Job Management. HelpSystems 12

Robot SCHEDULE 12 automates common operator duties including job scheduling and batch job management. Schedule jobs based on time patterns or in reaction to events on any IBM i in a network. Robot SCHEDULE runs jobs as directed, freeing your operators to concentrate on other tasks and making them more productive.

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JOB MANAGEMENT

Managing Jobs

The Robot SCHEDULE Explorer offers multiple ways to work with your existing jobs.

Clearing Completion Codes

Clearing Completion Codes for a Job

If you need to rerun a job that Robot SCHEDULE ran today, you should clear its completion code first. You can use the

Job Schedule List to clear the completion code for a job.

1. Right-click the job and select Blank Completion Code from the options menu.

2. Use the Clear Completion Codes window to select the days for which you want to clear the completion codes.

3. To run the job again, right-click it select the Do Job Now override code to run the job immediately or the Run

Next Time override code to run the job at its next run time.

Clearing Completion Codes for Prerequisite Jobs

Use the Job Schedule List to clear the completion status of a prerequisite job for a reactive job.

1. Right-click the reactive job and select Prerequisite Status.

2. Select the prerequisite job and select Insert Status.

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Job Management / Work With Active Jobs Window

3. Select B Blank Status to clear the Actual Status for the prerequisite job.

Clearing Completion Codes for All Jobs

Robot SCHEDULE records the completion of each job in its weekly job completion log. It clears its weekly log automatically as its first action each Monday morning (just after midnight). You also can clear all completion codes for all jobs for the current week by selecting Clear Completion Codes from the Explorer Tree view.

Notes:

The Clear Completion Codes option does not clear the job completion history, job logs, or reactive job completion codes.

You can clear one or more completion codes for an individual job by selecting the job in the List view or from the

Job Schedule List. See The Job Schedule List, later in this User Guide, for more information on clearing a completion code for an individual job.

To clear all completion codes for all jobs for the current week,

1. Right-click the system name.

2. Select Clear Completion Codes.

3. A confirmation window displays asking you to confirm that you want to clear the completion codes. Select Yes to clear all job completion codes; select No to cancel the request.

Work With Active Jobs Window

The Work with Active Jobs window contains information about all of the jobs currently active in your IBM i server. To display the Work with Active Jobs window, select a system, right-click, select Server, and select Work with Active Jobs.

Job Attributes

Use the Job Attributes window to display detailed Status Attribute, Definition Attribute, Run Attribute, and Library List information for a job. Use this information for troubleshooting when job problems occur.

To display a job’s attributes, select a job, right-click and select Job Attributes. The Display Job Attributes window displays information about the job’s attributes organized by status, definition, run, and library list. (For specific information about the information displayed, refer to the appropriate IBM documentation.)

Ending Jobs

If you have the proper authority, you can end any job from the Work with Active Jobs window. To end a job, right-click and select End Job. The End Job dialog appears.

Select Yes when the confirmation dialog displays. Check the Use *IMMED when ending check box to end the job immediately (this is the default setting). If you do not select Use IMMED when ending, the job is ended in a controlled manner (*CNTRLD).

Note: Your IBM i user profile authority determines which functions you can perform on the system. The Robot

NETWORK Explorer does not override this authority.

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Job Management / Running Missed Jobs

Holding and Releasing Jobs

You can hold or release jobs and their associated spooled files using the Work with Active Jobs window. When you hold or release a job, the window refreshes and the job’s new status displays.

Note: If the job is currently held, the Hold Job option is unavailable (greyed out); conversely, if the job is active, the

Release Job option is unavailable (greyed out).

1. Select Hold Job to hold the job or Release Job to release it. If you select to hold a job, a confirmation dialog displays to verify your choice.

2. Select Yes on the confirmation dialog to hold the selected job. You also can select to hold all of the spooled files associated with the job (this is the default setting).

Job QHST Log

Use the Display Job QHST Log option to display the contents of the message history queue (QHST) log for the selected job.

1. Select Display Job QHST Log from the menu to display the History Log window. The log shows the contents of the job log associated with the job message history.

2. You can save some or all of the messages displayed to a file or the clipboard.

3. You can display details about a message in the QHST message history log. Select a message, right-click to display the menu, and select Message details (this option is unavailable if you have selected multiple messages).

4. You can save some or all of the message detail to a file or the clipboard.

Job Log

Use the Display Job Log option to display the contents of the job log for the job you have selected.

1. Select Display Job Log from the menu to display the contents of the job log associated with the job.

2. You can save some or all of the job log to a file or the clipboard.

3. Select a message, right-click to display the menu, and select Message details to display details.

4. You can save some or all of the message detail to a file or the clipboard.

Running Missed Jobs

Jobs that would have run while the system was shut down are called missed jobs. Robot SCHEDULE lets you run any jobs that were missed. You can run all jobs missed since a specific time or choose specific jobs to run.

