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Overview
Features
Pre-Requisites
Library

Automate MS Access with MARS. MARS is an automation tool and scheduler for MS Access that saves time and money by making it easy to define single or packages of Microsoft® Access reports. In addition to the Report Scheduler, MARS includes a Macro Scheduler and Query Scheduler. Reports and Queries can be run automatically and sent to print, fax, disk, ftp, sms or email in a number of standard formats. Macros can be set to run a specified times of the day, or when certain events and conditions are fulfilled.

Simply set up a schedule stating how often you would like each report to run, whether you'd like the output in PDF, Word, Excel, HTML, RTF, Acrobat, text format, and more and where it should be sent to. Automate MS Access in a couple of clicks. MARS is a powerful, spontaneous and user-friendly scheduler that will ease your routine, and the tedious job of manually running Microsoft Access Reports, Queries and Macros daily, weekly, monthly or as required.

It's easy to schedule reports to run at a specific date and time, or to run them hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly or set up your own custom frequencies e.g. 4-4-3, every other day, third Monday of the month, and so on. And the same report can be scheduled to be run multiple times with different parameters, formats, frequencies, and destinations. MARS makes report scheduling easy for you!

Respond to your business needs by setting schedules to run based on events rather than date. With MARS' MS Access Scheduling, Event Based Schedules can be automated so that reports are fired off when events occur e.g. database value is present, file is modified, window is present, an email is received, etc.

Use MARS' MS Access Scheduling, a unique Dynamic Schedule process can be defined to trawl through your database, find the parameter values to use and then generate and deliver a unique report for each value. Bring advanced Data-Driven functionality to your Access reports distribution infrastructure.

Once your schedule has been executed, why stop there? Use MARS' unique Custom Actions to run another program, enter values in a database, modify a file and lots more. Or use Automation Schedules for general business process automation without scheduling any reports at all.

MARS' familiar Explorer-like interface makes it easy to define and schedule report packages. The context (right-click) menus and full copy-and-paste support make it easy to create complex distribution schedules.

The scheduling service runs as a desktop application, or as an Windows service. It will integrate with Exchange Server 5 (SP4) and above (2000 and 2003) or SMTP. Worried about Outlook security prompts? MARS deals with these expertly - ensuring complete uninterrupted automation.

By automating repetitive reporting tasks, MARS ensures that reports are created and distributed when needed, without error, and without costly support time.

Whether you're spending too much time running and distributing Access report and query output to line managers, or you need to provide corporate management with tailored reports on a regular schedule, MARS gives you the tools that you need.

Schedule Types
Custom Tasks

Scheduling Frequencies
Event-Based Triggers

Output Formats
Scalability & Admin

Destinations

Schedule Types

MARS's comprehensive set of job (schedule) types gives you the power you need for any occasion.

Single Report Schedules

A single report is set to generate at specified intervals (Daily, Hourly, Weekly etc). It is exported to a specified format (PDF, Excel, XML etc). The exported file is delivered to one or more destinations (email, FTP, printer, etc). For example, email the daily sales report to the sales manager at 8am every week day except on public holidays.

Package Report Schedules

Set up a package of reports to be generated at defined intervals and delivered to one or more defined destinations - together. For example, a monthly report pack (consisting of a number of reports) can be sent to a client with all reports attached to the single email or compressed into a single zip file, or merged into a single Excel workbook, or PDF file before delivery.

Automation Schedules

Write and execute simple or complex business process automation scripts or macros using MARS's Custom Tasks. Use this schedule on its own, or as part of a more complete automation solution. Examples include Send an email, Update a database record, Upload to FTP, Update a file, Print files and lots more.

Dynamic Schedules

Multiple instances of the same report are exported. For each instance MARS will automatically enter the required parameter values, export the report and deliver the results to the corresponding email, folder, ftp, printer or fax. The parameters and destination are read from your own database. For example, run the same report for dozens of clients without writing a schedule for each client.

Dynamic Package Schedules

Dynamically generate and deliver individualized export packages for multiple recipients using the same set of reports. Dynamic Schedules for Packages! For example, you can use the same set of reports to generate individual monthly report packages for all your clients.

Event-Based Schedules

Instantly respond to business and client needs. Fire off reports or automation scripts when a defined system event occurs. For example, trigger a report or automation script when a value in a database has changed, or when a new email arrives You can even use values in the email body text to populate parameters, email addresses, database tables and more.

