report

Navigate to the Schedule Report feature using the path below:

Console → Settings → General → Schedule Report

From the Settings General page, locate and click the Schedule Report tile (shown below).

Figure 1 – Settings → General page showing the Schedule Report tile

3. Schedule Report List Page

The Schedule Report list page displays all configured schedules and provides tools to search, filter, and manage them.

Figure 2 – Schedule Report list page

Page Elements

Field	Description
Search Bar	Search schedules by name or keyword using the 'Search in field' input.
Reports Filter	Filter the list by a specific report type.
Frequency Filter	Filter schedules by frequency (Daily, Weekly, Monthly).
Delivery Method	Filter by Email or FTP delivery.
Search / Reset	Click Search to apply filters; click the Reset (↺) button to clear all filters.
Show Inactive	Toggle to include inactive (deactivated) schedules in the list.
Show Entries	Control how many rows are shown per page (default: 25).
Add Schedule	Opens the Create Schedule form to configure a new automation rule.

List Columns

Field	Description
Schedule Name	The name given to the automation rule.
Report	The report selected for the schedule.
Frequency	How often the report runs (Daily, Weekly, or Monthly).
Time Period	The data range selected for the report.
Delivery Method	Email or FTP.
Status	Active or Inactive toggle.

4. Creating a New Schedule

Click the Add Schedule button on the list page to open the Create Schedule form.

Figure 3 – Add Schedule form (initial state)

4.1 Report Selection

The first step is to select the report you want to automate. The Report dropdown lists all supported reports available for scheduling.

Figure 4 – Report dropdown showing available reports

Field	Description
Report *	Select one report from the dropdown. Each report can only be used in one active schedule — it cannot be reused across multiple rules.
Name *	Enter a descriptive name for the schedule (e.g., 'Daily Sales Summary – Email').
Activate Schedule	Toggle to enable or disable the schedule. Enabled by default. When inactive, the schedule will not run until reactivated.

📝 Note: Once a schedule is saved, the Report field cannot be changed. To use a different report, deactivate the existing schedule and create a new one.

4.2 Report Filters

After selecting a report, a Report Filters section appears below. Filters are dynamically loaded based on the selected report — different reports expose different filter options.

Figure 5 – Report Filters for Inventory Balance Export

Figure 6 – Report Filters for Sales Summary Export (includes Time Period)

Filters may include the following fields depending on the report selected:

Field	Description
Time Period *	Defines the date range of data included in the report. Required for sales-type reports. Options include Previous Day, Previous Month, Previous Year, Current Day, Current Month, Current Year, Last 30 Days, Last 7 Days, Last 24 Hours, Last 12 Hours, Last 6 Hours, Last 3 Hours, or a Custom Date Range (Start Date & End Date).
Venue	Filter data by one or more venues. Defaults to All.
Store	Filter data by one or more stores. Defaults to All.
Warehouse	Filter by warehouse. Defaults to All.
Register	Filter by register. Defaults to All.
Reporting Group	Filter by reporting group. Defaults to All.
Departments	Filter by department. Defaults to All.
Category	Filter by category. Defaults to All.
Sub Category	Filter by sub-category. Defaults to All.
Style / Color / Size / Brand / Season / Team / Printer Category / Event	Additional attribute filters depending on report type. All default to All.

📝 Note: All filters are optional. If no specific filter values are selected, the report will be generated using All available data for that filter dimension.

4.3 Schedule & Delivery — Frequency

The Schedule & Delivery section controls how often the report runs and when.

Figure 7 – Frequency dropdown options

Field	Description
Daily	Report runs every day at the specified time.
Weekly	Report runs on selected day(s) of the week (Monday–Sunday) at the specified time.
Monthly	Report runs on a selected day of the month (1–31) at the specified time.

For all frequency types, you must also set a Run Time — the specific time of day the report should be generated and delivered.

⚠️ Warning: If the selected time is heavily utilized for scheduled processing, the system will display a warning: "The selected time is currently heavily utilized for scheduled processing. To ensure reliable report generation, please choose a different time." You will be required to select a different time slot before saving.

4.4 Delivery Method — Email

Select Email to have the generated CSV report sent directly to one or more email addresses.

Enter recipient email addresses in the Email field. Multiple addresses can be added.

4.5 Delivery Method — FTP

Select FTP to upload the generated report to a remote FTP server.

Figure 8 – FTP delivery fields

Field	Description
Hostname *	The FTP server hostname or IP address.
Port *	The port number for the FTP connection (e.g., 21).
Username *	The FTP account username.
Password *	The FTP account password.
Path *	The directory path on the FTP server where the report file will be uploaded.

📝 Note: In cases of scheduler failures (e.g., failed FTP upload or email delivery), an error alert will be triggered to notify relevant teams.

Saving the Schedule

Once all required fields are complete, click the Save button in the top banner. Click Reset to discard all unsaved changes and revert to the last saved state.

5. Managing Existing Schedules

All created schedules appear in the Schedule Report list. You can manage them as follows:

Field	Description
Activate / Deactivate	Use the Status toggle on the list page to enable or disable a schedule without deleting it.
Edit	Click on a schedule row to open it in edit mode. Note: the Report field cannot be changed after creation.
Show Inactive	Enable the 'Show Inactive' toggle on the list page to view deactivated schedules.
Create New (Different Report)	If you need to schedule a different report, deactivate the existing schedule and click Add Schedule to create a new one.

📝 Note: Each report can only be associated with one active schedule at a time. Attempting to create a second schedule for the same report will be prevented by a validation warning.

6. Supported Reports

The following six reports are available for scheduling in Phase 1:

#	Report Name	Description
1	Sales Summary Export	Summary of all sales transactions for the selected period and filters.
2	Sales by Tender Export	Sales data broken down by payment tender type.
3	Sales by Item Export	Sales data at the individual item level.
4	Refund Transaction Export	Report of all refund transactions.
5	Inventory Balance Export	Current inventory balance data across locations.
6	Gift Card Activation Export	Details of gift card activations for the selected period.

7. Roles & Access

The Schedule Report feature is accessible to the following roles within the RetailCloud Console:

Role	Access
System Admin	Full access
Central Admin	Full access
Financial	Full access

8. Important Notes & Limitations

Report field is locked after creation: The Report selection cannot be modified once a schedule has been saved. To schedule a different report, deactivate the current schedule and create a new one.
One schedule per report: Each report type can only be associated with one active schedule at a time.
Filters are optional: If no filter values are selected, the report will include all available data for each dimension (equivalent to selecting 'All').
Filters are report-specific: Filter options change dynamically depending on the selected report. Not all filters appear for every report.
Run Time selection: If a heavily-utilized time slot is selected, the system will prompt you to choose a different time before saving.
Failure alerts: If a scheduled report fails to generate or deliver, an error alert will be triggered automatically.
Inactive schedules: Deactivated schedules are hidden by default on the list page. Use the 'Show Inactive' toggle to view them.

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