Workload Automation Data Sheet (Consolidated)

Cisco Workload Automation
and Adapters
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Contents
1. Cisco Workload Automation ................................................................................................. 4
Product Overview ...................................................................................................................... 4
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................... 5
2. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP .................................................................. 16
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 16
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 17
3. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects ................................... 19
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 19
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 20
3. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite ............................... 22
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 22
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 25
Features Summary................................................................................................................... 26
4. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica ...................................................... 27
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 27
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica .......................................................... 27
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica Works ..................................... 27
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 29
5. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database ............................................. 31
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 31
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 32
6. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server .................................... 35
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 35
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SQL Server Works ..................................... 35
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 35
7. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services .................................................. 38
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 38
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 38
8. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for PeopleSoft ...................................................... 41
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 41
Integrating PeopleSoft into the Enterprise ............................................................................ 41
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 42
9. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP Operations Managers .............................. 44
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 44
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 45
10. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) ......... 47
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 47
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 48
11. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for OS/400 ......................................................... 49
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 49
12. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware ......................................................... 52
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Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 52
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 54
13. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux ............................................................ 56
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 56
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 57
14. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for z/OS ............................................................... 59
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 59
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 60
15. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP ................................................................ 62
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 62
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 63
16. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JD Edwards .................................................. 64
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 64
17. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos .......................................................... 67
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 67
Features and Benefits ............................................................................................................. 68
18. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS ................................................................ 70
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 70
19. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for UCS Manager .............................................. 73
Adapter Overview .................................................................................................................... 73
20. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Hadoop .......................................................... 75
Adapters Overview .................................................................................................................. 75
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
1. Cisco Workload Automation
Product Overview
Data center automation is critically important to IT departments that are focused on unifying and standardizing
their operations management. Automation technology supports data center initiatives because it helps simplify
day-to-day operations, reduces costs, and promotes IT and business flexibility.
Workload scheduling is an important category of IT operations management that gives organizations the control
and visibility necessary to operate today’s dynamic data centers. Automation of business process workloads is
essential to complex data centers because it helps them operate more efficiently and reliably. Cisco® Workload
Automation (CWA) is the industry-standard workload automation (WLA) solution, transparently automating
critical scheduled and event-based interdependent business processes.
Cisco Workload Automation connects to heterogeneous environments, creating an infrastructure service
platform, providing end-to-end management of critical operation tasks and data throughput. With this enterprise
wide scheduling solution that automates complex processes and adapts to changing environments, IT
managers can quickly add business value by improving the quality of service-level agreement (SLA) delivery,
reallocating resources to business-critical projects, and supplying the accurate data-processing results
necessary for strategic decision making. This approach to workload management dramatically reduces human
errors and the inefficiencies of script management.
Cisco Workload Automation can easily configure and run scheduled workloads and event-based business
processes, integrate the commercial and custom applications these processes use, and determine which tasks
to run - and where and when to run them - without the need for human intervention, customization of existing
tools, or knowledge of new scripting languages. Additionally, Cisco Workload Automation provides a single view
and point of control for all business processes and the jobs that comprise them.
Developed as an n-tier Java architecture application, Cisco Workload Automation can scale to meet the most
demanding SLAs. It is currently in production worldwide, handling hundreds of concurrent users, managing
thousands of connections, and running hundreds of thousands of jobs a day. Cisco Workload Automation
connects to and can manage complex workloads on many popular OS platforms and integrates with major
enterprise applications and standards-based technologies (Figure 1). Cisco Workload Automation can be
implemented quickly, allowing users to accelerate time-to-value while simplifying their entire workloadprocessing environment.
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Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation offers a range of features that work together to meet IT’s needs for enterprise
visibility, scalability, and coverage and the daily creation and management of complex workload schedules.
By automating complex workloads with Cisco Workload Automation, IT can positively affect SLA delivery in the
following ways:
●
Increase efficiency by simplifying batch processing across the distributed enterprise
●
Enhance SLA reliability and reduce expensive downtime through workload analytics, alert automation,
and a high-availability failover platform
●
Support a proactive mode of operation by complete workload visibility, predictive analytics, self-service
job implementation, environmental awareness, and automated error remediation
●
Improve comprehensive auditing and tracking information in support of compliance with IT policies and
procedures
●
Improve IT staff productivity through web, mobile, and Java clients and customized self-service portals
Extensible and Scalable Design
Cisco Workload Automation gives IT managers a global view of their enterprise workloads through a singlepane view, regardless of how many applications or systems are touched by the defined workload. Cisco
Workload Automation accommodates multiple levels of dependencies and complex groupings, making it
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possible to automate extremely complex job streams, while scheduling them through a hierarchy of standard
and custom-defined calendars and programmable events.
Cisco Workload Automation uses a multitier architecture to provide a single solution that meets enterprise
needs for performance, extensibility, and scalability. Separate architecture layers provide a stable, extensible
framework, allowing it to handle challenging workloads reliably.
Cisco Workload Automation master focuses primarily on the business logic, management, and implementation
of job schedules. One or more client managers orchestrate user interactions. This n-tier architecture and the
decoupling of core functions enable organizations to scale both up and out, allowing them to support a large
number of concurrent users and jobs without degrading management or processing performance.
Jobs and job streams are defined and managed through an intuitive GUI through which administrators can
define the many dependencies of enterprise business processes (Figure 2). Users can also access detailed
performance statistics for all jobs, past and present, and monitor processes as they occur. Cisco Workload
Automation supports real-time event and alert management, increasing uptime and SLA delivery levels.
Cisco Workload Automation allows control of jobs and management functions from mobile devices. The Cisco
Workload Automation mobile app lets you manage adapter and agent connections and override, hold and stop,
and release and resume jobs. Management functions also include the capability to filter and view jobs, alerts,
events, schedules, connections, queues, and logs.
Figure 2. Web interface with Mobile Management: Single Point of Control for Enterprise-wide Workload
Automation
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Figure 3. Web Interface with Mobile Management: Single Point of Control for Enterprise-wide Workload
Automation
Enterprise Application and Database Coverage
In the heterogeneous and virtualized environments that characterize today's data centers, flexibility and reach
are critical. Cisco Workload Automation automates the scheduling of traditional enterprise applications, as well
as complex, decoupled, and often widely distributed service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications, which
frequently run on different OS platforms.
Cisco Workload Automation integrates transparently with leading applications, such as SAP, Oracle, JD
Edwards, PeopleSoft applications, and databases, such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle databases, using
specifically developed application adapters. Adapters for scheduling custom Java applications and web services
connections extend the reach of Cisco Workload Automation, offering detailed control and simplified access.
Cisco Workload Automation can also manage process integration through the use of agents running at the OS
level. Cisco Workload Automation supports many popular operating systems, including Microsoft Windows,
UNIX, Linux, IBM z/OS, IBM OS/400, HP NonStop (NonStop Kernel [NSK]), and HP OpenVMS, and offers
agentless adapters for Secure Shell (SSH) and Microsoft Windows systems.
Increasingly, businesses are using workload scheduling and batch-process automation technologies to integrate
the business operations of their partners and customers. Cisco Workload Automation simplifies inter-enterprise
data exchange through a powerful, script-free solution for file transfer, including FTP, SSH FTP (SFTP), and
FTP SSL (FTPS). Database activities and process steps can also be automated in Microsoft, Oracle, or any
Java database connectivity (JDBC) - compliant database environment, with process steps even running on
various enterprise data warehouse appliances.
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Data and Business Intelligence
From data collection to storage, retrieval, analysis, and reporting, business processing depends on the
capability to move data between systems and applications both inside and outside your company. For many
years, advances in infrastructure and operations solutions kept pace with the growing amount of data. But with
the accelerated growth of unstructured data such as voice, text, and video, traditional data analytics solutions
have broken down. Today’s challenge is to accurately manage vast amounts of data, quickly moving it into and
out of new data processing applications such as Hadoop.
Cisco Workload Automation provides a comprehensive platform to manage business intelligence workflows and
offers detailed management of data applications. Cisco Workload Automation offers a Hadoop adapter that
allows detailed control over data loading and flow management (Sqoop and Data Mover), Hadoop core data
processing (MapReduce), and the data interface layer (Hive) that allows input of SQL-like data query and
analysis commands. The value of using the Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Hadoop is that it allows you
to define, schedule, and manage Hadoop jobs with multiple layers of dependency mapping and nesting of
parent and child jobs, drop-down parameter selections, highly specific alerts and automated job rerun functions,
resource awareness for workload prioritization, and predictive analytics to eliminate SLA delivery guesswork.
Cisco Workload Automation can define and run Data Mover jobs for MapR, Cloudera, and Hortonworks Hadoop
distributions. Connect to a Hadoop instance and define workloads as you would any other in your job stream.
For all Cisco Workload Automation Hadoop jobs, the job tracker and task tracker process the jobs as they would
any other Hadoop job, eliminating the overhead required to manage multiple schedulers, handle static scripts,
and manually run complex workflows without the benefit of audit trails or dependency mapping.
Cisco Workload Automation is also well suited to managing data integration (extract, transform, and load [ETL]),
database, and enterprise data warehouse workloads and the report generation and delivery tasks that comprise
integrated business intelligence (BI) solutions. Cisco Workload Automation supports IBM Cognos Business
Intelligence, SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW), SAP BusinessObjects, and Informatica out of the box
with complex API integrations for each. Each interface has been carefully developed and tested to work
transparently with each application. Combining these third-party application partnerships with Cisco’s WLA
solution has the added benefit of providing a low-risk path to transition data experimental projects from rogue IT
to your process-based data center test and production environments.
Management of Physical, Virtualized, and Cloud Resources
Cisco Workload Automation enables IT staff to define and schedule workloads in ways that adhere to strict
infrastructure resources governance. Cisco Workload Automation allows for the prioritization of jobs, job groups,
and entire business-critical workloads. It can also configure individual servers and processing resources to
allocate the necessary resources to meet SLAs on time. And if unplanned jobs are introduced or unforeseen
environmental events arise, Cisco Workload Automation can adjust capacity using its adapters for virtualized
computing resources to manage public cloud processing and storage resources.
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IT is moving increasingly toward virtualization and decoupling of the core, OS, and application stacks, whether
inside the company firewall or outside in public cloud environments. Cisco Workload Automation is an excellent
solution for automating the management of these computing environments. Cisco Workload Automation can
automate the tasks performed by specific virtual machines within the firewall as well as manage Cisco Unified
™
®
Computing System (Cisco UCS ) servers, VMware instances, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) instances
and storage buckets, and the data movement in and out of these cloud resources.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for UCS Manager can bring up additional servers to meet workload bursts
and shut them down when high-need workloads are complete, reducing the burden on the infrastructure
management team to field requests for provisioning and decommissioning. Cisco Workload Automation can also
help the infrastructure teams manage scheduled server maintenance windows. Using Cisco Workload
Automation agents, Cisco UCS customers can now build complete server maintenance workflows and trigger
them according to the maintenance window (calendar) defined in Cisco Workload Automation
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware makes it possible to perform a wide array of management
tasks on hypervisors using the VMware vCenter server. You can power virtual machines on and off and
suspend and resume their use, manage snapshots, adjust resources, and perform VMware vMotion activities.
All these activities can take place as individual jobs or grouped workloads according to business process
demand. This unique capability makes it possible for the state of a virtual environment to be balanced and
optimized, helping guarantee performance and resource availability for essential business process steps.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for AWS gives you the capability to automate these public cloud resources.
Managed Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) resources include start, stop, and delete instances and
Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) and Elastic Block Store (EBS) volumes. Cisco Workload Automation also
allows the management of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) storage buckets and data copy and move
processes.
Intuitive User Interface: Browser Based, Java Client, and Mobile App
Cisco Workload Automation provides intuitive browser-based and Java user interfaces that deliver all aspects of
administration, definition, and operation of the schedule through a single pane. Job creation, stop and start,
calendaring, fallback, and event dependency mapping can all be achieved within this interface, which has the
same look and feel as in previous versions of the product. From a single console, users can view the workloads
for past, current, and future job runs in real time, allowing disparate systems to be centrally managed without
scripts. Out-of-the-box integrations also support a remotely accessible command-line interface (CLI) for UNIX,
Linux, and Microsoft Windows systems.
For power users who are managing thousands of workloads and associated objects in their databases, the Java
client syncs data directly from the master, but it is many times faster than the client manager because all data is
stored in memory on the Java virtual machine rather than to an external database. The performance of many
interactions through the Java client will increase, providing, for example, smooth scrolling with zero latency and
faster searches and filtering.
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Cisco Workload Automation’s iPhone and iPad mobile app also provides control capabilities, allowing override,
hold and stop, and release and resume commands. Mobile management capabilities also include the capability
to filter and view adapter and agent connections, jobs, alerts, events, schedules, queues, and logs.
Because Cisco Workload Automation management tools are accessible through a browser and security access
is managed by Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Microsoft Active Directory integration, control
of specific processes can be quickly distributed to various workgroups and individuals in the data center. Control
can even be given to business unit IT managers for self-service job planning and implementation.
Self-Service Management
Now you can eliminate the need for 24-hour staffing to accommodate a business unit manager’s impromptu
request to change, cancel, or delay the running of a business process. You can deliver higher service levels to
your business end users without the need for them to escalate job insertions or changes to IT for such requests.
Cisco Prime
™
Service Catalog for Workload Automation (Figure 3) gives business users and IT administrators
continuous controlled access to approved services without the need to allocate additional IT staff. Business
users manage jobs and receive services without IT involvement and without the need for specialized skills
because the processes and complexity are abstracted through a user-friendly web portal.
Business Views
Alignment of IT with business goals is critical to the successful development and delivery of SLAs. To
accomplish this, IT must understand how specific workflow tasks relate to an overall business process. Cisco
Workload Automation supports this understanding through its business views (Figure 4). These views
graphically display the tasks included in a business process, their dependencies, and their status. Using
business views, IT staff can define, understand, and control not only individual job steps, but also the overall
workflow process. Business views can also be used to show business unit managers exactly what will be
delivered based on the SLA.
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Figure 4. Graphical Business View for Displaying the Tasks in an Entire Business Workflow
Enterprise-Class APIs
Cisco Workload Automation provides a comprehensive set of APIs that allows access to core scheduling and
operation activities. These APIs are provided as a set of representational state transfer (REST) and Web
Services Description Language (WSDL) access methods. These APIs are exposed from Cisco Workload
Automation’s client manager, making them scalable and capable of delivering peak performance even under
heavy workloads. In addition, they are designed to support transparent failover using the same approach as for
all other application interaction points.