Event-Based Packages

String a number of Event-Based schedules together as a batch to run in a specified order and/or at specified scheduled times. Use to ensure that required conditions are fulfilled before a report is exported. For example, run the report once a month, but only if the monthly total figure in the sales database matches that in the invoices database.

Data-Driven Schedules

Expand Reporting Services functionality! Drive all variables of your reporting requirements (parameters, destinations, output format, etc) from database tables and queries. For example,

Distribute a report to a fluctuating list of recipients. For example, you can distribute a report throughout a large organization where recipients vary from one month to the next, or use other criteria that determines group membership from an existing set of users. E.g. select * from mytable where firstname = 'john' will generate the report and distribute only for records where the recipient's first name is John.
Filter the report output using report parameter values that are retrieved at run time. For example, the parameter value returned from the table for Last Name will be Doe for John Doe and Smith for John Smith.
Determine the delivery type and report format dynamically at run time. For example John Smith gets the report as a PDF file by email with a customized email body and John Doe gets the report as an excel spreadsheet by FTP upload to his web server.

Scheduling Frequencies

No other automation tool provides the huge array of frequencies that MARS makes available at your fingertips.

Every Day

Repeat every x days. For example, repeat ever 2 days will run the schedule every other day.

Every Week Day

Schedules will not run on Saturday and Sunday.

Every Week

Repeat every x weeks. Choose the days too. For example run every 2 weeks on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Every Month

Repeat every x months. Specify only certain months. Also choose special days of the month. For example, run on the last Friday of every month except March.

Every Year

Schedules run annually on a given date.

Custom Calendar

Create your own calendars for custom frequencies. For example. 4-4-3

Exception Calendar

Schedules will not run on these dates. Use the built in public holidays or select your own custom "do not run" dates. For example, do not run on New Year's Day.

Event

Schedules will run when an event occurs. For example, Database record is modified, Database record is created, Unread email is present, File is modified, Process exists.

Repeat Until

Repeat schedules at regular intervals. For example, Run every Tuesday at 8am and repeat the run every 30 minutes until 5pm.

Start & End Dates

Automatically set the schedule to begin on a given date, repeat at the given interval, and end on a set date. For example, Start on 1 Jan 2008. Run every week day until 31 March 2008.

Output Formats

With more output formats, and enhanced formatting & manipulation options than any other Reports scheduling tool, MARS gives you the flexibility to satisfy your formatting requirements with ease.

Acrobat (PDF)

Include watermarks & stamps.
Add bookmarks based on group header.
Set document properties (Title, Author, Producer, etc).
Add selective password protection (Can Print; Can Copy; Can Edit, Owner Password, User Password, etc).
Merge a package of multiple reports into a single PDF file.
Merge any existing PDF files into a single file.

Character Separated (CSV)

Use any character separator, or use "tab".
Choose any delimiter (or not, if you do not require one).

MS Excel (XLS)

Data Only .
Excel 97-2000.
Customize the worksheet (tab) name.
Merge a package of multiple reports as individual worksheets (tabs) in a single workbook..
Set password protection.
Set document properties (Title, Author, Company, etc).

MS Word (DOC)

Set document properties (Title, Author, Company, etc)..

Tiff (TIF)

Choose from Uncompressed, LZW, RLE and fax formats.
Select 24-bit color, 256 color or Black & White.

Other available formats

Data Interchange Format (DIF)
dBase II, dBase III & dBase IV (DBF)
HTML (HTM)
Lotus 1-2-3 (WK1, WK3 & WKS)
Rich Text (RTF)
Tab Separated (TXT)
Text (TXT)
Web Archive (MHTML)
XML (XML)

Destinations

Flexible, highly customizable and function-rich destination functionality..

Printer

Output to a single printer.
Multiple copies to a single printer.
Output to multiple printers (bulk printing).
Multiple copies to multiple printers.

Email

Set up & use one or multiple SMTP servers.
Use different SMTP servers/accounts for different schedules.
Nominate one or more SMTP servers as backup or fail over servers.
Connect to Secure SMTP servers.
Connect and send via Groupwise.
Connect & send via MAPI.
Silent integration with MS Outlook & MS Exchange.
Use Outlook/Exchange address book.
Use MARS's built in address book.
CC & BCC
Insert additional files as attachments.
Read email addresses from a database.
Read email address from a mailing list (text file).
Insert personalized tags in email body. For example, Dear {tablename.firstname}.
Send emails in plain text or HTML.
Use raw HTML code to construct better looking emails
Embed report into email body.
Read Receipt Processing.

