Data-driven schedules

Data-driven schedules provide flexibility in scheduling one or more tasks. Tasks can be run once, or on a recurring basis. In addition, tasks can be run on a specified frequency (such as every two hours between 12:00 and 18:00, for example).

Data-driven schedules require the configuration of Occurrences. These are the dates and times that you schedule the tasks to run. Tasks that don't require data may start right away. Other tasks may interrogate the database, discover a lack of required data, and wait until that data arrives before continuing to run.

Occurrences allow you to change some of the task parameters of a task assigned to a schedule for a given occurrence. For example, you have a cycle that performs remote interrogation on a daily basis and on each occurrence it performs a partial read. You would have a schedule with a remote interrogation task template assigned that performs a partial read. However, on the last day of each month, you may want to reset the billing period. Instead of creating a new scheduling that happens once a month to reset the billing period, you can change the template parameters on a specific occurrence to perform the billing period reset.

You define occurrences as follows:

  • Calendar. Manually select days by clicking in the calendar. You can specify a single schedule time for the selected days, or the tasks can run repeatedly at an time interval between certain times on the selected days.

  • Frequency. Tasks run repeatedly on an interval in days between specific dates; or a certain numerical day of the month; or a specific day of the week. The calendar is filled appropriately.

  • Single Date. Specify a single date and time.

Use the following procedure to define occurrences:

  1. Go to System Operations > Schedules > Data Driven Schedules.

  2. Click a schedule to select it and expand the tree to show Occurrences and Tasks.

  3. Right-click Occurrences, and then click Add.

  4. In the lower pane, select one of the following tabs:

    • Calendar Based Occurrence Selection. This option provides two ways to configure the days or dates:

      • individually
      • by frequency
    • Single Date Selection. Enter the date and time for the tasks to run once. You can use Single Date Selection to select multiple date/times for occurrences. After entering one occurrence, change the date or time and click Add to add a subsequent occurrence.

  5. Once you have specified the dates the occurrences will run, it is necessary to set the times on those dates using the options on the time selection dialog. There are two ways to configure times:

    • Click Enter a single time and enter the hour and minute using the 24:00 format. Click the Add button next to this selection. The defined time displays in the selected times box.

    • Click Enter times by frequency and specify the interval in hours, minutes, and seconds. Then specify the times between which these intervals occur. Click the Add button next to this selection. The defined times displays in the selected times box.

      Defined times accumulate in the selected times box as they are added. All associated tasks run at the times displayed in the selected times box.

  6. Click Add at the bottom of the window to add these dates and times to the tree.

    Important! Whatever times appear in the selected times box are applied to the dates selected in the calendar when Add (at the bottom right of the window) is clicked. This becomes an issue when multiple schedules are being defined and date or time selections are "left over" from a previous configuration. Before you define a new schedule, clear the calendar by clicking Clear Selection, and remove unwanted times by highlighting them in the selected times box and clicking the delete button ( ). Failure to do so can result in unwanted times or dates being applied to an occurrence.

  7. Right-click Tasks and click Add to assign tasks to this schedule. For a list of task types you can add to a data driven schedule, see "Data Driven Schedule Task Types" in the IEE MDM Help.

  8. Select the Task Type.

  9. Select the Task Template.

    Note: The Custom Report Task requires the Custom Report Definition Directory to be defined in System Administration > System Settings > Data Directories. Failure to specify this directory can result in errors when executing a Custom Report Task.

  10. Select the Task Owner for this task occurrence.

  11. Click Add.

  12. To include more tasks, right-click Tasks and click Add. Repeat the steps until you have added all of the tasks to the schedule.

  13. Click Save.

Data-driven task schedule occurrence statuses

Data-driven task schedule occurrences can have one of the following status values:

  • Idle. Waiting to run. Tasks for the occurrence have not yet been submitted to the IEE application server. The occurrence time occurs later in the process.

    Caution: If the occurrence is idle, the user has the option to Hold or Override. The Override option allows the user to change some of the parameters of a task assigned to a schedule for a given occurrence.

  • Running. The tasks are being created and submitted to the IEE application server. When the task is created, the status becomes Complete.

  • Complete. All the tasks for the occurrence were created.

    Caution: The task is created and submitted to the IEE application server. This task may or may not have run successfully. To see the tasks final status, see the Task Monitor or one of the Queues.

  • Stopped. A user has stopped the occurrence from running. Stop the occurrence by right-clicking the occurrence and selecting Stop.

  • Held. An occurrence is scheduled for a past date and time. Run the occurrence by right-clicking it and selecting Run.