Comprehensive Calendaring
Cisco Workload Automation delivers multiple preconfigured calendars and also permits calendar combinations
that meet specific date-based business requirements. It can support rules that govern complex scheduling
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needs based on a hierarchy of dependent calendars, including the capability to manage calendars configured to
accommodate global workdays, holidays, and unplanned date dependencies.
Cisco Workload Automation is delivered with workday and financial calendars that can meet the most complex
processing needs. When users need to modify or make an impromptu change to a calendar, these changes can
be made dynamically without requiring the schedule to be recompiled. These new custom calendars can be
saved for future use.
Enterprise business processes are often global, with various steps of the process running in different parts of the
world with different time zones. Cross-time-zone scheduling is a factor because modern businesses operate in
multiple theaters and must be aware of time-zone idiosyncrasies, such as Daylight Savings Time changes at
irregular intervals. Cisco Workload Automation can account for these situations and allows the user to specify
the time zone on a per-job basis (Figure 5), helping ensure that a job will be launched correctly no matter where
the job resides.
Figure 5. Defining Job Schedules Based on a Variety of Preconfigured Calendars
Event-Based Processing
In addition to performing calendar-based scheduling, Cisco Workload Automation can dynamically introduce
jobs - and entire complex workloads - into a schedule when the job is initiated by business or system events
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from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents. Cisco Workload Automation’s
capability to respond to these events removes latency from workloads.
Cisco Workload Automation’s provides script-free support for event-based scheduling. Events supported include
the following:
●
Job triggers (such as system events, exit codes, and jobs that run longer than expected)
●
File arrivals and changes
●
Database changes (without requiring creation of database triggers)
●
Email
●
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
●
Variables (managed internally or externally)
●
Enterprise applications, business intelligence, data integration, and enterprise data warehouses
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting
To simplify alert management, Cisco Workload Automation also offers a specialized alert console that allows
users to see all defined alerts within the scheduling system, view their status, and manage their behavior. It can
also send alerts to browser-enabled devices for anytime, anywhere status delivery.
The Cisco Workload Automation can alert users to a wide variety of events, often acting in conjunction with the
capability to configure auto recovery steps. If a job fails, Cisco Workload Automation can initiate a recovery
action, send an email to the appropriate owner, generate a message to the central console, and trigger an
incident report to an IT support technician through the appropriate ITIL-based operations systems. Ease of use
and flexibility are primary features, as well as the capability to generate specific alerts without the need for
custom scripts.
Comprehensive Security and Audit Capabilities
Cisco Workload Automation offers detailed security management through comprehensive LDAP and Active
Directory integration. Security policies (and their controls) are tied to enterprise security management tools and
processes. Cisco Workload Automation lets administrators control access to scheduling functions as a whole or
to specific jobs, events, or actions on an individual user or workgroup basis.
To further support alignment with enterprise security management policies and processes, Cisco Workload
Automation creates audit trails that allow operations personnel to monitor and control the scheduling
environment: a crucial requirement in today’s rapidly changing production and regulatory environments.
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Enabling DevOps Practices
Cisco Workload Automation Transporter enables copying Job, Calendar and other object definitions between
different environments – for example, from Dev/QA environment to Stage or Production environment.
The Transporter Export/Import utility lets you export data from CWA in the form of XML files to make it possible
to archive versions of the data in a version control system. The exported data can be imported to a CWA
system at any time, removing the need to connect to two different CWA systems (source and destination) to
effect a transport of data. The utility also helps to compare and validate delta between the source and
destination.
The Transporter also provides an option to discover Cron jobs defined on the Agents configured with CWA and
import them into CWA creating Jobs and Calendars seamlessly.
Reporting and Analytics
Informed decision making about the performance of business processes is a major concern in today’s complex
IT environments. Efficient management of complex workloads and enhanced accuracy and reliability of job
processing have significant positive effects on an organization’s capability to meet business demands.
Business managers, IT executives, operations managers, and front-line staff all need ongoing access to timely
and accurate information to understand the performance of their scheduling environments and to comply with IT
policy and audit requirements. Cisco Workload Automation delivers out-of-the-box reporting features that provide
insight into the enterprise-wide scheduling environment through in-depth historical data. This data helps
IT managers develop strategies to improve scheduling performance.
In addition to its detailed native reporting features, Cisco Workload Automation integrates with Terma Labs
JAWS Historical and Predictive Analytics. You can get historical, real-time, and predictive job-run analysis to
help IT staff gain greater visibility into the performance of the workload automation environment and the SLAs
that govern the delivery of business processes. Rapid access to accurate job stream reports and critical-path
analytics can help IT detect problems proactively so that service levels are not compromised. The insight that
these sophisticated analytics modules provide supports the auditing and compliance processes and promotes
new strategies to help improve SLA delivery.
Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
For most IT departments, total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) analysis is now mandatory when making new project
decisions. Reduced cost of ownership of existing capital and operating resources through increased efficiency
and higher use rates is a key performance indicator (KPI). Cisco Workload Automation delivers outstanding
benefits in the following categories, making it possible to meet internal SLAs on a more consistent basis and
reduce overall TCO:
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Integrated solution design: Allows operations to be in production in days through components that
install quickly and work together transparently
Broad coverage: Simplifies scheduling and management of jobs in enterprise wide, heterogeneous
environments, even when some jobs are outside the firewall
Swift notification and recovery capabilities: Reduces downtime from hours to minutes
Automated analysis: Supports management of complex dependencies and helps users quickly resolve
workflow bottlenecks with detailed analytics
Companies in a variety of industries rely on Cisco Workload Automation to keep their daily operations running
smoothly. Cisco Workload Automation, combined with Cisco’s cloud and infrastructure provisioning and
management solutions, can deliver even greater levels of automation and optimization to the data center than
conventional scheduling tools.
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2. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP offers a powerful SAP scheduling solution designed for those who
want the efficiency, visibility, and control offered by an enterprise-wide, heterogeneous job automation solution.
The adapter makes the process of scheduling SAP jobs simpler and readily accessible through Workload
Automation itself. SAP users can add this adapter to their Workload Automation solution and manage their SAP
jobs in the context of other enterprise jobs, leveraging powerful enterprise scheduling capabilities that include
exception-based management, scalability, role-based security, and enhanced manageability.
Cisco Workload Automation for SAP provides users control over batch, ad hoc, and on demand jobs, and it
ultimately helps improve efficiency. The adapter enables users to increase the productivity gains of SAP jobs by
setting dependencies to and from other platforms and programs, including non-SAP applications and leading
third party databases. This means that all SAP jobs can now be part of larger business process workflows and
can all be managed through a single pane of glass. As a result, application automation, job management, and
detailed reporting can be consolidated under one enterprise-class solution that will increase staff productivity,
decrease downtime, and increase service level agreement (SLA) performance metrics.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP Works
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP interfaces to CCMS using SAP XBP technology. And it integrates
with SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) and SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) using
the InfoPackage and Process Chain application program interfaces (APIs). Both interfaces are SAP-certified,
meeting its rigid specifications for integration and security.
The adapter uses an automated installation with customizable options to meet specific requirements. No
scripting or manual intervention is required, nor are changes to SAP instances. Once the adapter is configured,
users can define and maintain the details of SAP jobs from within the Workload Automation web-based
management console. Workload Automation can also launch and monitor jobs already created within SAP.
The full functionality of this heterogeneous automation solution is accessible to SAP users, who can leverage
powerful capabilities such as extensive, informative alerts about job abnormalities or the unavailability of
resources or machines, real-time status information from a single console, and the ability to interact with current
and future jobs as needed.
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Figure 6. Cisco Workload Automation Job Definition dialog box automatically presents SAP data to the
user, eliminating the need to remember and type in step names and parameters.
Features and Benefits
The adapter tailors SAP environment information and access that staff requires to schedule SAP jobs are
available through the Workload Automation interface.
Broad SAP Job Coverage – The adapter enables automation of schedules for all SAP process types:
advanced business application programming (ABAP) programs, external programs, external commands,
InfoPackage, and BW process chains.
Multi-level Job Control – Users can monitor, set dependencies in, and interact with child processes as well as
parent processes. Logs and output are grouped to show parent-child relationships.
SAP Integration Certified – The adapter simplifies incorporating existing SAP jobs into Workload Automation
and allows SAP users to control their jobs through the following capabilities:
Imports SAP job steps directly into Workload Automation
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Supports multiple SAP instances and environments
Enables point-and-click selection of SAP job variables through an easy-to-use graphical interface
Supports cross-application, cross-platform job dependencies
Utilizes Workload Automation and user-defined variables in ABAP variants
Triggers job streams based on SAP events
Transfers immediate knowledge through seamless integration with SAP by displaying familiar SAP job
names, valid commands, and job steps from Workload Automation screens
Delivers the same print and archive parameters as the SAP GUI using pick lists.
Links SAP and Workload Automation events to create enterprise-wide event-driven launch
dependencies
Integrates the SAP job interception function seamlessly with Workload Automation queue management
to balance production jobs with user-submitted jobs
Integrates SAP BW process chains and InfoPackages with drill-down functions to customize business
intelligence (BI) processes
Combines SAP and non-SAP real-time job status information
Creates user-defined, filtered, real-time browser-based views of past, present, and future SAP jobs
Uses automatic alert notification for SAP job processing, machine, authorization, and job status
problems
Offers granular calendar options for scheduling SAP jobs
Captures and displays error messages on SAP runs, providing more informative error messages and
logging
Handles the heaviest SAP processing loads with a multi-threaded adapter
Benefits of Comprehensive Scheduling
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP makes it possible for IT to standardize on an enterprise scheduling
solution and enjoy the benefits of a single point of control and a comprehensive view of enterprise-wide job
scheduling. These benefits include reduced costs, increased efficiency, and improved performance. Companies
can realize those benefits by using this solution to:
Leverage SAP investments to create a comprehensive business automation solution that has broader,
integrated workflows with unlimited dependencies and steps by connecting SAP applications to other
platforms, business applications, and other SAP instances
Consolidate SAP application automation under one corporate-wide job scheduling solution with one
staff and one run book
Reduce training and operational support staff to one application automation environment
Improve efficiency and productivity with more granular automation and management functions than
found in the native SAP CCMS
Decrease downtime by providing monitoring and sophisticated alert mechanisms for SAP components
and events
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3. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP
BusinessObjects
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation for SAP BusinessObjects
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects is an interface between Workload
Automation and the SAP BusinessObject business intelligence (BI) platform where users can define,
launch, and monitor SAP BusinessObjects tasks and job steps within a workload automation
environment. The combination of Cisco Workload Automation and the adapter for SAP BusinessObjects
offers superior functionality and process granularity over native SAP scheduling tools.
By incorporating Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects into enterprise-wide job
scheduling environments, organizations can add complex scheduling functions to their BI solutions,
while consolidating their environment via a single pane of glass. The adapter offers complete graphical
user interface (GUI) job definition capabilities, the ability to set complex, system-wide dependencies, and
custom calendar creation without the need to use multiple tools or cumbersome scripting methods which
must be managed throughout their entire lifecycle.
Cisco Workload Automation provides virtually unlimited flexibility in developing and defining SAP
BusinessObjects processing steps, giving IT staff the ability to create complex job streams that utilize
the adapter to merge any BI, extract, transform, and load (ETL), and data warehouse processes.
The Challenges of Scheduling Data Flows for SAP BusinessObjects BI Environments
SAP BusinessObjects BI is a powerful software suite designed to allow business managers to access,
format, analyze, navigate, and share all types of information. SAP BusinessObjects solutions enable data
discovery, delivery, and management, as well as query, reporting, and sophisticated numeric and text
data analysis capabilities.
Without effective process automation, running the tasks needed to support BI operations may not occur
correctly or in the correct order. With many moving parts, such as job steps and data transformation tasks,
workflows can break down, and poor environmental monitoring can leave operations staff in the dark
about what part of a process failed and why. As a result, when process interactions between ETL
services and BI reporting functionality are less than optimal, business operations and strategic decisionmaking can be negatively impacted.
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How the Adapter Works
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects is powered by an agentless application
program interface (API)-level integration developed using the native SAP BusinessObjects software
developer’s kit (SDK) to embed SAP BusinessObjects functionality into Workload Automation. It allows
users to connect to SAP BusinessObjects servers and define jobs using standard Workload Automation
dialog screens. Because SAP BusinessObjects jobs are defined like any other Workload Automation job,
users can leverage job, file, and variable dependencies, calendars, events, monitoring, and error
notifications. In addition, they can benefit from detailed runtime error detection, alerts, and automated
remediation.
Users can create and schedule jobs in Cisco Workload Automation to perform tasks in a variety of SAP
BusinessObjects applications, including Crystal Reports, SAP BusinessObjects Web Intelligence, Desktop
Intelligence, Data Services, Data Integrator, and XBRL Publishing. The adapter also queries SAP
BusinessObjects InfoStore to access folders and objects, which then can be brought into the automated
scheduling environment with full variable and parameter support. Based on defined scheduling criteria, the
adapter submits a SAP BusinessObjects task to run through the native job scheduling service.
The adapter enforces SAP BusinessObjects security rules by authenticating user access through
associations between Workload Automation runtime users and SAP BusinessObjects users. Creating a
SAP BusinessObjects job in Workload Automation is highly secure and is as simple as creating any other
job.
Once a job has been submitted, Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects monitors the
workflow through to completion. It returns the final completion status—which then can be used to
control downstream jobs and details associated with the workflow—to the central console. In addition, it
allows users to cancel, hold/resume, abort, and rerun tasks from Cisco Workload Automation. This feature
provides significantly more control over the environment than offered by scripting or other nonintegrated
scheduling solutions.
Features and Benefits
The adapter extends Workload Automation to incorporate the SAP BusinessObjects information and access that
staff requires to schedule jobs through the Workload Automation interface. It simplifies scheduling and respects
the integrity and security of the SAP BusinessObjects environment.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects, with Workload Automation, delivers
standardized, centralized, and scriptless scheduling for both simple and complex processes, as well as
thorough tracking and alerting. These capabilities increase efficiency, reduce errors, and support enterprise
objectives, enabling IT staff to focus on innovation and strategic initiatives. Specific capabilities include:
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Robust Event Monitoring and Alert Notifications – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SAP
BusinessObjects is event‐ based. It launches processes based on defined calendars, schedules, or event
triggers and provides thorough monitoring, enabling users to see status changes in real time and to control
those processes as they execute.
The adapter notifies users via email or other alerting mechanisms when new content from reports or SAP
BusinessObjects Web Intelligence is available. When a job is complete, output can be attached or, for greater
security, can be referenced through a hyperlink, requiring that users present credentials before being able to
access information. Trace logs give IT staff the ability to determine where an execution failed, whether
execution steps occurred in the expected order, and which parts of the execution took the most time to run.
