This chapter describes the Job Manager feature of the Oracle BI Administration Tool. It is the first part of the process of configuring Oracle BI Scheduler from the Job Manager.
This chapter contains the following topics:
Use the Job Manager to add, remove, modify, or cancel Oracle BI Scheduler jobs. For example, you can perform the following tasks:
Set options for an execution schedule, such as a start time, a start date, an interval between executions, and an optional end time and date.
Add or modify jobs using the Add Job and Modify Job dialog boxes. These dialog boxes contain three types of information:
General job properties
A script area where you can specify the actions to perform
A trigger area where you can specify the job trigger
The trigger defines when the job is run.
The Job Manager toolbar contains four menus, as described in the following topics:
Table 29-1 describes the File menu options.
Table 29-1 Job Manager File Menu Options
Table 29-2 describes the Service Management menu options.
Table 29-2 Job Manager Service Management Menu
| Command | Description |
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Pause Scheduling |
Stops all jobs from executing until scheduling is continued. Pause Scheduling is sometimes required for maintenance purposes. It allows an administrator to intervene and resolve out of control jobs. A custom job that uses excessive resources and that is being scheduled very frequently, might make any other processes on that computer ineffective, including Job Manager. Pausing scheduling offers a chance to remove or modify the job. Sometimes you might need to Pause Scheduling while Oracle BI Scheduler is stopped. In this case, scheduling continues when Oracle BI Scheduler is restarted, unless you also set the option Pause When Service Starts as described in Section 20.3.3.1, "General Scheduler Configuration Settings That Affect Agents". |
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Continue Scheduling |
Resumes Oracle BI Scheduler's regular execution. |
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Stop Service |
Table 29-3 describes the Jobs menu options.
Table 29-3 Job Manager Jobs Menu
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
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Add New Job |
Opens the Add New Job window, where you specify the properties for a new job. |
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Remove Job(s) |
Removes the selected job or jobs from Oracle BI Scheduler. When a job is removed, all instances for that job are also removed. |
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Modify Job |
Opens the Modify Job window where you can modify the properties for an existing job. |
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View Job |
Opens the View Job window where you can view the properties for a job. |
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Run Job(s) Now |
Immediately runs the scheduled job that you selected. |
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Refresh Job List |
Refreshes the job information that is displayed in the Job List in the right pane. To view the instances that are associated with one or more jobs, first highlight the jobs in the job view. Then press the refresh icon in the instances view below. |
An Oracle BI Scheduler instance records information regarding a specific execution of a job in the Oracle BI Scheduler. Table 29-4 describes the Instances menu options.
Table 29-4 Job Manager Instances Menu
Table 29-5 describes the properties of Job Manager instances.
Table 29-5 Job Manager Instance Properties
| Field | Description |
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ID of the job that is associated with this instance. |
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This is the same for agent jobs and Script jobs. If the instance is running, then the status is running. |
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For agent: The agent instance is set to complete if deliveries are successful to all delivery devices of the agent. For Script: This is set according to the Severity property in the script. See Table 27-2, "Oracle BI Scheduler Read/Write Script Object Properties". |
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For agent: The agent instance is set to failed if deliveries are unsuccessful to any of the delivery devices of the agent. For Script: This is set according to the Severity property in the script. See Table 27-2, "Oracle BI Scheduler Read/Write Script Object Properties". |
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Status: Canceled |
Canceling any instance from the Job Manager sets the status to canceled. |
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Status: Timed Out |
If the job has a maximum run time and the running time of the instance exceeds this time, then the status of the instance is set to timed out. |
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Status: Warning |
For agent: The agent instance is set to Warning if deliveries are successful to some delivery devices but not all. For Script: This is set according to the Severity property in the script. See Table 27-2, "Oracle BI Scheduler Read/Write Script Object Properties". |
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Unique ID of this specific instance of the job. |
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Begin Time |
The day and time that the Scheduler initiated the job instance. |
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End Time |
The day and time that the job scheduler completed the job instance. |
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The ExitCode of an instance is set to the number of successful deliveries. The count corresponds to the number of successful deliveries to devices, and multiple devices might exist for each recipient of an agent. |
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The ExitCode of an instance is set according to the ExitCode property in the script. The default is 0 (zero). See Table 27-2, "Oracle BI Scheduler Read/Write Script Object Properties" |
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Text message that contain any error information of the instance, warnings, or general messages about the instance execution. |
In the Add Job or Modify Job dialog box, use the fields to configure or modify the general properties for a job. Table 29-6 describes the general job properties.
In addition, Table 29-7 describes the job action properties, and Table 29-8 describes the recurrent job triggers.