Disk

Output to local drives. For example C:\MyReports\Today.
Output to network shares and UNC paths. For example \\MyServer\C\MyReports\Today.
Output to a remote system by Dial-Up Networking or VPN.
Choose to append to an existing file instead of overwriting it.

FTP

Upload reports to FTP server.
Supports Secure FTP - SSL 3 & SSL 3.1 (TLS).
Upload non-report files.
Download files from FTP server.

FAX

Manual or automated output to fax driver.
Choose to include a cover sheet.
Single or multiple recipients per schedule.

ODBC

- Export the report data directly to a database table via an ODBC DSN.
- Choose to overwrite if target table already exists.

SMS (Cell phone Text)

Send a text alert or simply embed a text report body into an SMS message.
Use a local GSM Phone or device.
Use a service provider (SMSC) via standard modem.

Other Destination Options

Compress (ZIP) file before delivery.
Password protect ZIP file using zip encryption level 128, 192 or 256.
Customize the output file name
Customize the output file extension. For example, a CSV file normally named myfile.csv can be exported as myfile.abc.
Append a date/time stamp to the output file.
Deferred delivery allows you to take environmental issues into account. For example, export the reports at 1am, but do not email them until 7am as the email server is unavailable during those hours.
Use PGP Encryption to secure file before delivery.
Select multiple destinations. For example, the same report can be emailed to one recipient and a copy saved to a folder on your server.
Group Bursting
Section Bursting
Sub-report bursting

Custom Tasks

Give yourself greater control by using MARS's Custom Tasks to create automation scripts. Use them as a complete automation process in automation schedules, or to provide additional enhancement as part of report export schedules.

Additional Report Schedules Task Actions

Run Custom Tasks before report delivery.
Run Custom Task after report production.
Run Custom Task after report delivery.
Run Custom Task before and after a report has exported.
Use custom tasks to create Automation Schedules.

Available Custom Tasks


Run Program (bat, exe, com) Open, Print Document Wait/Pause Send SMS Execute Schedule Set, Delete Create Registry Key	Copy, Rename, Move, Delete File Write to Text File Zip, Unzip Files Create, Rename, Move Folder Merge PDF Files.

Send an Email Open a Web Address Upload to FTP Download, Delete from FTP Create, Delete FTP Directory	Execute SQL Script Run Stored Procedure Insert, Update, Delete Database Record Create, Delete Database Table Create, Delete Table Column

Scheduling Frequencies

Event-Based Triggers

Respond instantly to business and client needs by firing off reports and automation scripts when an event occurs. MARS gives you a list of triggers to suit any occasion. All the triggers below can run if the condition is True or if the condition is False.

Database Record Exists

Apply to new database records only, or to any matching database records.

Database Record Has Been Modified

Choose to include New (Inserted) records and Deleted records. Use this for follow-ups by selecting to only match the condition if the record has been (or not been modified) in x minutes. Repeat the action every x minutes until the condition is no longer true, or run just once.

Unread Mail Is Present

Monitor a POP or IMAP mailbox for new emails. Forward or Redirect. Delete mail after processing. Read the body text and other mail sections (sender email, subject, etc) and use the values to populate report parameters, email addresses etc. For example, send the report to the sender of the email.

File Exists

Use this trigger to respond to the existence of a new file in a local or network folder.

File Has Been Modified

Great for monitoring log files, but works equally well for all other types of local or network files.

Other Event Triggers

Process Exists
Window is Present

Scalability & Administration

Beyond its basic functionality, you want to know that MARS can extend its capabilities to satisfy your needs as your business demands grow. Below is a brief list of some of the functionalities which put MARS (and you) years ahead of the market.

System Monitor
Multi-Threading
Clustering
Remote Administration
Store MARS database in any ODBC-compliant database format
Report History Snapshots
MARS Constants
User Constants

Data Items
Hours of Operation
Folder Housekeeping
Scheduled System backups
Command-Line Options
Desktop Application Scheduler
Windows Service Scheduler
Secure User Logon Profiles
Integration with Windows Authentication

Hardware Pre-Requisites

Minimum recommended: P4 750MHz/ 500MB disk space/ 1G memory.

PC Type: Desktop, Server, Virtual Machine

Operating System: Windows NT4 SP6a, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, Windows Vista, Windows Vista 64, Windows Server 2008