Seamless Support for Ad Hoc and Scheduled Jobs – Business managers frequently make ad hoc BI
requests that must be run immediately. Gradually, these jobs are reused and fall into predictable patterns. For
efficiency, they should be organized into calendars or schedules. With Cisco Workload Automation and the
Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects, these ad hoc jobs can be easily transitioned into standard production runs,
eliminating manual intervention in the scheduling process. In addition, because this solution offers a single point
of control for all enterprise-wide job scheduled and processes, it simplifies adherence to prescribed policies and
allows IT operations staff to seamlessly incorporate SAP BusinessObjects workflows into established schedule
updates.
Enterprise-wide Coverage – Cisco Workload Automation and the Adapter for SAP BusinessObjects support
cross- application, cross-platform job dependencies, enabling integration of a wide variety of SAP jobs into other
data flows.
Single Web-portal Interface – The solution offers a single point of control for company-wide job scheduling
through its portable, browser-based interface. It delivers robust and scalable scheduling functionality, including
integrated job definitions and seamless handling of events, dependencies, resources, calendars, and output. It
also provides exception-based control and role-based security. In addition, its intuitive graphical interface
requires no scripting. Ultimately, this solution can accelerate ROI by increasing efficiency, as well as reducing
errors and issues, through better automation and process visibility.
Cisco/SAP Partner Integration
Workload Automation is part of the SAP BusinessObjects Partner program, the only job scheduling solution to
have earned this close relationship with SAP BusinessObjects.
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3. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle
E-Business Suite
Adapter Overview
Integrating Oracle Applications into Enterprise Workflows
Oracle E-Business Suite allows organizations to deliver many key processes critical to running a successful
business. Even so, many organizations make the strategic decision to retain legacy applications and non-Oracle
applications solutions, even in the most widely deployed Oracle E-Business environment. By implementing
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite, organizations can now consolidate and
combine the processing of legacy applications with all Oracle E-Business applications to deliver one business
process automation solution, using one common interface, throughout the enterprise.
Advanced Scheduling Automation for the Enterprise
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite expands and extends Oracle E-Business
workflows to other platforms, applications, and even other instances of Oracle E-Business Suite. The Cisco
scheduling solution for Oracle e-Business Suite dramatically simplifies job scheduling, reduces errors, and
pinpoints potential issues, all of which combine to deliver faster ROI for Oracle applications. The adapter easily
incorporates and manages ad hoc jobs submitted from multiple Oracle-defined jobs, offering granular control by
site, application, responsibility, and user. By seamlessly integrating Oracle Concurrent Manager functions with
Workload Automation queue management, the adapter gives IT operations staff the ability to balance production
and user-submitted jobs. With Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite, Workload
Automation platform provides users with an enterprise-wide solution and more advanced scheduling functionality
than the native Oracle scheduler.
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Figure 7. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite provides industry-leading
integration; including drop-down lists of existing Oracle E-Business Suite request data.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Figure 8. Configuring a job for Oracle apps.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite Works
Installed on the Oracle E-Business forms server, the adapter is used to create request sets of E-Business Suite
jobs. To help prevent errors, the adapter comes pre-configured with lists of requests and report sets. The
adapter automatically brings up Oracle forms used to request jobs and define parameters. Workload Automation
variables can be added so that once created, report forms do not need to be accessed repeatedly to enter new
parameters. If, for instance, a report must run weekly or monthly, the form retains these parameters.
Dependencies can also be set and managed, and priorities and queues can be allocated. Abnormal behavior is
reported in the scheduler console to enable user intervention.
By leveraging the Oracle native scheduler, Workload Automation can support all Oracle process types, including
Oracle reports, procedural language/structured query language (PL/SQL) stored procedures, Java stored
procedures, Java concurrent programs, and SQL*Plus. Because the familiar Oracle request form is used and
reports have the same names and syntax as they do in Oracle E-Business Suite, users can be scheduling
Oracle jobs in minutes. Workload Automation and Oracle work as one integrated solution, even supporting nonOracle users who can input Oracle processes and run native Oracle jobs using the same Workload Automation
interface across multiple systems and applications environments.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features and Benefits
This scheduling solution for Oracle E-Business Suite delivers full enterprise scheduling capabilities that enable
organizations to manage Oracle E-Business Suite processes in the broader context of heterogeneous IT
environments. Oracle users can have greater control over and visibility into the execution of their processes and
understand their relationship with other technologies in the data center. Key capabilities include the following:
Universal Workflow Management – Workflow management is an essential part of any enterprise resource
planning (ERP) solution, because it allows critical transactions from various databases and applications to occur
at the right time, every time. Workload Automation provides immediate problem detection and, in many cases,
will automatically launch error resolution steps, enabling Oracle E-Business Suite jobs to be delivered efficiently
and accurately. By leveraging Workload Automation workflow automation, organizations have seen rapid ROI
from their Oracle applications investments.
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based job scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
introduce single jobs and entire workflow processes into a schedule when triggered by business events from a
wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents. Also, using Cisco Workload Automation
Adapter for the Oracle E- Business Suite, users can define events that can be used for alerting and invoking an
automated response through email and/or inserting additional jobs into the schedule.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Job status and output is automatically logged and can be viewed using the
scheduler console. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for anytime, anywhere status
information and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated actions are extensive and are
easily defined.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job can contain several process definitions, allowing granular controls and error
recovery procedures that make it possible for IT staff to consistently follow documented best practices.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment, incident
management, and change management can be supported and can include interfaces and integration
techniques available for a range of ITIL-oriented operations environments.
Robust Security and Audit Support – Security policy—and changes to it—are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. The Integrated security management features of Workload Automation can
be applied to the implementation of Oracle applications connections, various roles, and jobs to enable secure
management and use of required security credentials. Security features include:
Validation of username and password against the Oracle E-Business Suite database during job
definition and submission
Confirmation of user responsibility rights before a run request is submitted
Password encryption when invoking Oracle E-Business Suite forms
Add and edit capabilities for an Oracle E-Business Suite job within Workload Automation
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
4. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
Informatica
Adapter Overview
Managing Complex ETL Processes in the Enterprise
Data integration software from Informatica plays a crucial role for businesses. It links and reports on database,
supply chain management (SCM), accounting, human resource (HR), and sales information. Accessing and
integrating large amounts of data from sources both inside and outside the firewall, and even from within the
cloud, is complex and requires that many elements work together to deliver accurate and timely information that
support the right strategic decisions.
In many cases, complex data pathways and their associated moving parts break, dependencies cannot be met,
networks fail, systems go offline and, without visibility into each process, reports will be incorrect, late, or both.
Workload Automation and Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica work together to deliver missioncritical data to the right place at the right time for all Informatica extract, transform, and load (ETL) pathways.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica allows users to schedule Informatica jobs through Workload
Automation, enabling them to leverage its capabilities to automate, simplify, and improve job scheduling and
ETL performance. With Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica, IT operations can add complex
scheduling functions to their Informatica data pathways and consolidate multiple job routines into one
centralized enterprise solution. The adapter can define, launch, and monitor data workflows within an
Informatica PowerCenter environment. It allows Informatica administrators to integrate all data pathway
executions into an automated, repeatable, and schedulable solution that delivers a high degree of visibility and
control over steps in the ETL process.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica Works
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica creates an interface between Workload Automation and
Informatica PowerCenter, which gives IT operations staff a robust scheduling solution that incorporates crossplatform, cross-application dependency support, real-time interaction, and centralized control of Informatica data
integration, ETL, and data warehouse processes.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica integrates with the PowerCenter server using Informatica
Load Manager application program interfaces (APIs). Through these interfaces, the adapter communicates with
Informatica PowerCenter to define, run, and monitor workflows.
Users can schedule, monitor, and manage PowerCenter workflows from the Workload Automation browserbased console, which provides rich scheduling features that include granular calendaring, events management,
and access to enterprise-wide dependencies. Each Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica job
definition encapsulates workflows loaded from the PowerCenter repository and permits parameter value
overrides. Then, based on defined scheduling criteria, the adapter submits a workflow to the PowerCenter
Integration Service. Job execution is authenticated against Workload Automation runtime user definitions and
PowerCenter namespaces, roles, and users. After a workflow instance has been submitted, the adapter
monitors all job steps and interactions until completion.
Figure 9. Informatica PowerCenter workflows are viewed and managed using the Cisco Workload
Automation job definition screen.
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Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica extends Workload Automation, enabling IT staff to schedule
Informatica jobs through the Workload Automation interface. It simplifies job scheduling and respects the
integrity and security of the Informatica environment.
This adapter, with Cisco Workload Automation, delivers standardized and centralized scriptless scheduling for
both simple and complex processes and thorough tracking and alerting capabilities. These capabilities work in
conjunction to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and support enterprise objectives, allowing IT staff to focus on
innovation and strategic initiatives. Specific capabilities include:
Control and Visibility – Cisco Workload Automation provides robust flexibility in developing ETL processing
steps, giving users the ability to develop complex workflows that merge any ETL process and enterprise
resource planning (ERP) application into a cohesive, centrally managed business process.
During execution, real-time task status details are visible from the job activity console of Workload Automation.
Additionally, the adapter permits Informatica users to cancel, abort, recover, or rerun workflows from Cisco
Workload Automation, a feature that provides added control over the Informatica environment.
When a job is complete, the adapter returns its final output, which can then be used to control downstream jobs,
as well as details associated with the job run. Because Informatica jobs are defined like any other Workload
Automation job, users can take full advantage of job, file, and variable dependencies, calendars, events,
monitoring, and error notifications. In addition, they can benefit from detailed runtime error detection, alerts, and
automated remediation.
Seamless Support for Ad Hoc and Scheduled Informatica Jobs – Business unit managers frequently make
ad hoc ETL job requests that must be run immediately. Gradually, these jobs begin to be reused and fall into
predictable patterns. For efficiency, they should be organized into calendars or schedules. Workload
Automation, in conjunction with Informatica PowerCenter, allows ad hoc jobs to be easily transferred to standard
production runs, eliminating manual intervention in the ETL job scheduling process. Working together, these two
solutions also enable IT operations staff to incorporate Informatica data management processes into
established IT policies and to seamlessly update run book operations.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Defines, launches, and monitors any Informatica service
Leverages existing technology and increases the return on
request
investment in Informatica
Connects Informatica to other platforms, other applications,
Reduces costs by consolidating Informatica workflows under
and other Informatica instances with unlimited dependencies
one corporate-wide scheduling console with one set of
internal procedures
Eliminates the need for scripting to integrate Informatica
Reduces maintenance requirements and accelerates ROI
workflows
Provides advanced error control and failure notification
Expedites problem resolution, improves trouble ticket
clearance rates, and enables IT to adhere to service legal
agreements (SLAs)
Collects and consolidates log file data and captures
Makes workflows more efficient by adding a rich source of
Informatica process exit codes from jobs tasks and workflows
data for process trending and bottleneck remediation
Captures FTP files from outside the firewall, e.g., data from
Integrates business partners and service providers into
software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications or external
extended workflows
partners
Creates standard Informatica data collection and ETL
Customizes and reuses Informatica-store jobs to save time
process templates
and reduce costs
Ultimately, using Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Informatica, in conjunction with Workload Automation,
makes it possible to leverage existing technology and investment in Informatica and enables companies to
increase efficiency and focus their resources on supporting strategic business initiatives.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
5. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle
Database
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database provides job automation for mission-critical Oracle9i,
10g, and 11g databases. It is tightly integrated with Workload Automation to bring the automation,
manageability, and reliability of a premier enterprise automation and management solution to this leading
enterprise database platform. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database maximizes throughput
and minimize the time consumed by Oracle database jobs driven from within Oracle itself or from data that
comes from other parts of an enterprise.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database enables users to schedule PL/SQL commands,
Oracle database jobs, and stored procedures. In addition, the adapter can be used to pre-process and translate
data generated by an Oracle application or module before data is processed by another Oracle application.
With Cisco Workload Automation, Oracle jobs can be integrated into larger, enterprise-wide workflows that are
managed from within a single pane of glass. Dependencies within database workflows can now encompass
events from all of other business-critical applications. As a result, data and application management can be
automated and consolidated under one solution, reducing staff effort and expense while increasing productivity.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database Works
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database provides customizable options to meet special
schema requirements. No scripting, manual intervention, or changes to an Oracle database or configuration
parameters are needed. Once the adapter is configured, users can define and maintain the details of Oracle
jobs and scheduled tasks—even launching and monitoring jobs already created within the Oracle scheduler—
from within Workload Automation.
The full functionality of this heterogeneous automation solution is now available to the Oracle database, offering
functions, such as extensive alerts on job abnormalities, unavailable resources, real-time status information,
load balancing, and the ability to interact with current and future jobs.
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Features and Benefits
Because this adapter adds the ability to control Oracle jobs to Workload Automation, its feature set is accessed
from the Workload Automation interface. Oracle job automation-related capabilities and advantages delivered
through Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database provide richer, more advanced automation
and management functions than Oracle’s native toolset due to the following capabilities and advantages:
Flexible Oracle Job Definition Options – Within Workload Automation, users can define and run Oracle
database jobs in two different ways. They can specify PL/SQL statements as job parameters and load them into
job definitions—a capability not available through Oracle Enterprise Manager—which is helpful in generating
reports. They can also load and run jobs by selecting ones that already exist in Oracle Enterprise Manager.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database also offers an option to run a set of defined SQL
statements against data to allow users to pre-select or modify data prior to executing a job. In addition,
Workload Automation offers different ways to display job output, including aligned columns and XML options.
Figure 10. Cisco Workload Automation offers a pre-processing SQL option to execute SQL code that
should run before a job is activated.
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Simpler Approach to Defining and Running Oracle Database Events – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter
for Oracle Database makes processing events simple. Granular Oracle database events can be captured and
can respond to events, such as table modification, index creation, or database row activity. The complete range
of Workload Automation actions also enables any database event to drive the workflow that transforms business
processes into administrative action—efficiently and automatically. As part of an integrated events management
system, Workload Automation makes it possible to view all runtime database events, which supports the
creation of event-based job dependencies quickly and efficiently.
Users can easily pass variables from Cisco Workload Automation to an Oracle database job. With this
capability, they can automatically initiate an Oracle job based on an external event, such as the arrival of a file
from a trading partner or changes in a table from within another data store.
Workload Automation combined with Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Oracle Database helps to deliver
maximum job throughput, minimum processing time, and rock-solid reliability for an Oracle-centric workload—
without the need to create cumbersome scripts. This powerful duo accomplishes these objectives by providing a
single integrated enterprise job schedule solution that balances the service requirements of all batch workloads,
whether they were created from within Oracle or exist in support of other applications within the enterprise.
Feature Summary
The following Oracle-specific features make the power of this scheduling solution easily accessible to Oracle
users and enable them to quickly become productive:
Oracle database job execution automation, including jobs created within Oracle, Oracle Enterprise
Manager, or Workload Automation
A pre-processor step for any Oracle database job that supports passing parameter values, such as
selection criteria, to the job prior to execution
The ability to schedule and run both native Oracle jobs and PL/SQL definitions
The capacity to monitor, set dependencies, and interact with parent-child processes and to group logs
and output to show parent-child relationships
Launching of Oracle jobs based on an external events
Oracle job output provided in XML and other formats without the need for additional coding
Online access to PL/SQL jobs output without the need to create an intermediary file
Job response to Oracle DDL and DML events without coding or database triggers
The ability to import Oracle Enterprise manager jobs directly into Workload Automation
Support for both Workload Automation and Oracle-defined events
Seamless integration and streamlined knowledge transfer through the ability to display familiar Oracle
job names, valid commands, and steps in the Workload Automation interface
Print and archive parameters used by pre-existing oracle jobs
Robust support of multiple Oracle instances and environments
User-defined, filtered, real-time web browser views of past, present, and future Oracle database jobs
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The most obvious benefit of this scheduling solution is that it improves overall IT efficiency by enabling
organizations to adopt a single enterprise scheduling solution. Oracle database customers can confidently
standardize on this scheduling solution because it makes it possible for them to:
Centralize training and operational support staff in one environment
Consolidate Oracle automation through a single console managed by a single IT group with a set of
policy- driven run book procedures
Link an Oracle database with other applications, databases, and business workflows, allowing
unlimited dependency mapping and a broader, integrated job scheduling environment
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
6. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
Microsoft SQL Server
Adapter Overview
Adding SQL Server Processes into Cisco Workload Automation Workflows
When businesses require an enterprise-wide, heterogeneous automated job scheduling solution that
incorporates SQL Server workflows, Workload Automation, combined with Cisco Workload Automation Adapter
for Microsoft SQL Server, is the right choice. This powerful combination brings the reliability and flexibility of
Cisco’s Workload Automation enterprise workflow automation solution to this industry-standard database.
The adapter enables scheduling automation of new or existing SQL Server database job or job steps to be
added to an enterprise-wide scheduling environment. SQL Server jobs can now be integrated into a larger
business process workflow environment managed through a single pane of glass. Database dependencies that
affect job steps can now be managed across the entire enterprise, and IT staff can quickly and easily pass
variables to and from SQL Server database jobs. As a result, application and database automation and
management can be consolidated in one solution, reducing staff effort and expense, while increasing
productivity.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SQL Server Works
The adapter offers advanced scheduling and monitoring capabilities without scripting, manual intervention, or
changes to SQL Server configuration parameters. Once the adapter is configured, SQL Server jobs are defined
and maintained through the Workload Automation web user interface. This heterogeneous automation solution
provides detailed control of SQL Server jobs through extensive alerts about job abnormalities, resource
availability, load balancing, and machine functions. It also provides real-time status information from a single
console and gives IT operations staff the ability to interact with current and future jobs.
Features and Benefits
The adapter allows SQL Server jobs to be handled through the Cisco Workload Automation user interface.
Users can access SQL Server job information and build workflows through a visual interface that allows them to
define dependencies among SQL Server jobs alone or SQL Server jobs and jobs running on other systems and
applications.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Important scheduling capabilities for SQL Server users include:
Database Job Definition and Scheduling – The adapter enables three types of SQL Server jobs to
be defined in Workload Automation:
Direct SQL Jobs – Makes SQL Server calls using T-SQL statements
Database Jobs – Includes one or more steps of various database task types, including the following:
o
ActiveX
o
Operating system commands
o
Replication distributor, merge, queue reader, snapshot, and transaction log reader
o
SQL Server analysis services command and analysis services query
Existing Database Jobs – Adds, imports, or links to jobs already defined to run under the SQL
Server agent
Detailed Job Monitoring and Controls – Once database jobs are defined and scheduled, the solution
provides real- time status information and gives IT staff the ability to interact with current and future
jobs. Users can access detailed job step controls—hold job instances, abort, delete, re-run, and make
ad hoc changes to a job instance before it has run. In addition, IT staff has constant communication with
SQL Server workflows through the use of extensive alert capabilities which can be defined to send
detailed messages regarding job abnormalities, resource availability, load balancing, and machine
functions. In addition, Cisco Workload Automation offers different options for displaying job output,
including aligned columns, CSV, raw, and XML. Users can also re-direct the output to a local file or log
it to a database table.
Defining and Running SQL Server Events – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for SQL Server
simplifies processing database events and does not require scripting or managing database triggers.
The adapter gives users the ability to capture and respond to database activities, such as table
modification, index creation, or database row activity. And Workload Automation permits views of all
runtime database events, which users can then leverage to create events- based job dependencies
quickly and efficiently.
The adapter can easily pass variables from Cisco Workload Automation to any SQL Server database job, pass
job information across the entire batch job scheduling environment, and pass completed SQL Server jobs to
other downstream workflow operations, such as extract, transform, and load (ETL) report creation. In addition,
specific events—the arrival of a file from a trading partner, for example—can be used to initiate a new SQL
Server action or job step automatically. Users can also assign alert actions to an event, making it possible for
administrators to know when that event has been triggered. Users can assign alerts to the database user who
triggered an event, the database object that triggered it, and the output of the event selected.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Links SQL Server with other RDMBS and business
Leverages an investment in SQL Server database to create a
applications and consolidates the automation of those jobs
comprehensive business automation solution
through a single console
Provides management functions that eliminate scripting,
Supports greater efficiency and productivity through a single
thereby allowing unlimited dependencies, integrated
enterprise-wide scheduling automation environment
workflows, and scalability
Creates, schedules, and runs T-SQL queries and SQL
Reduces the margin for error and enables better resource
Server jobs and monitors events without requiring database
utilization through fewer steps
triggers
Defines SQL Server jobs or imports existing jobs and runs
Enables SLAs to be met faster, by providing access to pre-
them across multiple SQL Server instances
tested steps
Supports jobs that include steps in various database tasks,
Eliminates expensive script generation and ongoing script
including ActiveX scripts, OS commands, and direct inclusion
management by supporting extensive calls
of T-SQL statements
Monitors Table Create, Modify, and Delete; Index Create,
Reduces manual intervention through alert and even trigger
Modify, and Delete; Row Add, Modify, and Delete
automation
Creates a pre-processor step for any SQL Server job that
Save time with automated out-of-the-box processing steps
supports passing parameter values, such as SQL selection
criteria, to a job before running it
Launches SQL Server jobs based on external events, such
Create an enterprise-wide workflow solution through
as the arrival of a file
upstream and downstream job handoffs
Generates output of T-SQL queries in XML and other formats
Helps administrators correct errors quickly and resolve job
without additional coding
step bottlenecks via historic logs
Provides Workload Automation calendaring features with
Aligns workflows to user demands without expensive manual
more extensive options than those offered by Microsoft tools
calendar manipulations
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Microsoft SQL Server helps IT staff deliver maximum database job
throughput, rock-solid reliability, and comprehensive coordination of database activities as part of an enterprisewide business process automation solution. This powerful solution accomplishes these objectives by providing a
single integrated enterprise job scheduler that balances the service requirements of batch or on demand
workloads, whether they were created from within SQL Server or exist in support of other applications and
technologies across the enterprise.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
7. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web
Services
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services
In service oriented architecture (SOA) environments, business process management (BPM) engines expose
workflows enabled by Web Services. Workload automation solutions must support these types of connections in
order to drive complex job runs to completion. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services does just
this - by automating and simplifying the scheduling of web-enabled and SOA-based deployments to provide
control over jobs of all magnitudes and complexities.
The Web Services Integration Challenge
Typically, complex process scheduling is developed and tested offline before being migrated to production
environments. Moving job scheduling definitions from development to test to production environments must be
carefully managed in a structured and repeatable way.
Automating job scheduling across Web Services-enabled environments is very challenging because, unlike
traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, Web Services environments provide an array of point
services that must be coordinated and deployed. In addition, the boundaries between the composite
applications based on these services are loosely defined, which allows the underlying components that provide
the services to be quickly changed and recombined to serve business units as they evolve. As a result, these
environments create significant complexities for enterprise wide scheduling solutions.
The capabilities of Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services, in combination with the broad
coverage and rich functionality of the Cisco Workload Automation itself, work to reduce these complexities and
enable IT organizations to realize the benefits of standards-based, end-to-end scheduling.
Features and Benefits
The feature set and capabilities of this adapter not only reduce the effort and simplify the process of scheduling
jobs in web services-enabled environments, but also allow those jobs to be viewed and managed in the context
of other enterprise jobs through a single view. Enterprises can increase efficiency and improve business
process execution by taking advantage of the following Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services
functionality.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services gives you the flexibility of two of the most common types
of Web Service integrations: representational state transfer (REST) and Simple Object Access Protocol/Web
Services Description Language (SOAP/WSDL).
REST Method Scheduling
REST-based architectures allow system resources to be addressed in a stateless, client‐server architecture
where clients access and manipulate web resources through the HTTP protocol. The Web Services
environment consumes the request in the most efficient manner, sometimes parsing the request as it is fulfilled.
REST APIs are commonplace - by integrating the REST methodology in the Cisco Workload Automation, we
give our customers an easy-to-use Web Services interface that does not need additional environmental
modifications.
SOAP/WSDL Operations Visibility
Complementary to REST, SOAP creates a predefined contract with the client that describes how the service will
be called, what parameters it expects, and what data structures it returns. The SOAP/WSDL job instance is an
invocation of a Web Services operation defined for the connection. When the job instance runs, the SOAP
request― with the operation name and its arguments (WSDL) - is sent to the Web Services endpoint, and the
output of the event is returned as a SOAP response. The response can be modified and passed on to
subsequent jobs across the entire range of scheduled job types available.
One of the key strengths of the adapter is that once the components of the Web Services Description Language
(WSDL) have been parsed, all the operations inherent in the WSDL become available for scheduling design
through the standard graphical job definition screens, extending the standardized operations approach across
the full range of environments that are SOAP-enabled.
Rich Web Services API
Web Services permit the deployment of standard service-based architectures across an underlying range of
current and legacy platforms and applications. Cisco Workload Automation is able to define jobs and run job
instances against these services and therefore against any application endpoint (Java, .NET, or application
platform) or on any OS platform (Windows, UNIX, or Linux, and so on) that have been enabled for REST or
SOAP Web Services.
Workload Automation Integration
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services extends the reach of Cisco Workload Automation with
critical capabilities that simplify scheduling for web services environments:
Allows jobs to be defined that invoke Web Services operations
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Supports any REST and SOAP Web ServiceParses the WSDL to discover all the defined operations
and arguments
Imports WDSLs directly into the adapter from an existing services library
Supports standard PUT, GET, POST, and DELETE syntax for REST methods
Uses variables as input arguments to Web Services calls, allowing the passing of information across
job flows
Supports the passing of web services call responses to jobs of any type in larger business flows,
including the ability to modify output via XML style sheet language for transformations (XSLT)
Because Cisco Workload Automation Web Services jobs are defined like any other Cisco Workload Automation
job, you can take full advantage of job, file, and variable dependencies, calendars, events, email notifications,
and all other Cisco Workload Automation capabilities to manage the most complex Web Services scheduling
environments in your enterprise.
Move to a Single Scheduling Environment
Cisco Workload Automation provides IT operations staff with an integration platform for all job scheduling
needs. With Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services, IT operations staff can include a vast array
of Web Services-based deployments in a single standard scheduling environment, regardless of the types of
applications and systems deployed across the enterprise. These solutions eliminate multiple tools, scripting,
protracted resolution times, and many other costly and time-intensive issues.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Web Services demonstrates the ongoing support that Cisco Workload
Automation scheduling solutions provide to dynamic, evolving IT environments.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
8. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
PeopleSoft
Adapter Overview
Integrating PeopleSoft into the Enterprise
Workflow scheduling complexity and cross-application functionality are major challenges facing IT operations
professionals today. The native PeopleSoft Process Scheduler has limited or no processing or monitoring
support for other enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, web services, or extract, transform, and load
(ETL) processes when a PeopleSoft instance does not exist on a target resource. Fortunately, there is a way to
integrate PeopleSoft with other applications, services, and processes through an enterprise-wide,
heterogeneous automation product that expands and leverages existing PeopleSoft workflow functionality.
Bringing Automation Power to PeopleSoft Applications
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for PeopleSoft brings a highly scalable, cross-application, workflow
automation solution to the PeopleSoft ERP platform. PeopleSoft jobs can now be part of larger business
process workflows that are managed from a single console. Users can extend the productivity gains of the
PeopleSoft scheduling environment by setting dependencies to and from other programs, including Oracle,
SAP, or custom Java applications.
The integration of PeopleSoft processes using the adapter leverages the investment in both products, because
training and staff can be minimized and enterprise-wide application automation and management can be
consolidated under one solution to deliver better security, productivity, and higher service level performance.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for PeopleSoft Functionality
Changes within the PeopleSoft environment are not required, and it is not necessary to install extra routines
when implementing the adapter. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for PeopleSoft can be installed on the
same system as Workload Automation and be directly connected to the PeopleSoft Process Scheduler. Users
can begin scheduling PeopleSoft jobs in a matter of minutes, because a simple connection dialog box enables
the adapter to recognize those jobs and their status.
Workload Automation can define complex dependences among data from external applications, results files, or
a PeopleSoft process from a different instance when running business intelligence reports such as PeopleSoft
SQR Reports, PSnVision, or Cobol SQL.
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Workload Automation and PeopleSoft work as an integrated solution. Users of other ERP solutions can manage
PeopleSoft processes and run PeopleSoft Process Scheduler using the same Workload Automation console
interface. Workload Automation provides a way to connect PeopleSoft applications with cross-platform, crossapplication, enterprise-wide workflow processing.
Features and Benefits
This adapter bridges the gap between a data center’s PeopleSoft applications and its other ERP environments,
and it increases the manageability of the PeopleSoft environment.
The following discussion provides more detailed descriptions of core features that deliver high-level business
benefits, as well as many day-to-day usability-related benefits:
Batch and On Demand Processing – The adapter is designed to accommodate batch and on demand job
processing for PeopleSoft applications, providing comprehensive support for the traditional date and time
scheduling model, as well as complex event- and dependency-based processing.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job group can contain several job definitions that enable detailed control and error
recovery procedures. These procedures make it possible for IT staff to follow documented best practices
consistently. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment,
incident management, and change management can be supported, with interfaces and integration techniques
available for a range of ITIL-oriented operations environments,
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
introduce jobs—and entire business processes—into most computing environments when triggered by business
events from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for PeopleSoft allows users to view
and manage real-time alerts within the scheduling system. Alerts can be automatically sent to email-enabled
devices for anytime, anywhere status connectivity and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps.