Table 29-6 General Oracle BI Scheduler Job Properties
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
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Name |
Short, descriptive name for the job. This field is also displayed in the Job List display in the right pane of the Job Manager window. |
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Description |
Brief description of the job that describes its actions to end users. This field is also displayed in the Job List display in the right pane of the Job Manager window. |
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UserID |
Required for all jobs. For jobs that communicate with the Oracle BI Server or with Oracle BI Presentation Services, the UserID must be a valid Oracle Business Intelligence user ID. This field is also displayed in the Job List display in the right pane of the Job Manager window. When this job runs, Oracle BI Scheduler executes it on behalf of the user ID that is specified in this field. |
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Specifies the maximum number of milliseconds that this job should run before it is canceled forcibly. If a job exceeds its run time, then it fails with a time-out reason code. To prevent the job from timing out, set this field to 0 (zero). Note: One second equals 1,000 milliseconds. |
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Display-only field that shows the last time that this job began execution. This field is also displayed in the Job List display in the right pane of the Job Manager window. If the date and time displayed here are for time zones where daylight savings applies, the time zone reflects the daylight savings time. For example, if (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London, is set during the summer months, then this means BST (British Summer Time). |
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Next Run Time |
Display-only field that shows recurrent jobs and the next time this job executes. The trigger is used to determine this value. If the date and time displayed here is for time zones where daylight savings applies, the time zone reflects the daylight savings time. For example, if (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time: Dublin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London, is set during the summer months, then this means BST (British Summer Time). |
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Display-only field that shows the number of currently running instances of this job. |
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When you select this option, Oracle BI Scheduler deletes the job after its last scheduled execution as defined by its trigger. When there is no next run time, the job is done. When a job is deleted, all instances are deleted as well. For most jobs, you should not select this option, because you can delete a job manually through the Job Manager. |
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When you select this option, the job script does not execute when its trigger expires. However, the next run time is still updated according to the trigger settings. The Disabled field is useful when testing or debugging a new job because an administrator can quickly disable a job without losing all information. |
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If you select this option while Oracle BI Scheduler is stopped (either all scheduling pauses or the Oracle BI Scheduler application stops), and if the job's next run time was missed, then the job runs after Oracle BI Scheduler restarts. If you do not select this option, then the job executes at the its next run time, as defined by its trigger. |
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If you select this option, then when a job is removed, its associated job script is also removed. If many jobs reference the same job script, then this option should not be set. |
Table 29-7 describes the job action properties available in the Add Job and Modify Job dialog boxes in Job Manager. Use the fields in the Script area of the Add Job or Modify Job dialog box to define the actions a job performs when it executes.
Table 29-7 Job Manager Job Action Fields
| Field | Description |
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Oracle BI Scheduler supports VBScript, JScript, Java, and NQCmd. Set this field according to the type of script that is referenced by the Script field. The fields that are displayed depend upon the type of script that you specify. |
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(VBScript and JScript only) In the Job Manager, you can enter either a file name or the actual contents of a script in the Script Path field. |
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(VBScript and JScript only) This value is either a reference to a job script file or the contents of a job script itself. If it is a reference, then enter a file name in this field, such as TestConnect.js. If no path is given, then Oracle BI Scheduler examines the directory that is referred to in the Default Script Path configuration value in Section 20.3.3.1, "General Scheduler Configuration Settings That Affect Agents". If a path is given, then the path must be accessible by the Oracle BI Scheduler application. |
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(VBScript, JScript, and Java only) Field values are passed to the job script through the Parameters array. Enter one parameter per line. For example: c:\oracleBI\data\scheduler cli_snowflake SELECT Lastname FROM Employee |
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Class Name |
(Script Type = Java) The fully qualified implementation class for the Java program action. |
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Class Path (jar file) |
(Script Type = Java) The name of the JAR file that contains the Java program. |
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Additional Class Path(s) |
(Script Type = Java) Other JAR files that contain the utility classes and libraries that the Java program must run properly. Include a comma-delimited list of JAR files. After this parameter, you must append a command line parameter as it is in Job Manager. |
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DSN (Data Source Name) |
(Script Type = NQCmd) The data source name that Oracle BI Scheduler uses to connect to the BI Server. Note: Impersonation is used with NQCmd. The value in the User ID is the user that Oracle BI Scheduler tries to impersonate when connecting to the BI Server. |
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SQL Input File |
(Script Type = NQCmd) The fully qualified path to the SQL file that NQCmd executes. Type the full path or click the ... button to browse to the file's location. This field is typically used for files that are generated by the aggregate persistence feature. |
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Additional Command Line Parameters |
(Script Type = NQCmd) Parameters that are passed to NQCmd. Enter one parameter per line. For example: -o D:\foo\bar.txt |
A job trigger determines when and how often a job executes. Use the fields in the Trigger area of the Add Job or Modify Job dialog box to define the actions that a job performs when it executes.
There are two types of Oracle BI Scheduler Job triggers—single-run triggers and recurrent triggers.
Use the Trigger Type list to select the trigger type. Single-run triggers perform the action once. There are two single-run triggers:
Run Now. This trigger specifies that the job runs immediately. It executes only one time.
Run Once. Jobs of this trigger type execute at the date and time that is specified in the Begin Date and Start Time fields, which become active when you selected Run Once. An error occurs if the given time is in the past. If you select the Set Start Time To Now option, then this trigger is equivalent to the Run Now trigger.