Note: Robot SCHEDULE also can run missed jobs automatically. Each time Robot SCHEDULE starts, it can check for jobs missed since midnight. Select Run Autowork at Startup of SCHEDULE on the General System Defaults window.

Or, you can insert a call to program AUTOWORK in your startup program; Robot SCHEDULE must be running before you call AUTOWORK.

To run missed jobs:

1. Right-click the system name.

2. Select Run Missed Jobs. The Run Missed Jobs window displays:

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Job Management / Running Missed Jobs

3. Enter the date and time at which you want Robot SCHEDULE to start checking for missed jobs.

Today’s Date: If you enter today’s date, Robot SCHEDULE looks for jobs scheduled from the time you chose to the current time.

Earlier Dates: If you enter an earlier date, Robot SCHEDULE looks for jobs scheduled from the time you chose until midnight of that date. Then it stops. If you need to check for missed jobs on more than one date, enter each date separately. Note: If you enter a date prior to the current week, be sure to select

Check Completion History in step 4 so it will check completion history to see whether jobs have run. (Job completion codes are reset on Sunday evening at midnight.)

Multiple Runs: If a job was scheduled to run more than one time on the date you specified, Robot

SCHEDULE runs each missed job only once even if it has missed more than one run time. If a multiplerun job has completed once successfully on the date, it is not listed as “missed.”

4. Select Check Completion History to check for a job’s completion status. If an entry is found for the date you specified, it will not be considered “missed.”

Note: This parameter relies on completion history to perform an accurate check. Purged history records can make a job appear to have been “missed” when it actually ran.

5. Select Display list of missed jobs to display the Jobs Missed Finder window.

Use the Jobs Missed Finder to display all scheduled jobs that were missed when Robot SCHEDULE was shut down. You can select specific jobs from the list to submit or click the Submit All Missed Jobs button to submit all jobs listed.

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Job Management / Schedule Override Codes

6. Select the jobs you want to run.

7. Select Submit All Missed Jobs to submit the selected jobs.

Schedule Override Codes

Robot SCHEDULE lets you override the normal run schedule for a job as needed. You can do this from the Job

Schedule List and in several other windows in the product.

Note: Because the Job Schedule List displays all jobs, this section discusses all the schedule override codes available in Robot SCHEDULE. The override codes available on other setup windows vary depending on the type of job being displayed and are discussed in the appropriate section of this User Guide.

To specify a schedule override code, just select the code from the options available on the window. The code overrules the run schedule for the job temporarily, but does not change it permanently.

Do Job Now Override Code

The Do Job Now override code allows you to run most jobs immediately, even if the Robot SCHEDULE monitors are not active. The exceptions are group control jobs, Submit-Delay model jobs, and jobs that use the REACT scheduling option. If you select the Do Job Now option for a group control job, the Robot SCHEDULE monitors must be active for the jobs to run. This option is not allowed for Submit-Delay model jobs. If you select the Do Job Now option for a REACT job, the job runs, but any reactive jobs won’t run until the Robot SCHEDULE monitors are active.

When you select the Do Job Now option for a job, all exception scheduling options are ignored. This includes the OPAL object, if the job has one. A window displays on which you confirm or cancel the request.

After the job run completes, the job completion history is updated. If it is scheduled to run only once in a day, the job is not run again the same day unless you blank out its completion code (its normal schedule resumes the next day).

If the Robot SCHEDULE monitors are active and the job is a Group Control Job, the Do Job Now option causes Robot

SCHEDULE to submit the group. If you select the option for a Group Control Job, all job options, including exception

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Job Management / Schedule Override Codes scheduling options (even OPAL), process normally. If you want to start a dependent group with a specific member and continue through the rest of the group, use the Start Now with this Member option, described on the next page.

Note: If the job has its own LDA record, selecting Do Job Now will submit the job and the LDA record. If there is no LDA record for the job, the Do Job Now override code submits the job with the LDA from your interactive job.

Special Override Options

The Do Job Now override code also allows you to specify special override options that let you run most jobs immediately, even if the Robot SCHEDULE monitors are not active. The exceptions are group control jobs and Submit-

Delay model jobs. The Robot SCHEDULE monitors must be active to enter a special override option on a group control job. You cannot enter a special override option on a Submit-Delay model job.

All exception scheduling options are ignored, including an OPAL object if a job has one, if you do not select the Do with

OPAL option.

You can choose the following special override options:

DO with OPAL—Runs before- or after- OPAL for the selected job

DO without reactivity—Runs the job and prevents reactivity

DO and set to run at scheduled time—If the job is scheduled to run only once on the day that the special override option is selected, the job runs immediately and at the scheduled time.

After the job completes, the job completion history is updated.

Notes:

If you select the Do Job Now override code and then, later in the same day, select the DO and set to run at scheduled time special override option, the job’s completion is not cleared because the job ran earlier in the day.

If you select the DO and set to run at scheduled time special override option on an OPAL delay job, the job may not clear the completion code. OPAL delay jobs are temporary jobs and are created separately from the original job.

Other Override Codes

Hold

Select the Hold override code to keep the job from running. The job will not run until after you remove the override.

Hold Application

Select the Hold Application override code to hold all jobs belonging to the same application as this job. A window appears with the name of the application; you then can confirm or cancel the request.

Omit Next Time

Select the Omit Next Time override code to keep the job from running at its next scheduled time. After that time has passed, Robot SCHEDULE removes the Omit Next Time override code and the normal schedule resumes.

Note: The Omit Next Time override code acts like a normal completion. If you have a reactive job waiting for a completion code of C from the job you are overriding, the Omit Next Time override code will kick off the reactive job.

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Job Management / Job Setup Window

Run Next Time

Select the Run Next Time override code to run the job at its next run time. The job will run at the next run time, regardless of any other scheduling options, such as Daily/Weekly, Advanced Scheduling, or Exception Scheduling. For example, if a job is scheduled to run at 9:00 and 11:00 Monday through Friday and you enter the Run Next Time override code at

15:00 on Friday, the job will run at 9:00 on Saturday.

If the job was put on hold before you selected the Run Next Time override code, it is put back on hold after the job run completes. If the job was not on hold, it returns to its normal run schedule.

Remove Override

Select the Remove Override code to remove any schedule override code on the job.

Release Application

Enter the Release Application override code to release all jobs belonging to the same application as this job. A window displays asking you to confirm or cancel the request.

Start Now With This Member

Select the Start Now with this Member override code option to start the group at this job, rather than re-running the entire group.

Job Setup Window

Use the Robot SCHEDULE Job Setup window to schedule jobs in Robot SCHEDULE.

Complete the following fields:

Name

Enter a name for the job.

Description

Enter a description for the job.

Run Times

Enter the run times for the job.

Run Days

Click the downward arrow for each day you want the job to run and then select the week of the month (or every week) on which you want the job to run.

Job Attributes

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Job Management / Job Log Viewer

The Status Attributes tab displays information on the job’s current status, including the user profile that ran the job, its start time, type, and other job information.

The Definition Attributes tab displays job definition information.

The Library Lists tab displays the library lists used for the job.

The Run Attributes tab displays job run information.

Job Log Viewer

Use the Job Log window to display the system messages associated with a selected job.

Copy Applications

Use the Copy Application window to enter a new name for a copied application.

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Key features

Job scheduling software
Batch job management system
Audit reports for SOX compliance
Enterprise job scheduler
Create reactivity with a remote Skybot Scheduler server
Manage Jobs Across Your Network
Enterprise Scheduling
Robot Automated Operations Solution

Frequently asked questions

Robot SCHEDULE is advanced job scheduling software for IBM i (OS/400, i5/OS) running on IBM Power Systems (System i, iSeries, AS/400). It automates common operator duties including job scheduling and batch job management. It schedules jobs based on time patterns or in reaction to events on any IBM i in a network. It runs jobs as directed, freeing your operators to concentrate on other tasks and making them more productive.

Robot SCHEDULE offers job scheduling software, batch job management system, audit reports for SOX compliance, enterprise job scheduler, Create reactivity with a remote Skybot Scheduler server, Manage Jobs Across Your Network and Enterprise Scheduling.

Robot SCHEDULE works with the other products of the Robot Automated Operations Solution, giving you the ability to completely automate all your scheduling needs. When a job fails or requires human intervention, Robot SCHEDULE works with Robot ALERT to send a text, email, or pager message directly to your operator. If your systems are connected in a network using Robot NETWORK, our network management software, you can use Robot SCHEDULE in host mode to send jobs, scheduling objects, and system setup information among systems, receive statuses from other systems, and provide cross-system reactivity.

User questions

Mary D.

What status codes from a prerequisite job can trigger a reactive job?

A reactive job can be triggered by various status codes from the prerequisite job, including normal completion, abnormal termination, either normal completion or abnormal termination (including jobs that return a 'W' completion status), submitted, running, delayed by OPAL, skipped by OPAL, or pending OPAL.

Mary D.

What is the definition of reactive jobs in Robot SCHEDULE?

Reactive jobs in Robot SCHEDULE are jobs scheduled to run only after specific prerequisite conditions are met. They 'react' to these conditions before execution.