Automated actions are extensive and can be easily defined. These actions include sending an email message to
the appropriate owner, generating a message to the central console, or triggering an incident to an IT support
technician via the appropriate ITIL-oriented operations systems.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities – Security policy—and changes to it— are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. For example, access can be controlled in the areas of scheduling
functionality as a whole or tied to specific jobs, events, or actions. Access can also be linked to an individual
user or a workgroup.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Feature Summary
Benefits Summary
Consolidates PeopleSoft application automation under one
Leverages an investment in PeopleSoft to create a
corporate-wide console solution, with one staff and one set of
comprehensive business process automation solution for the
internal procedures
entire enterprise
Enables user to monitor files that are used as event triggers
Provides broader coverage of integrated workflows
for the initiation of run requests
Supports all PeopleSoft process types, including SQR
Delivers greater efficiency and more reliable data
Reports, Cobol SQL, Crystal Reports, PSnVision, and the
Message Agent API
Provides richer, more advanced scheduling function than the
Increases efficiency and productivity
native PeopleSoft Process Scheduler
Connects PeopleSoft applications to other platforms,
Consolidates scheduling across the enterprise with broader,
business applications, and PeopleSoft instances, with
integrated workflows
unlimited dependencies
Supports multiple PeopleSoft instances and application
Increases flexibility and scalability
servers
Seamlessly integrates with the PeopleSoft Process
Minimizes maintenance and increase ROI
Scheduler
Facilitates the use of FTP to access PeopleSoft job output
Provides broader coverage of integrated workflows
Permits users to view and interact with PeopleSoft
Leverages an investment in PeopleSoft
application process steps as well as jobs
Handles the heaviest PeopleSoft processing loads through
Increases flexibility and scalability
multi-threading capabilities
Enables validation of user names and passwords against the
Consolidates and strengthens security across the job
PeopleSoft database user
scheduling topology
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
9. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP
Operations Managers
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP Operations Manager
Consolidating Business Process Execution and Event Management Business process automation has evolved
from managing routinely scheduled batch jobs to handling continuous mission-critical workflows that encompass
cross-platform, cross-application processes. IT operations staff is under constant pressure to deliver highly
complex services with constrained budgets and resources. Given this scenario, dealing with application
problems and other infrastructure issues, managing resource availability, and monitoring the performance of
important data center processes have become mission-critical.
To strengthen IT’s ability to manage data center operations, Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP
Operations Manager extends the functionality of HP Operations Manager tools that monitor and maintain IT
services. Working with the adapter, Workload Automation delivers complex dependency- and schedule-driven
workflow status information to HP Operations Manager. Together, they function as one continuous events-andworkflow-management system.
Accessed through the HP Operations Manager console, Workload Automation delivers sophisticated benefits
that include workflow automation, uptime reliability, n-tier scalability, and advanced error notification. These
increase IT management’s confidence in its ability to adhere to service-level agreements (SLAs).
Two-Way Communication in One Solution
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP Operations Manager provides two-way communications between
the HP Operations Manager console and Workload Automation, using the HP native messaging protocol
(opcmsg). The adapter delivers Workload Automation environmental information to the HP Operations Manager
console and allows administrators to control Workload Automation job functions. To streamline integrating
Workload Automation and HP Operations Manager, the following components are provided with the adapter:
● Application templates for accepting messages sent by Workload Automation
● Message, monitor, and action templates
● Templates for monitoring Workload Automation services
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features and Benefits
This adapter makes it simpler for users to manage enterprise scheduling through HP Operations Manager. The
adapter also simplifies the integration of Workload Automation into HP Operations Manager, making it possible
to view scheduling within the management framework. HP Operations Manager users can leverage Cisco
Workload Automation Adapter for HP Operations Manager to help them streamline the management of their
broader environment.
The adapter offers the following capabilities:
Advanced Events Management – When an abnormality, such as a job that runs too long, occurs in the
Workload Automation environment, job process information, including log files, is delivered to the HP
Operations Manager console. When exceptions or abnormal events take place, the pre-programmed Workload
Automation job definition notifies the HP Operations Manager console of the condition. An operator can then
create custom messages and severity levels that can be associated with specific application jobs and
conditions. Supported severity levels include critical, major, minor, warning, normal, and unknown. In addition,
messages generated by Workload Automation and displayed in the HP Operations Manager console are
annotated and include help text.
Automated Response Initiation for Priority Events – For all jobs, especially those of the highest priority,
custom messages and recovery actions can be configured from the HP Operations Manager console. Some of
the messages provided by Workload Automation have embedded actions associated with them. Clicking
“Perform Action” in the HP Operations Manager console sets them in motion.
To strengthen processing throughput and accelerate events resolution, ad hoc and user-initiated actions can
also be saved and reconfigured to become automated HP Operations Manager tasks. These pre-programmed
actions can be grouped and linked, creating a cascade of diagnostic or recovery tasks that pinpoint the root
cause of a workflow problem.
Job Control from HP Operations Manager – The integration of Workload Automation and HP Operations
Manager enables IT operations staff to control jobs scheduling from the HP OM console. An administrator can
start or restart Workload Automation jobs, stop and start agents, and perform other workflow automation
functions from HP Operations Manager. These functions can be performed manually or incorporated into the
earlier-discussed events management solutions. Events can be prioritized, issues can be diagnosed, and jobs
can be restarted or terminated—automatically.
Centralized Point of Control – Linking Workload Automation workflow information, alerts, automated error
remediation, and job process controls to this industry-leading event management framework gives IT operations
staff unprecedented visibility and control over the enterprise-wide job processing environment, saving time
through increased efficiency and delivering to service levels by significantly reducing mean time to resolution
(MTTR).
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for HP Operations Manager helps organizations to streamline operations
by providing new ways in which to increase automation, visibility, and control over processes. As a result, these
organizations can focus valuable IT resources on strategic tasks and initiatives rather than job scheduling
activities.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Offers a single point of control for both enterprise-wide
Improves visibility into the workflow processing and event
business process automation and event management
management
Delivers continuous monitoring of Workload Automation
Enables organizations to meet SLAs through faster, easier
workflow performance and availability
problem resolution
Sends alert notifications from 40 different event triggers
Minimizes service disruptions, improving incident
directly to the HP Operations Manager console
management and accelerating service restoration
Provides out-of-the-box monitoring of the health of the
Minimizes disruption to mission-critical processes
Workload Automation infrastructure
Integrates workflow automation into HP Operations Manager
Provides cross-platform, cross-application event support for
or a third party service desk for documented incident/case
better visibility and control
history
Interacts with native Workload Automation alert-triggered
Eliminates expensive script development and management
processes
Delivers pre-defined job process information and allows
Improves workflow efficiencies and substantially reduces
operators to customize alert responses for automated error
MTTR
recovery
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
10. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Java
Database Connectivity (JDBC)
Adapter Overview
Integrating Database Connectivity for Enterprise-Wide Job Scheduling
To improve their competitive advantage, businesses are investing in applications, databases, and data
warehouse appliances that increase operational efficiency. These solutions manage critical data and logic from
various functional areas including financials, inventory, procurement, and order fulfillment.
Processing the right data at the right time, managing dependency logic, and automating job sequencing are
critical to the smooth operation of the enterprise. To achieve these goals, two conditions are necessary:
Broad enterprise-wide visibility of the entire application, storage, and database landscape
The ability to automate a wide range of functions, from dependency mapping, to application and
database job steps, to event and alerts management
End-to-End Workload Automation with Cisco Workload Automation
Built for the needs of database processing, the Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Java Database
Connectivity (JDBC) is the interface between Cisco Workload Automation and JDBC-compliant database
management systems. Together, they provide IT organizations with comprehensive cross-platform, crossapplication job scheduling functionality, real-time interaction, and centralized control. With the adapter for JDBC,
IT organizations can add the workload automation, manageability, and reliability of Cisco Workload Automation
to JDBC- compliant databases. Users can manage all workload processes from a central console and integrate
database processes into the wider enterprise job-processing environment to reduce errors and increase
resource efficiency.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JDBC Works
Once the adapter has been implemented within the Cisco Workload Automation environment, administrators
can define, launch, monitor, and control standard database processing such as Structured Query Language
(SQL) statements and stored procedures. Cisco Workload Automation allows IT staff to quickly resolve job
failures, incorporate multiple cross-application dependencies, and use process models, which include JDBCcompliant databases. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JDBC can submit predefined SQL processes or
stored procedures to Cisco Workload Automation and monitor the status of each process as it runs. Cisco
Workload Automation can be used to monitor database events, which can then be used to trigger other
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
scheduling activities such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) execution or data integration tasks.
Modifications to the database management system (DBMS) environment are unnecessary because Cisco
Workload Automation uses the vendor’s specifically defined JDBC drivers.
Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JDBC and Cisco Workload Automation can deliver rapid return on
investment (ROI) to organizations investing in database solutions. Working together, these products bring job
scheduling in JDBC-compliant environments into an enterprise context and provide greater automation, visibility,
control, and reliability. The following capabilities are crucial to delivering the benefits that users can expect from
this solution.
Event-driven processing: In addition to time- and date-based job scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
execute single jobs and entire workloads when triggered by business events from a wide range of adapters and
platform-supported agents. Also, using the adapter, Cisco Workload Automation users can define database
events that can be used for alerts and for invoking an automated response through email and inserting
additional jobs into the schedule.
Flexible monitoring and alerting: Job status and output are automatically logged and can be viewed using the
Cisco Workload Automation console. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for anytime,
anywhere status information and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps.
IT policy alignment: Each JDBC job can contain several process definitions, allowing for granular controls and
error recovery procedures. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) processes in the areas of
request fulfillment, incident management, and change management can be supported and can include
interfaces and integration techniques available for a range of operational environments.
Comprehensive security and audit capabilities: Security policy and changes to it are tied to enterprise
security management tools and processes. The integrated security management features of Cisco Workload
Automation can be applied to the implementation of JDBC connections, roles, and jobs to help ensure secure
management and use of required security credentials.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
11. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
OS/400
Adapter Overview
Mainframe Business Processing in a Distributed Environment
Managing application processes within OS/400 mainframe environments is mission-critical even in many
modern enterprise business process infrastructures. These environments can also include growing numbers of
applications running on a wide range of distributed servers. Integrating, automating, and managing businesscritical applications in such environments can be difficult, expensive, and time consuming. Cisco Workload
Automation Adapter for OS/400, combined with Workload Automation, is a proven and scalable solution that
excels in making complex workflow processing infrastructures simpler to manage.
The Power to Expand and Automate OS/400 Workflows
The investment in enterprise-wide applications requires a comprehensive job scheduling solution to meet the
challenge of managing complex workflows across heterogeneous environments, which include the OS/400
platform. Using Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for OS/400, IT operations staff can bring script-free, job
automation functionality to the IBM OS/400 environment and expand its capabilities through the use of
exception -based management, fault tolerance, and enterprise-wide ERP integration—features that most
OS/400 job schedulers do not offer.
Using Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for OS/400, batch jobs, job dependencies, and file events can be
defined, launched, monitored, and controlled without modifying existing OS/400 jobs or job definitions. This noninvasive adapter also enables dependencies from other systems to be combined with existing OS/400
applications or schedules.
This adapter, combined with Workload Automation, offers an easy-to-use, single point of control for monitoring
and interacting with OS/400 jobs and the flexibility to integrate those jobs into enterprise business workflows
that involve applications on other ERP platforms, such as SAP, PeopleSoft, and Oracle. Cross-platform, crossapplication dependencies, variables, and exceptions can be embedded into event- or time-based jobs or
attached to native OS/400 jobs managed within Workload Automation. The result is greater productivity and
reliability and reduced implementation and operations costs.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Protecting an Investment in OS/400
As the needs of the enterprise expand, the OS/400 platform must be able to integrate its business process data
with other systems and applications. This requires a comprehensive solution to meet the challenge of
application automation across heterogeneous environments. Most mainframe environments are the hub of IT
operations, and the investment in this infrastructure is a substantial part of the overall computing budget.
Workload Automation, combined with the OS/400 adapter, allows IT managers to leverage their investment in
the mainframe infrastructure by expanding its processing power across the entire enterprise.
Furthermore, IT organizations can no longer afford to manage data processing among these applications
manually, especially in the face of increased business demands for efficiency and competitive advantage. By
automating internal batch jobs, distributed workflows, business intelligence reporting, and sophisticated alerts
management, efficiencies are realized and complex services are executed faster with minimal down time.
Because of these imperatives, many organizations have turned to Workload Automation to fill the gap between
the OS/400 platform and their Windows, UNIX, Linux, OVMS, and z/OS environments, as well as to increase
the manageability of their OS/400 environment.
Batch and On Demand Processing – The adapter is designed to accommodate batch and on demand job
processing on the OS/400 platform, providing comprehensive support for the traditional date and time
scheduling model, as well as complex event and dependency-based processing.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job group can contain several job definitions that enable detailed control and error
recovery procedures. These procedures make it possible for IT staff to follow documented best practices
consistently. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment,
incident management, and change management can be supported, with interfaces and integration techniques
available for a range of ITIL-oriented operations environments,
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
introduce jobs and entire business processes into a mainframe environment when triggered by business events
from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for OS/400 allows users to view and
manage alerts within the scheduling system. Alerts can be automatically sent to email-enabled devices for
anytime, anywhere status connectivity and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated
actions are extensive and can be easily defined. They include sending an email message to the appropriate
owner, generating a message to the central console, or triggering an incident report to an IT support technician
via the appropriate ITIL-oriented operations systems.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities – Security policy, and changes to it, are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. For example, access can be controlled in the areas of scheduling
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
functionality as a whole or tied to specific jobs, events, or actions. Access can also be linked to an individual
user or a workgroup.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Delivers unified, enterprise-wide application scheduling
Leverages and extends an existing investment in the IBM
automation for OS/400, Windows, UNIX, Linux, OVMS, and
OS/400 platform
z/OS environments
Provides a single user interface to monitor and control
Reduces training time and costs by providing a single,
workflows regardless of platform, allowing a centralized staff
enterprise-wide solution
to be used for business operations
Runs OS/400 commands, RPG, and CL scripts
Leverages an existing investment in IBM mainframe
technology
Manages any batch jobs, including third-party applications
Centralizes and consolidates business operations, creating
from Oracle, PeopleSoft, and SAP
greater efficiencies
Scans output for particular values or exit codes to enable
Increases productivity through granular automation
setting system-wide dependencies
capabilities
Enables the setting of multiple, conditional dependencies on
Saves time and money by automating advanced workflows
OS/400 jobs
Allows OS/400 jobs to be run based on the File Exists
Saving time and money by automating advanced workflows
condition on other platforms
Offers robust fault tolerance
Prevents the disruption of critical processes
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
12. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
VMware
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware enables companies that use Cisco Workload Automation to
execute a set of VMware processes via a single point of control. The adapter allows users to connect VMware
operations to the enterprise schedule, define them as part of a business process, and monitor VMware
operations, as well as to define and leverage VMware events. Working in concert, this enterprise adapter for
VMware and Cisco Workload Automation schedule and run business processes and manage their required
virtual resources, and incorporating them into the enterprise computing environment.
When virtualization is part of data center topology, this adapter for VMware is used in conjunction with Cisco
Workload Automation to build intelligent automation around managing virtual machine (VM) resources and their
associated operations, and to align the IT infrastructure with business process requirements. In this way Cisco
Workload Automation and Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware can help reduce infrastructure and
software costs by optimizing virtual resources and increasing administrative efficiency.
The Challenges of Workload Automation in a Virtualized World
Businesses are progressively deploying service-oriented architecture (SOA)-based applications and virtualized
environments. Administering these decoupled resources presents tremendous challenges in tracking and
delivering optimum SLA performance for workload management, because in these fluid, dynamic models
computing resources vary in state and physical location. Complexity is increased by the existence of multiple
virtualization vendor tools that are not unified via single pane of glass. Ultimately, these two factors significantly
impact an enterprise’s ability to gain the most efficiency from their virtualized workload processing
environments.
A simple way to gain visibility into and control over business processes in these new environments is to link the
execution of business processes and data center operations tasks. In this way, users can have increased
confidence that business processes will be available, run smoothly and reliably. Optimizing the configuration
state of VMs in the context of a scheduled workload can result in higher data center resources efficiencies and
ultimately, lower VM management costs. This adapter for VMware, combined with Cisco Workload Automation,
addresses these challenges.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Bringing Virtual Machine Orchestration into the Workload Automation Environment
In a virtualized environment, host servers often support anywhere from dozens to hundreds of VMs.
Coordinating the availability of hosts through power management, preserving and restoring machine states
through snapshots, and configuring servers for specific tasks can be challenging. As a result, managing
workloads in virtualized environments create significant issues for a scheduling solution. Using Cisco Workload
Automation can access all applications and systems and supports the reliable functioning of the virtualized
environment itself becomes more critical than ever to the successful execution of business processes.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware connects to both ESX Server and VMware virtual infrastructure
web services. In so doing, it manages VM, and hosts operations, and it brings them into the framework of the
enterprise workload processing environment. VMware operations are managed through the Cisco Workload
Automation browser-based interface through which all workloads are managed.
Use of the adapter extends the reach of Cisco Workload Automation by simplifying workload management in
virtualized environments. In addition, the adapter supports events that can be used to automate a response to
changes in power states and/or host and guest performance conditions.
Table 1 below lists the VMware operations that the adapter can manipulate and add to complex automated
workload that include ERP, business intelligence, data integration, data exchange and database jobs.
Power Tasks
Query Power State
Power On
Power Off
Suspend
Reset
Reboot Guest
Shutdown Guest
Standby Guest
Snapshot Tasks
Create Snapshot
Rename Snapshot
Remove Snapshot
Remove All Snapshot
Revert to Snapshot
Revert to Current
Configuration Tasks
Reconfigure
Migrate(VMotion)
Upgrade Virtual Hardware
Install/Upgrade Tools
Host Tasks
Power Up Host
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Power Down Host
Reboot Host
Enter Maintenance
Exit Maintenance
For example, consider that a automated workload requires a dedicated machine with a unique configuration of
CPU, memory, and applications only four times a year to produce quarterly tax reports. If this machine is
virtualized the necessary cores can remain powered off until the job schedule demands it. Knowing when to
power a VM on or off or when to take a snapshot for checkpoint backups is the job of a scheduler. Automating
this task within the context of the larger business workload environment is an important capability provided by
this solution.
Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for VMware provides easy-to-use graphical views that allow administrators
to bring the scheduling of VM operations into the Cisco Workload Automation framework through a
straightforward process. With the adapter, users have a unified view of an entire schedule, regardless of
environment.
VMware customers will find that this adapter is specifically designed to meet their service delivery needs.
Specific features that automate VMware operations include the following:
Ability to Schedule ESX Actions within Cisco Workload Automation - Users can automate the scheduling of
power on/off, snapshot, and configuration actions within the ESX hypervisor. This eliminates the need to
manually perform ESX actions as business conditions and workloads change. This automation significantly
reduces processing errors and “swivel-chair” management.
Trigger Actions Based upon Power and Performance Data from ESX - Both ESX processes and business
application jobs can be triggered by power state and performance data; operations such as keeping a rogue VM
offline; running an application workload when resources are available; or running an ERP job when a VM is
turned on. This allows resources such as servers, applications, operating systems (OS), databases, and VMs to
be managed for maximum efficiency.
Integration with vCenter for Workload Automation - Connection to vCenter enables Workload Automation to
manage key tasks such as VM cloning, and cold, hot, and storage migration. With vCenter/Workload
Automation integration, users can automate and orchestrate cross-ESX server tasks that make it possible to
better manage resources based on workload context and need. This capability increases workload efficiency,
because resource availability can be automated and directly applied to critical job schedules. Manual operations
and outages can be minimized by allowing the scheduler to control which VMs are at which resource state for a
particular job run.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Application of Core Workload Automation Features for VMware - VMware users can leverage all the
features of Cisco Workload Automation to define and manage VM processes, create dependencies, and collect
output. In this way, VMware operations become part of enterprise-wide business processes, and virtualized
environments can be more easily managed through the deep integration capabilities of Cisco Workload
Automation. IT gains greater control of all workloads run in the virtualized environment and the state of the
virtual environment itself.
Users and Security - Cisco Workload Automation for VMWare incorporates and extends the VMware security
model for consistency and ease of use.
Defining VMware Configurations as Part of a Business Workload - Ultimately, data center automation and
efficiency initiatives must define VMware operations as part of the workload infrastructure. Cisco Workload
Automation and for this adapter for VMware enable business workloads managed in virtualized environments to
be easily integrated into the enterprise.
Enterprise Coverage - Cisco Workload Automation provides the integration platform for all enterprise job
scheduling needs, and this adapter for VMware offers ongoing support for changing IT environments. This
solution eliminates multiple tools, manual intervention, protracted resolution times, and many other costly
operations issues. It also provides a single interface for managing jobs and dependencies across the enterprise.
Through the adapter, users can manage VMware’s capabilities, as well as the enterprise-class functionality
provided by Workload Automation. Adapter for VMware enables organizations to integrate business workload
execution and virtualization process management in VMware environments.
Ultimately, not only does workload automation increase operational efficiency by simplifying job scheduling, but
it can also increase VM efficiency, because users can:
Reduce manual operations, misprocessing, and “swivel-chair” integration by scheduling ESX
processes directly from Workload Automation
Use resources effectively by setting a schedule to trigger actions based on power and performance
metrics from ESX
Automatically migrate critical resources through the Cisco Workload Automation integration with
vCenter
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
13. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
zLinux
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux works with Workload Automation to bring Linux-based
mainframe jobs into a single enterprise view. The adapter simplifies the process of defining and scheduling
Linux-based mainframe jobs and job groups and seamlessly integrates jobs and processes into enterprise
workflows. Cisco Workload Automation brings ease of use and a high degree of scalability to job scheduling for
the zLinux environment. Its capacities include the ability to execute millions of jobs a day, exception-based
management, role-based security, and the extensibility to include other technologies in heterogeneous
environments.
Together, Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux and Workload Automation create a functionally rich,
easy-to-use enterprise job scheduling solution that can leverage specific mainframe attributes—24x7 reliability,
fast I/O processing, and enhanced security features—to support continuous, enterprise-class business
operations.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux Works
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux extends the power of Workload Automation to IBM zSeries
mainframe computing environments running the zLinux operating system (OS). This highly scalable and flexible
solution allows IT scheduling administrators to create, manage, and monitor jobs and their dependencies across
complex enterprise workflows that may include zLinux instances and other z/OS mainframe instances, as well
as Windows, UNIX, OS/400, and other Linux systems. The adapter enables script-free scheduling functionality
for mainframe job processing in the zLinux environment, building on the inherent fault tolerance of the core
scheduler itself. In addition to managing schedules across multiple OS platforms, application-specific jobs can
also be run across a range of enterprise resource planning (ERP), database, business intelligence (BI), and web
services integration platforms.
The adapter gives users the ability to manage cross-platform, cross-application workflows via a single pane of
glass and to automate mainframe batch jobs by setting time, file, or a range of inter-job dependencies. Using
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux reduces operating costs and improves service levels, because
there is no need for ongoing script management or costly manual intervention to coordinate job executions
across the zLinux environment and beyond.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux can dramatically simplify the process of scheduling, tracking,
and managing job workflows regardless of the number of dependencies, systems, and applications involved.
This adapter, in combination with Workload Automation, offers the following capabilities:
Increased Mainframe Reach – The adapter makes it possible to manage dependencies among existing
mainframe applications and other distributed job processes. Jobs running on the zLinux platform can be
triggered by status changes, by the results of jobs running on other platforms, or by processes running in other
applications. Users can define, launch, monitor, and control application and database jobs and can respond to
file events without modifying existing jobs or schedules.
Batch and On Demand Processing –The adapter is designed to accommodate batch and on demand job
processing on the zLinux platform, providing comprehensive support for the traditional date and time scheduling
model, as well as complex event- and dependency-based processing.
zLinux Virtualized Environments – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux is well suited to the rapid
changes within a virtualized mainframe environment. Whether zLinux instances are implemented in individual
logical partitions(LPARs) or z/VM virtual machines (VMs), the zLinux adapter allows users to schedule jobs
effectively, and it scales to accommodate the growth and expansion of a zLinux infrastructure.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job group can contain several job definitions, enabling detailed control and error
recovery procedures. These procedures make it possible for IT staff to consistently follow documented best
practices. Information technology infrastructure library (ITIL) processes for request fulfillment, issue
management, and change management can be supported, with interfaces and integration techniques available
for a range of ITIL-oriented operations environments,
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
introduce jobs—and entire business processes—into a mainframe environment when triggered by business
events from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for zLinux allows users to view and
manage alerts within the scheduling system. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for
anytime, anywhere status connectivity and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated
actions are extensive and can be easily defined, enabling users to send an email message to the appropriate
owner, generate a message to the central console, or trigger a support incident via the appropriate ITIL-oriented
operations systems.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities – Security policy—and changes to it— are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. As an example, access can be controlled to scheduling functionality as a
whole or tied to specific jobs, events, or actions—on an individual user or workgroup basis.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features
Benefits
Unifies enterprise-wide application scheduling
Centralizes and consolidate business operations
automation for zLinux, z/OS, Windows, UNIX, OS/400
and other OS environments
Leverages and extends an existing investment in IBM
Increases productivity and reliability and reduces
zSeries mainframes via a single pane of glass
operating costs
Eliminates the needs to write scripts to create job
Saves time and money by automating advanced
schedules and cross dependencies
workflows
Manages job status output and scanning this output
Increases productivity and provides granular
for particular values or exit codes to enable setting
automation capabilities
additional dependencies downstream based on job
status
Sets multiple, conditional dependencies on zLinux
Increases job interdependency reach
jobs, job steps or condition codes
Provides a fault-tolerant scheduling platform
Significantly improves uptime and execution to service
level agreements (SLAs)
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
14. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for z/OS
Adapter Overview
Mainframe Business Processing in a Distributed Environment
Managing z/OS batch processes is a mission-critical function in enterprise businesses. IT data centers now
include a growing number of applications running on a wide range of highly distributed devices, but mainframe
batch schedulers cannot manage enterprise-wide workflow processes and workflow automation needs.
Integrating, automating, and managing business-critical applications is a difficult, expensive, and timeconsuming operation, but a proven, scalable product—Cisco Workload Automation—can deliver enterprise-wide
automation and integrate z/OS jobs and dependencies, even from the most demanding IT infrastructures.
Integrating Mainframe Applications Automation into the Enterprise
Cisco Workload Automation for z/OS brings the power of business process automation to IBM mainframe batch
processing and links it to the entire enterprise-computing environment. This industry-leading product can create,
manage, and monitor jobs and job dependencies among z/OS environments and a wide range of databases and
application resources, while bringing expanded functionality to z/OS batch processing.
IT operations staff can leverage the scheduler’s capabilities, such as exception-based management, fault
tolerance, and a high-degree of scalability for z/OS-based jobs. This easy-to-use platform gives users the ability
to monitor and interact with all types of batch jobs, even if they have been defined using other mainframe
schedulers. More importantly, users gain the ability to integrate mainframe jobs into larger business workflows
that involve enterprise resource planning (ERP), business intelligence, and extract, transform, and load (ETL)
processes running on a wide variety of operating systems—even in service-oriented architecture (SOA)
environments. Data files from partners and supplier can also be managed and integrated into z/OS jobs, and job
dependencies originating from anywhere in the enterprise can be defined and managed via a single pane of
glass.
Cisco Workload Automation for z/OS
Workload Automation for z/OS has two components. Each component is an independent entity that offers
different functions.
The first component is an OS-level agent running under OpenMVS that uses UNIX System Services (USS)
provided by the z/OS operating system. Via the agent, Workload Automation can submit jobs, run system
commands, and execute programs and shell scripts. The agent transfers output to Cisco Workload Automation
and manages file dependencies for files and datasets.
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The second component is the Gateway for z/OS that runs locally as a set of processes in the z/OS environment
that interact directly with the z/OS System Management Facility (SMF). The Gateway operates in the
background, relaying job and job step information to Cisco Workload Automation These are output logs that
record the stages in the life cycle of a z/OS job. The extraction of this information allows Workload Automation to
track job dependencies based on condition codes of any submitted z/OS job.
Protecting an Investment in the z/OS Infrastructure
As the needs of the enterprise expand, IT managers must be able to integrate z/OS business process data with
other ERP applications. Most mainframe environments are the hub of IT operations, and the investment in this
infrastructure is a substantial part of the overall IT budgets. This requires a comprehensive product to meet the
challenge of workflow automation across heterogeneous environments.
Cisco Workload Automation allows IT managers to leverage their investment in the mainframe infrastructure by
expanding their reach and visibility across the entire enterprise and to increase the manageability of their
mainframe environment. Cisco Workload Automation for zOS enables IT managers to leverage their investment
in the mainframe infrastructure by expanding its processing power across the entire enterprise.