All recurrent triggers specify that the job execute over a period of time at given intervals. Fields used by recurrent triggers are described in Table 29-8. Recurrent Trigger Types are described in Table 29-9.
Table 29-8 Job Manager Recurrent Trigger Fields
| Field | Description |
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Timezone |
Specifies the time zone that is used to execute the job. Displays the default time zone as specified in the instanceconfig.xml file. For information, see Section 15.5, "Description of Time Zone Settings.") |
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Specifies the date when the first recurrent interval runs. The recurrent interval is defined as the time between Start Time and End Time. This field is hidden if you select the Set Start Time to Now option. |
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Specifies the date when the last recurrent interval is run. Becomes active when the Has End Date option is set. If no end date is set, then the job runs forever. |
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Specifies the lower bounds of the recurrent interval. The job's first execution for a day occurs at the time that is specified in this value. |
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Specifies the upper bounds of the recurrent interval. The job's last execution for a given day occurs at or before the time that is specified in this value. If this value is less than the Start Time value, then the interval spans midnight of the given day. For example, a trigger with a start time of 11:00 P.M. and an End Time of 2:00 A.M. starts its execution on the date that is specified in Begin Date at 11:00 P.M. and continues until 2:00 A.M. on the following day. |
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If you select this option, then specify an End Date. If you do not select this option, then the job stays scheduled. Note: The schedule is perpetual; the job instance is not. If you restart Oracle BI Scheduler, then the next run time is set as dictated by the job schedule. If an instance is running while you stop Oracle BI Scheduler, then it is canceled. |
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If you select this option, then the Begin Date and Start Time fields are ignored and their values are populated with Oracle BI Scheduler's current date and time. |
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Specifies the number of minutes between subsequent executions of a job during the recurrent interval. A job starts execution promptly at its Start Time and executes again every n minutes, where n is the value of this field. |
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If a job executes every n minutes (from the Interval in Minutes field), then a long-running job might have overlapping executions. Use this field to set the number of concurrent running instances. For an unlimited number of concurrent instances, set this value to zero. |
The recurrent trigger types that are available from the Trigger Type list are described in Table 29-9. The fields pertain to all recurrent triggers. Depending on the trigger type that you select, additional options become active. The examples in the table illustrate how these additional options can be used.
Table 29-9 Job Manager Recurrent Trigger Types
| Trigger Type | Description and Example |
|---|---|
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Runs a job every day or every few days. The Days Interval field specifies the number of days between each subsequent recurrent interval. For example: To run a job every hour between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. starting on January 1, 2010 and ending on January 15, 2010, set the Begin Date to 1/1/10, the Start Time to 8:00 A.M., and the End Time to 5:00 P.M. Set the Has End Date flag, the End Date to 1/15/10, the Interval in Minutes to 60, and the Days Interval to 1. To run a job every five minutes forever, set the Begin Date to the desired date, the Start Time to 12:00 P.M., the end time to 11:59 A.M., the Interval In Minutes to 5, and the Days Interval to 1. |
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Runs a job on specified days of the week. The Weeks Interval specifies the number of weeks between each execution. The Days of the Week field specifies on which days the execution occurs. For example: To run a job at noon every other week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, set the Begin Date to the desired date, the Start Time and End Time to 12:00 P.M., the Interval in Minutes to 1, the Weeks Interval to 2, and the Days of the Week to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. |
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Runs a job on specific days of the month. The Months field specifies in which months this job executes. The Days field specifies which days of those months. If the given day does not exist for a given month, then that day is ignored. For example: To run a job at 5:00 P.M. on the 1st and 15th of January, February, and March, set the Begin Date to January 1, the Start Time and End Time to 5:00 P.M., the Interval in Minutes to 1, the Months to January, February, and March, and the Days to 1 and 15. To run a job at 2:00 A.M. on every leap day (February 29th), set the Begin Date to January 1, the Start Time and End Time to 2:00 A.M., the Interval in Minutes to 1, the Months to February, and the Days to 29. |
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Runs a job on specific occurrences of specified days of the week during given months. The Months field specifies which months this job executes. The Days of the Week field specifies which days of the week the job executes during those months. The Occurrence field specifies which of those days to execute. The occurrence can be any or all of First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Last. The Last value specifies that either the fourth or fifth occurrence of a given day is used, depending on whether there are four or five occurrences during that month. For example: To run a job on the first and third Fridays of December every hour between the hours of 4:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M., set the Begin Date to the desired date, the Start Time to 4:00 A.M., the End Time to 8:00 P.M., the Interval in Minutes to 60, the Months to December, the Days of the Week to Friday, and the Occurrence to the First and the Third. To run a job at 3:00 A.M. every time that Daylight Saving Time switches over to Standard Time, set the Begin Date to the desired date, the Start Time and End Time to 3:00 A.M., the Months to October, the Days of the Week to Sunday, and the Occurrence to Last. |