Patent ID: 7185002

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for data retrieval, the method comprising: providing a user interface to a server that enables a user to enter a request to generate a report, the request including an electronic mail delivery address associated with the requested report and an interval at which the requested report is to be updated, wherein the interface also includes a system administrator link which enables the user to request an additional report not included in a group of available reports; retrieving a pre-defined set of queries associated with a requested report by the server to generate the report upon the occurrence of the each interval, wherein the requested report is one of the group of available reports; generating the requested report by submitting the pre-defined set of inquiries upon each occurrence of the interval by submitting the pre-defined set of queries to a database; receiving a result based in part in the pre-defined set of inquiries from the database by the server, wherein the server formats the report; prior to the server attempting to send the report to the electronic mail delivery address of the user upon the occurrence of each of the intervals specified in the request, determining whether the electronic mail delivery address of the user is valid by the server contacting a mail server associated with the electronic mail delivery address; if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be not valid, then not attempting to send the report by the server for this occurrence of the interval; and if the electronic mail delivery address is determined to be valid, then sending the requested report by the server to the electronic mail delivery address for the occurrence of the interval.