Furthermore, IT organizations can no longer afford to manage data processing among workflow processes
manually, especially in the face of increased business demands for efficiency and competitive advantage. By
automating internal batch jobs, distributed workflows, and business intelligence reporting, efficiencies of scale
are realized and complex services are executed faster with minimal down time.
Features and Benefits
Increasing Mainframe Reach and Processing Capabilities
Users can define, launch, monitor, and control z/OS jobs and job dependencies and respond to file events
without modifying existing mainframe jobs or schedules. The following discussion provides more detailed
descriptions of core features that deliver high-level business benefits, as well as many day-to-day usabilityrelated benefits:
Batch and On Demand Processing – Cisco Workload Automation is designed to accommodate scheduled
batch and on demand job processing on the z/OS platform, providing comprehensive support for the traditional
date and time scheduling model, as well as complex event-and dependency-based processing.
IT Policy Alignment – Each job group can contain several job definitions that enable detailed control and error
recovery procedures. These procedures make it possible for IT staff to follow documented best practices
consistently. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment,
incident management, and change management can be supported with interfaces and integration techniques
available for a range of ITIL oriented operations environments,
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Event-Driven Processing – In addition to time- and date-based scheduling, Cisco Workload Automation can
dynamically introduce jobs—and entire business processes—into a mainframe environment when triggered by
business events from a wide range of application adapters and platform-supported agents.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting – Cisco Workload Automation allows users to view and manage alerts within
the scheduling system. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for anytime, anywhere
status connectivity and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated actions are extensive
and can be easily defined. They include sending an email message to the appropriate owner, generating a
message to the central console, or triggering an incident to an IT support technician via the appropriate ITILoriented operations systems.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities – Security policy—and changes to it—are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. For example, access can be controlled in the areas of scheduling
functionality as a whole or tied to specific jobs, events, or actions. Actions can also be linked to an individual
user or on a workgroup basis.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Unifies enterprise-wide job scheduling automation for z/OS
Increases productivity and reliability and reduces
Windows, UNIX, Linux, and other mainframe environments
implementation and operations costs
Provides a single user interface to monitor and control jobs
Leverages and extends an existing investment in mainframe
regardless of platform, allowing a centralized staff to be used
scheduling and reduces training time and management costs
for business operations
Eliminates the need to write scripts in order to set up job
Increase productivity and reliability and reduces operations
cross-dependencies
costs
Runs JES, JCL, MVS commands and z/OS Unix System
Leverages an existing investment in IBM mainframe
Services (USS) jobs
technology
Supports dual directional FTP file transfers among the
Increase productivity through expanded reach and granular
mainframe and another servers
automation capabilities
Offers robust fault-tolerance
Prevents the disruption of critical processes
Sets multiple, conditional dependencies on z/OS jobs, job
Centralizes and consolidates business operations, creating
steps or condition codes
greater efficiencies
Allows mainframe jobs to be run based on the File Exists
Saves time and money by automating advanced workflows
condition on another server
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
15. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP, SFTP, and FTPS
Enterprise Adapter for FTP reduces many of the complexities associated with incorporating file transfer protocol
(FTP), secured file transfer protocol (SFTP), and file transfer protocol SFTP (FTPS) jobs or batch processes into
enterprise job schedules. Built on the industry-leading Workload Automation, it offers an easy-to-use, powerful
solution for managing FTP dependencies within job schedules and the application integration they support. IT
operations staff can manage file transfers as an integral part of a critical workflow business processes.
This is an excellent scheduling solution for environments that handle FTP jobs, because it can improve
efficiency by directly addressing critical FTP-related scheduling challenges discussed in the following section.
The File Transfer Challenge
Increasingly, businesses are working to integrate their internal operations and also to develop closer links with
partners and customers. Companies in financial services, insurance, healthcare, and retail, among other
industries, depend on seamless data exchange to integrate their operations with others and to allow them to
respond with the speed and accuracy the market demands. Today, approximately 70 percent of data and
application integration is accomplished through batch jobs. As a result, automated application integration and
file transfer capabilities are vital to accomplishing the twin goals of reliability and cost effectiveness.
FTP is the technology most commonly used to exchange data or transfer files among applications and partners.
As the enterprise extends business processes across its value chain, the reliability and security of data
exchange with partners and customers is increasingly important in meeting business goals. Transmission
delays, breached security, and corrupt data can impact not only the business but also relationships with
partners and customers. The exchange of data between applications, partners, and customers must be so
reliable and secure that it can be taken it for granted. To achieve these objectives, data and file exchange must
be an integral part of the enterprise-wide business process. And because there is a close relationship between
data exchange and batch job processes, both must be seamlessly and simultaneously managed to attain high
levels of automation, security, speed, recovery, and accuracy.
Manual FTP Management: Error-prone and Insecure
In many companies, processing file transfers is still a manual process. For example, a company may have a
workflow in which a customer sends a file containing all orders for the day via FTP. During the day, IT
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
operations staff manually checks to see if the file has arrived. If it has, they submit a series of jobs that process
the order, or they may use scripts they have written to manage this process.
This manual business process creates the following issues, and failure to meet service level agreements (SLAs)
with customers and partners may incur costly financial penalties and erode end-user satisfaction:
FTP is not secure and transfers data without encryption. User names, passwords, FTP commands, and the files
themselves can be viewed using packet sniffers. The process of recognizing that the file has arrived and then
incorporating it into a job step is inherently error prone and time consuming. Scripts are costly to create,
document, and maintain. If scripts are used, user IDs and passwords may be embedded in them, creating
additional exposure to security risks. If the process of managing FTP is related to financial reporting, additional
issues are involved in auditing it. ne operator may be required to implement the manual procedure and another
to verify that it was followed. The need for a job scheduler and an FTP product adds unnecessary cost and
complexity. FTP may require that an additional agent is installed on both the sending and receiving ends,
increasing system complexity. No single point of control manages both FTP requirements and the job
scheduling process.
Features and Benefits
Using Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for FTP can dramatically simplify the process of scheduling,
tracking, and managing workflows with FTP dependencies, because the solution:
Incorporates FTP processes into the larger enterprise-wide workflow management environment
Supports both FTP and SFTP using SSH2 and FTPS using SSL/TLSAvoids sending data “in the clear”
by supporting Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES
(3DES), and Blowfish encryption techniques
Provides “script-free,” scheduled FTP processing to avoid further security exposure created by
embedded user IDs and passwords when scripts are used
Supports FTP job dependencies based on number of files and volume of data transferred, dropped
files, and duration of transfer
Manages file attributes and their directories
Requires a single FTP server rather than an FTP agent on the sending and receiving ends
Provides a single point of control for managing business processes dependent on FTP and batch jobs
Workload Automation provides an integration platform for all job scheduling needs. When batch jobs finish,
users can automatically transfer files as part of a larger business process. In addition, when files arrive, they can
trigger one or more jobs to process the data transferred. Users can now eliminate the manual steps and
scripting that undermine service levels and inflate the costs of managing IT. And Workload Automation makes it
easy to accomplish these objectives by using the same interface to manage FTP jobs and dependencies that it
uses for all jobs and dependencies.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
16. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JD
Edwards
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JD Edwards
IT operations that focus on the automation of business processes involve integrating a wide range of custom
and enterprise applications and the infrastructure on which they run, often with complex interdependencies. In
such environments, IT typically uses job scheduling tools to control batch and on demand event processing,
which are vital to the success of a range of business operations from sales to manufacturing to financial
management.
For the past decade, Cisco Workload Automation has been defining standards for job scheduling usability,
scalability, and breadth of coverage. The role of the many adapters available for Cisco Workload Automation is
to make connectivity, control, and visibility of diverse technologies accessible directly through the Cisco
Workload Automation user interface (UI). The breadth of coverage these adapters provide simplifies end-to-end
scheduling of processes across the enterprise.
Product Overview
Integrating JD Edwards Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) into the Enterprise
In order to increase competitive advantage, businesses are investing in applications that improve operational
efficiency, such as JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and World ERP solutions. These applications manage critical
data from various functional areas, including financials, inventory, procurement, and order fulfillment. While the
JD Edwards internal scheduler can manage native batch processes, it is not built to accommodate enterprisewide scheduling environments.
This adapter is designed for the unique needs of the JD Edwards application suite, and functions as the
communications interface between Cisco Workload Automation and the EnterpriseOne/World process
management engines. Together, they provide IT organizations with robust cross-platform, cross-application
scheduling functionality, real-time interactivity, and centralized control.
Simplify Job Scheduling with Cisco Workload Automation
With this Cisco adapter for JD Edwards, EnterpriseOne/World customers can add the automation,
manageability, and reliability of Cisco Workload Automation to these leading ERP applications. With CWA, IT
operations staff can manage all workload processes within JD Edwards EnterpriseOne/World environments
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
from a centralized console and integrate those processes into the wider Cisco Workload Automation scheduling
environment. Leveraging the Cisco Workload Automation’s advanced automation features and single pane-ofglass management console immediately translates into reduced training costs and the consolidation of key skills
required for scheduling operations. This ability, in turn, reduces errors and increases productivity.
How the Enterprise Adapter for JD Edwards Works
Once implemented, the adapter allows users to define, launch, monitor, and control JD Edwards processes
using Universal Batch Engine (UBE), which is then used to execute these processes. Cisco Workload
Automation and the adapter enable JD Edwards users to quickly resolve job failures, incorporate multiple crossapplication dependencies, and utilize process models for JD Edwards UBE programs. The adapter submits the
predefined JD Edwards processes into the schedule and monitors the status of each process as it runs. In
addition, the adapter facilitates the distribution of JD Edwards reports through its advanced alert capabilities.
Modifications to the JD Edwards environment are unnecessary because CWA uses both UBE and the
application program interfaces (APIs) in the JD Edwards EnterpriseOne/World application suite. Native JD
Edwards function calls are therefore used for the integration.
Features and Benefits
The adapter and Cisco Workload Automation have successfully delivered rapid ROI to organizations investing in
JD Edwards solutions. Working together, they bring job scheduling for JD Edwards solutions into an enterprise
context and provide greater automation, visibility, control, and reliability. The following capabilities are crucial to
driving the benefits that users can expect from this solution:
Universal Workload Management - Workload management is an essential part of any ERP solution, because
it allows critical transactions from various databases and applications to occur at the right time, every time.
Cisco Workload Automation provides immediate problem detection, and in many cases, automatically launches
error resolution steps, enabling JD Edwards EnterpriseOne/World services to be delivered efficiently and
accurately.
Event-Driven Processing - In addition to time- and date-based job scheduling, the adapter can dynamically
introduce single jobs and entire workloads into a schedule when triggered by business events from other
adapters and platform-supported agents. Also, with the adapter, users can define events that can be used for
alerting and invoking an automated response through email and/or inserting additional jobs into the schedule.
Flexible Monitoring and Alerting - Job status and output is automatically logged and can be viewed using the
Cisco Workload Automation console. Alerts can be automatically sent to browser-enabled devices for anytime,
anywhere status updates and can be configured to initiate process recovery steps. Automated actions are
extensive and easily defined.
IT Policy Alignment - Each job can contain several process definitions that support granular controls and error
recovery procedures, making it possible for IT staff to consistently follow documented best practices.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) processes in the areas of request fulfillment, incident
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
management, and change management are supported and can include interfaces and integration techniques
available for a range of ITIL-oriented operations environments.
Robust Security and Audit Capabilities - Security policy - and changes to it - are tied to enterprise security
management tools and processes. The integrated security management features of Cisco Workload Automation
can be applied to the implementation of JD Edwards connections, various roles, and jobs to provide secure
management and support the use of required security credentials.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
17. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
Cognos
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos
IT operations that focus on the automation of business processes involve integrating a wide range of custom
and enterprise applications and the infrastructure on which they run, often with complex interdependencies. In
such environments, IT typically uses job scheduling tools to control batch and on demand event processing,
which are vital to the success of a range of business operations from sales to manufacturing to financial
management.
For the past decade, Cisco Workload Automation has been defining standards for job scheduling usability,
scalability, and breadth of coverage. The role of Cisco Workload Automation is to make connectivity, control,
and visibility of diverse technologies accessible directly through the Cisco Workload Automation user interface.
The breadth of coverage these adapters provide simplifies end-to-end scheduling of processes across the
enterprise.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos
Cisco Workload Automation for Cognos allows users to schedule relevant Cognos jobs in the context of all other
enterprise jobs. It puts stored reports and configuration items automatically into the UI so users can then define
Cognos jobs via point-and-click functionality without the need for custom scripting. As a platform-independent
solution, the adapter can run on any OS platform where Cisco Workload Automation master runs.
Improving Data Integration and Business Intelligence (BI) through Greater Workload Automation
Cognos Business Intelligence delivers a complete range of BI capabilities: reporting, analysis, dashboard
management, and scorecard creation. Cognos users can author, share, and use reports that draw on data
across many sources to make better business decisions. But without effective workload automation, data that
supports Cognos Business Intelligence reporting may not arrive at the right place at the right time. In addition,
poor visibility can make it difficult to see where processing bottlenecks exist. As a result, when process
integration between data integration; data warehouse; extract, transform, and load operations (ETL); and BI
reporting functionality is less than optimal, business decisions can be negatively impacted.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos enables the definition of workloads that keep data flowing
smoothly between source systems and the data warehouse. This powerful solution then coordinates and
triggers the running of reports in the correct order and with the correct data to meet business reporting service
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
level agreements (SLAs). With this adapter, users can load, define, launch, and monitor tasks in a Cognos
environment, while Cisco Workload Automation manages the moving parts in a BI infrastructure in the right
order and delivers them at the right time to the right person. The result is saved time, reduced errors, and the
ability to create ad hoc reports in an environment that normally requires considerable planning and a significant
level of control over service level management.
Features and Benefits
Using Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos can dramatically simplify the process of scheduling,
tracking, and managing all BI workloads regardless of the number of dependencies, systems, and applications
involved. This adapter, in combination with Cisco Workload Automation, offers the following capabilities:
Complex Dependency Management – BI operations staff can create job definitions that manage the most
complex Cognos dependency and runtime requirements.
Centralized View and Control – Cisco Workload Automation enables users to develop process streams and
manage the information flow from a centralized console, thereby providing greater control over all aspects of a
Cognos job environment, including its relationship to all other enterprise jobs.
Cognos Security Enforcement – The adapter enforces Cognos security policies by authenticating with
Cognos through associations between Cisco Workload Automation runtime users and Cognos security settings.
Creating a Cognos job from Cisco Workload Automation is highly secure and as simple as creating any other
Enterprise Scheduler job.
