24 Introducing Oracle BI Scheduler

This chapter provides general information about Oracle BI Scheduler. It contains the following topics:

24.1 What is Oracle BI Scheduler?

Oracle BI Scheduler is a server that manages and schedules jobs. Oracle BI Scheduler supports two kinds of jobs:

  • Scripted jobs.

    Scripted jobs are configured and submitted using the Job Manager feature of the Oracle BI Administration Tool. For example, a scripted job could periodically load the Oracle BI Server usage statistics into a back-end database. In this example Oracle BI Scheduler communicates with the BI Server. However, scripted jobs might not access the BI Server, for example by saving the output of an agent to a shared drive. Scripted jobs can also be configured through agents and actions.

    Oracle BI Scheduler supports jobs that are written in the Java programming language or in the VBScript and JScript scripting languages.

    Note:

    Scripting for agents and scripts that are defined by the Oracle BI Scheduler Job Manager are supported only under Windows platforms. The Java interfaces support all platforms.

  • Agents.

    Agents deliver content to end users. Content can be analyses, dashboards, briefing books, or alerts. After delivering content, agents can also execute actions. Actions include Java actions, URL actions, Web service actions, and server script actions. Agents can also run other agents, creating chains of agents. Agents are configured and submitted for execution using Oracle BI Delivers. Oracle BI Scheduler communicates with Oracle BI Presentation Services for unscripted jobs.

    Note:

    There are thus two different forms of custom Java that can be executed: Java scripted jobs run in their own right and Java actions run as part of an agent.

24.2 About Oracle BI Scheduler Server Components

Oracle BI Scheduler consists of the following components:

  • Oracle BI Scheduler Job Manager

  • Oracle BI Scheduler Service process:

    • Windows operating systems: nqscheduler.exe

    • UNIX operating systems: nqscheduler

  • Scheduler tab in Fusion Middleware Control

  • Command line job invocation tool:

    • Windows operating systems: saschinvoke.exe

    • UNIX operating systems: saschinvoke

24.3 About Agent Support in Oracle BI Scheduler

When a user creates and schedules an agent, Oracle BI Presentation Services gathers information about the agent such as its priority, the intended recipients, and the devices to which content should be delivered. Presentation Services packages this information and other characteristics into a job, then informs Oracle BI Scheduler when to execute the job.

Agents can run in parallel on different threads. The number of agents that can run in parallel depends on the size of the Scheduler thread pool (a configurable setting) and the number of threads used up by each agent. Queueing might occur if too many agents are triggered at the same time.

For information about agents, see Oracle Fusion Middleware User's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition.

24.4 About Database Support in Oracle BI Scheduler

Oracle BI Scheduler uses a single back-end database to store pertinent information about a job, its instances, and its parameters. For information, see Section 1.8, "System Requirements and Certification".

The Oracle BI Scheduler service starts only if the back-end database satisfies the following requirements:

Back-End Database Requirement Notes
Configured There is a one-to-one relationship between the back-end database schema and Oracle BI Scheduler. Do not configure multiple Oracle BI Scheduler applications to use a single database schema.
Operational For information about the specific back-end databases that are supported by Oracle BI Scheduler, see Section 1.8, "System Requirements and Certification".
Mixed Authentication Mode For example, if the database is SQL Server, then the security mode should be set to allow both SQL Server and Windows Authentication for logon.

Do not use operating system authentication for the back-end database login. If you do, then the Oracle BI Scheduler service might not start in some cases.

24.5 About Oracle BI Scheduler Schemas

You create the database schemas that are associated with Oracle BI Scheduler using the Repository Creation Utility (RCU). (For information, see Section 25.1, "Creating an Oracle BI Scheduler Database and Tables Using RCU.") You can also create tables in Oracle BI Scheduler's schema for use with other major commercial databases, by running the SQL scripts in the following directory:

\orainst\bifoundation\OracleBISchedulerComponent\coreapplication_obisch1\schema\.

Note:

To upgrade Scheduler tables, see Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrade Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence.

Table 24-1 gives brief descriptions of the database tables that are used by Oracle BI Scheduler.

If usage tracking is enabled in the NQSConfig.INI file, then the Oracle BI Server generates Usage Tracking data files. A sample JavaScript is provided, which extracts information from the Usage Tracking files and loads them to a table in the relational database. The S_NQ_ACCT table stores all the information regarding Accounting Data. For information, see Chapter 9, "Managing Usage Tracking.".

Table 24-1 Tables Used by Oracle BI Scheduler

Table Name Table Description

S_NQ_JOB

Stores information about scheduled jobs.

S_NQ_INSTANCE

Stores information about scheduled job instances.

S_NQ_ERR_MSG

Stores error messages about Oracle BI Scheduler job instances that do not complete successfully. Also stores information that coordinates restarting an agent, if there is a Scheduler failover during agent execution.

S_NQ_JOB_PARAM

Stores information about Oracle BI Scheduler job parameters for scheduled jobs. For example, agent path.

The following are characteristics of Oracle BI Scheduler schema tables: