Information 
 • Overview 

Version 4.0 
 • New Features 

Downloads 
 • Free Software 

Order 
 • Order Today 

Partners 
 • Partner List 

Services 
 • Send a Fax 
 • Upgrade 
 • Newsgroup 
 • Support 
 • Home 

Programs 
 • Reseller 
 • Referral 

Press Releases
 • Index 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
vol 1.9.15.98 
 Analyzing Fax Call Statistics with MS Excel™
 
All fax calls that the ProtoFax server makes are logged in a file located in the ProtoFax directory.  The name of the file is trnsmt.log.  The format of this file is ASCII comma delimited.  This is the most widely supported format by applications and all high end word processors, spread sheets, and database applications support this format. 

For this example, we choose to use Microsoft Excel to analyze the trnsmt.log file.  The principles used here can also be applied to most any other application.  The following discussion will utilize screen shots of Excel.  The log file that we are analyzing in this example is an actual log file from a production server, so we cleared the fax number field for privacy reasons.  Clicking on any screen shot will enlarge it to full screen. 

 

Start Excel and go to File and then Open.  Set Files of type to All Files and maneuver to the ProtoFax directory.  Double-click on trnsmt.log to open the file. 
 
 

Upon opening the file, Excel will present you with a 3 step import wizard: 

On Wizard Screen 1 of 3, verify the settings are the same as above and click Next.  Verify the settings on Wizard Screen 2 of 3, making sure to specify Comma for the Delimiter and then click Next.  Finally, verify that the settings on Wizard Screen 3 of 3 are the same as above and click Finish.  Your screen should now look like this: 

Now the data is listed in columns, one column for each field.  The first entry in each column is a description or name of the field.  We will proceed to query or filter the data so that you can view statistics for a particular user, day, month, fax number etc. 

In this example, we will look for all transactions for the user 'emily'.  From the Excel menu bar, select Data - Filter - Autofilter.  After doing so, you will notice drop-down boxes at the top of each column that allow you to specify different 'filter' values. 
 
 

For example, to look for entries that just pertain to the user 'emily' you would go to the top of the User column, click the drop-down and select 'emily'. 
 
 
 

The result of this filtering (or query) is the following screen: 

You can use combinations of filters to produce any desired results.  Summation fields can also be included to create 'Month to Date' or 'Year to Date' type reports.