Complete Cognos Job Tracking – A Cisco Workload Automation job definition for Cognos refers to reportand-query data that is retrieved from the Cognos content store. The job definition can be augmented with
format, print, save, and e-mail disposition options, as well as parameter value overrides that can refer to
enterprise-wide scheduling variables. Once a job has submitted a task to the Cognos environment, the adapter
monitors the process until it is completed. It then returns the final completion status, as well as details
associated with the job run, to Cisco Workload Automation. This information can then be used to trigger
downstream jobs or other dependent workloads.
High Visibility and Fine Control – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos enables users to cancel,
abort, or rerun tasks from Cisco Workload Automation, a feature that provides better control over the scheduling
environment than that afforded by scripting or other non-integrated solutions.
Usage Scenario
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cognos users can leverage all the workload definition flexibility
provided by Cisco Workload Automation. They can use this comprehensive solution to merge BI system and
enterprise resource planning (ERP) application processes into a cohesive, centrally managed job stream, which
also provides error detection, automated remediation, and alerts management.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
As an example, users can define a process flow that confirms the receipt of data from a business partner. On
arrival, this data triggers appropriate ERP processes, which upon completion drives the execution of data
warehouse loading, downstream reporting, and online analytical processing (OLAP) cube generation.
Because the Cognos request set is defined like any other Cisco Workload Automation job, users can take full
advantage of job, file, and variable dependencies; calendars; event and email notifications; and all other Cisco
Workload Automation capabilities to manage Cognos scheduling in the context of the enterprise.
Features Summary
Benefits Summary
Leverages the Cognos BI web services application program
Leverages an investment in Cognos to enhance and extend
interface (API) for a tighter agentless integration between
an enterprise scheduling solution
Cisco Workload Automation and Cognos report and query
execution than possible through scripting alone
Packages all implementation details in the interface that
Reduces costs and increases efficiency by confining training
connects Cisco Workload Automation to Cognos
and operational support to one application automation
environment
Provides a content browser that locates reports and queries
Increases productivity and timely results with richer, more
to schedule and that can be restricted to specific packages
advanced scheduling features than offered by the native
and/or folders
Cognos scheduler
Enables any report or query parameter to be set dynamically
Enables any report or query parameter to be set dynamically
using Cisco Workload Automation variables, including
using Tidal variables, including calculated dates
calculated dates
Controls formats, such as hypertext mark-up
Supports data integrity and accuracy through comprehensive
language/portable document format (HTML/PDF), as well as
process scheduling and complete failure detection
disposition and destination through extensive output options
Enforces Cognos user and role security associated with
Provides security through the use of industry-standard
Cisco Workload Automation runtime users
lightweight data access protocol (LDAP) and Active Directory
integration
Provides security through the use of industry-standard
Increases visibility and enables users to understand business
lightweight data access protocol (LDAP) and Active Directory
process workloads in real time, easily audit them, and
integration
document what has occurred, helping to reduce production
processing time windows
Increases visibility and enables users to understand business
Reduces costs and increases efficiency through the use of
process workloads in real time, easily audit them, and
one enterprise-wide workload automation environment
document what has occurred, helping to reduce production
processing time windows
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
18. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS Introduction
to Cisco Workload Automation and Adapters
IT operations that focus on the automation of business processes involve integrating a wide range of custom
and enterprise applications and the infrastructure on which they run, often with complex interdependencies. In
such environments, IT typically uses job scheduling tools to control batch and on demand event processing,
which are vital to the success of a range of business operations from sales to manufacturing to financial
management.
For the past decade, Cisco Workload Automation has been defining standards for job scheduling usability,
scalability, and breadth of coverage. The role of the many adapters available for Cisco Workload Automation is
to make connectivity, control, and visibility of diverse technologies accessible directly through the Cisco
Workload Automation user interface. The breadth of coverage these adapters provide simplifies end-to-end
scheduling of processes across the enterprise.
Product Overview
The Challenge of Managing Dynamic Messaging Environments
Automating job scheduling across message-driven environments can be a challenge. Unlike traditional
enterprise-level systems, message-based topologies require integration with an enterprise service bus (ESB) or
other messaging backbone that acts as a message delivery brokerage service to consumers that are connected
to the various messaging distribution points. A wide array of message queues and message types must be
understood and supported to enable effective application integration within these types of environments.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for (Java Messaging Service) JMS extends the capabilities of Cisco
Workload Automation to the message-enabled platform, making it possible to define and execute jobs for a
variety of message bus and enterprise service bus technologies and to integrate them into an existing
enterprise-wide job scheduling architecture. This adapter helps users overcome the challenges of scheduling in
message-driven environments.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS enables IT operations staff to integrate message-based
application services into the broader enterprise scheduling environment, allowing users to create, send, and
receive messages that are transmitted through an enterprise messaging architecture.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Features and Benefits
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS comes preconfigured with connection settings for many standard
messaging architectures. The following capabilities and benefits encompass detailed features that users can
access in order to simplify job scheduling in message-enabled environments.
Message-Enabled Job Definitions – By using the Cisco Workload Automation web interface to create
message-enabled job definitions, the adapter makes it possible for users to connect to and deliver instances to
the messaging brokerage, which then places messages into the message bus. In addition, messages can be
received by Cisco Workload Automation and can trigger other jobs or activities as defined within the larger
scheduling environment. Messages can be delivered via ―point-to-pointǁǁ queues or ―publish-and-subscribeǁǁ
topics.
In point-to-point mode, only one target ―consumesǁǁ the message, which has the added benefit of allowing the
producer and consumer to work asynchronously. Publish-and-subscribe topic queues are mechanisms where a
JMS producer can publish messages and a group of JMS consumers can subscribe to a topic. Subscribers are
registered to receive messages on specific topics and routinely poll the message bus. When topics are
promoted to the bus, subscribers consume the message and take action on the contents.
Figure 10. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS enables job scheduling across message-based environments.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
Cisco Workload Automation Schedule Integration – One of the key strengths of the adapter is that the
messaging integration approach is made available for scheduling designs via Cisco Workload Automation job
definition screens. This extends standardization of operations across the full range of environments under Cisco
Workload Automation management, giving IT operations staff a robust and sophisticated tool with which to
incorporate messaging-based processes into the enterprise. In addition, as with other Cisco Workload
Automation adapters, the Adapter for JMS jobs can be executed through granular calendar, ad hoc, and on
demand scheduling techniques, bringing message-driven topologies into the enterprise scheduling framework
for the first time.
Accelerated Automation – Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS can drive IT-wide process automation
by giving IT operations staff the tools to orchestrate enterprise-wide job schedules and event-driven activities
from a portable, browser-based single pane of glass. The adapter also allows IT operations staff to accelerate
the delivery of service level agreements (SLAs) by making all scheduling activities more efficient and by
accelerating the ability to respond to business changes.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for JMS consolidates message-based scheduling automation with other
distributed processes, making it easier to comply with enterprise IT policies and standard operational processes.
Integrated security management features support required credentials authorization when implementing JMS
connections, enforcing process adherence to IT security rules as well. To add flexibility to Cisco Workload
Automation, the adapter can be used as a full-featured scheduling alternative to Cisco Workload Automation for
Web Services in distributed message-driven environments—particularly where adding a web services layer or
integrating into a SOA-based framework is not otherwise required.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
19. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for UCS
Manager
Adapter Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for UCS Manager
IT operations that focus on business process automation involve integration of a wide range of custom and
enterprise applications and the infrastructure on which they run, often with complex interdependencies. In such
environments, IT typically uses workload scheduling solutions to control batch and event-based data processing
and infrastructure operations. These are vital to the success of sales, manufacturing, and financial-management
business tasks.
Cisco Workload Automation has defined standards for workload usability, scalability, and breadth of coverage.
The role of the many adapters available for Cisco Workload Automation is to make connectivity, control, and
visibility of diverse technologies accessible directly through the Cisco Workload Automation user interface. The
breadth of coverage these adapters provide simplifies end-to-end scheduling of processes across the
enterprise.
Managing Complex Component Infrastructure in the Enterprise
Data center resource management has become difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone. It requires careful
coordination among a number of subject-matter experts, including server, network, and storage administrators.
Today, even in organizations striving to move toward methodologies based on Information Technology
Infrastructure Library (ITIL) concepts, administrators often must use separate element managers to configure
each component manually. Cisco UCS® Manager provides unified and embedded management of all software
and hardware components of the Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS). It integrates computing,
networking, storage access, and virtualization resources in a single, cohesive system.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cisco UCS Manager
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cisco UCS Manager allows users to schedule Cisco UCS Manager
component infrastructure jobs through Cisco Workload Automation. They can use its capabilities to automate,
simplify, and improve job scheduling and workload performance. The adapter integrates with Cisco UCS
Manager using the XML API. It automates Cisco UCS Manager activities for blade and rack server management
in the form of Cisco UCS Manager jobs.
Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cisco UCS Manager enables users of Cisco Workload Automation to
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
run a set of Cisco UCS Manager processes through a single point of control. The adapter allows users to
connect Cisco UCS server operations to enterprise workloads and define them as part of a business process. It
also allows them to define and use Cisco UCS server events. Users can schedule and run business processes,
manage their required server resources, and incorporate them into the data processing environment. In this
way, Cisco Workload Automation and its adapter for Cisco UCS Manager can help reduce operating costs by
optimizing server resources and administrative efficiency.
How Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cisco UCS Manager Works
Cisco UCS Manager exposes full-featured XML API objects, providing powerful ways to customize the behavior
of Cisco UCS. This allows Cisco Workload Automation to add, reboot, shut down, and reset Cisco UCS server
instances. Through the adapter’s easy-to-use interface, users can choose servers from a list of service profiles
or use the management tree interface to visually locate individual servers in the data center.
Users can schedule workflows from the Cisco Workload Automation browser-based and Java console, which
provides comprehensive scheduling features. These include detailed calendaring, events management, and
access to enterprise-wide dependencies.
Ultimately, Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for Cisco UCS Manager, in conjunction with Cisco Workload
Automation, allows organizations to use their existing technology and investment in Cisco UCS Manager. The
combination enables them to increase efficiency and focus resources on strategic business initiatives.
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
20. Cisco Workload Automation Adapter for
Hadoop
Adapters Overview
Cisco Workload Automation Sqoop Adapter Overview
The Cisco Workload Automation (CWA) Sqoop Adapter provides easy import and export of data from structured
data stores such as relational databases and enterprise data warehouses. Sqoop is a tool designed to transfer
data between Hadoop and relational databases. You can use Sqoop to import data from a relational database
management system (RDBMS) into the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), transform the data in Hadoop
MapReduce, and then export the data back into an RDBMS. Sqoop Adapter allows users to automate the tasks
carried out by Sqoop.
The Sqoop Adapter allows for the definition of the following job tasks:
Code Generation – This task generates Java classes which encapsulate and interpret imported
records. The Java definition of a record is instantiated as part of the import process, but can also be
performed separately. If Java source is lost, it can be recreated using this task. New versions of a class
can be created which use different delimiters between fields or different package name.
Export – The export task exports a set of files from HDFS back to an RDBMS. The target table must
already exist in the database. The input files are read and parsed into a set of records according to the
user-specified delimiters. The default operation is to transform these into a set of INSERT statements
that inject the records into the database. In "update mode," Sqoop will generate UPDATE statements
that replace existing records in the database.
Import – The import tool imports structured data from an RDBMS to HDFS. Each row from a table is
represented as a separate record in HDFS. Records can be stored as text files (one record per line), or
in binary representation such as Avro or SequenceFiles.
Merge – The merge tool allows you to combine two datasets where entries in one dataset will
overwrite entries of an older dataset. For example, an incremental import run in last-modified mode will
generate multiple datasets in HDFS where successively newer data appears in each dataset. The
merge tool will "flatten" two datasets into one, taking the newest available records for each primary
key. This can be used with both SequenceFile-, Avro- and text-based incremental imports. The file
types of the newer and older datasets must be the same. The merge tool is typically run after an
incremental import with the date-last-modified mode.
Cisco Workload Automation MapReduce Adapter Overview
Hadoop MapReduce is a software framework for writing applications that process large amounts of data (multiterabyte data-sets) in-parallel on large clusters (up to thousands of nodes) of commodity hardware in a reliable,
fault-tolerant manner. A Cisco Workload Automation MapReduce Adapter job divides the input data set into
independent chunks that are processed by the map tasks in parallel. The framework sorts the map’s outputs,
©2017 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public.
which are then input to the reduce tasks. Typically, both the input and output of the job are stored in a filesystem. The framework schedules tasks, monitors them, and re-executes failed tasks. Minimally, applications
specify the input/output locations and supply map and reduce functions via implementations of appropriate
interfaces and/or abstract-classes. These, and other job parameters, comprise the job configuration. The
Hadoop job client then submits the job (jar/executable etc.) and configuration to YARN. The client then assumes
the following responsibilities:
• Distributes the software/configuration to the slaves
•Schedules and monitors tasks
• Provides status and diagnostic information to the job -client
The MapReduce Adapter serves as the job client to automate the execution of MapReduce jobs as part of a
Cisco Workload Automation (CWA) managed process. The Adapter uses the Apache Hadoop API to submit and
monitor MapReduce jobs with full scheduling capabilities and parameter support. As a platform independent
solution, the Adapter can run on any platform where the CWA master runs.
The MapReduce Adapter provides real-time information on the execution of MapReduce job as it is running.
Figure 11 Jobs detail for a Maps Reduce program.
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Cisco Workload Automation Hive Adapter Overview
The Cisco Workload Automation Hive Adapter provides the automation of HiveQL commands as part of the
cross-platform process organization between Cisco Workload Automation (CWA) and the CWA Hadoop Cluster.
The Adapter is designed using the same user interface approach as other Cisco Workload Automation adapter
jobs, seamlessly integrating Hadoop Hive data management into existing operation processes.
The Hive Adapter allows you to access and manage data stored in the Hadoop Distributed File System
(HDFS™) using Hive's query language, HiveQL. HiveQL syntax is similar to SQL standard syntax. The Have
Adapter, in conjunction with Cisco Workload Automation, can be used to define, launch, control, and monitor
HiveQL commands submitted to Hive via JDBC on a scheduled basis. The Adapter integrates seamlessly in an
enterprise scheduling environment.
The Hive adapter includes the following features:
Connection management to monitor system status with a live connection to the Hive Server via JDBC
Scheduling and monitoring of HiveQL commands from a centralized work console with Cisco Workload
Automation
Dynamic runtime overrides for parameters and values passed to the HiveQL command
Output-formatting options to control the results, including table, XML, and CSV
Defined dependencies and events with Cisco Workload Automation for scheduling control
Runtime MapReduce parameters overrides if the HiveQL command results in a MapReduce job.
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