Creating a File Dependency

Overview

Job dependencies mean that jobs depend on the status (such as Completed Normally ) of other jobs to run. Using file dependencies, you can have jobs depend on the availability and status of files as a condition of execution. File dependencies are set up using the File Dependency dialog which is accessible when you create or edit a job definition.

In this chapter, we will create a job ( EDI_Download ) that is dependent on the existence of the EDI_File.txt file.

Figure 7-1 EDI_Download Job Depends on the Existence of the EDI_File File

 

 

To properly complete this exercise, you need to have a solid understanding of the following concepts:

  • How to add and create a new job definition
  • How to navigate to and between the Jobs pane and the Job Activity pane

This chapter describes how to:

  • Create a job with a file dependency
  • Create a file to satisfy the dependency

Note To complete the exercises in this tutorial, you need to:

  • Install Enteprise Scheduler in the default directory Scheduler (or the examples in this tutorial will not work properly)
  • Select the Super User option in your User definition
  • Configure a default agent
  • Create and have available the work day calendar

 

Creating a Job with a File Dependency

To create a job with a File dependency:

1. From the Navigator pane, select Definitions>Jobs to display the Jobs pane.

2. Right-click in the Jobs pane of the console and select Add Job from the context menu, or click the Add Job button on the toolbar.

The Job Definition dialog displays.

3. In the Job Name field, type EDI_Download .

4. On the Program tab, enter the full path to Edi.bat in the Command field.

5. Click the Schedule tab and from the Calendar Name list select the work day calendar.

6. Click the Dependencies tab.

7. Display the File Dependency dialog by clicking the Add button and selecting Add File Dependency field.

a. Enter C:\Program Files\<Installation Directory>\Agent\Tutorial\Edi_File.txt in the File Name field . The full path to this file must be typed in because the file does not yet exist. We will create Edi_File.txt later, in the section Creating a File to Satisfy the Dependency.

b. The Agent Name field should already have a Windows agent listed–the agent you selected as your default agent at the beginning of this tutorial. If there is no agent listed or an agent other than the Windows agent is selected, then select your local Windows agent from the Agent Name list.

8. Click OK to accept the default settings. Enteprise Scheduler’s default is that the dependency is met after the file is created.

9. Click the Dependencies tab.

 

The full path to EDI_File.txt appears in the Dependency Name column. The Type of dependency is listed as FILE to indicate that it is a file dependency.

10. Click OK to save the job definition for EDI_Download .

11. Click OK in the Effective Date dialog to add the job to the schedule.

Viewing the Job in Production

To view the job in production:

1. Open the Job Activity pane.

2. The EDI_Download job first appears with a Waiting on Dependencies status. It goes through different stages and ends in a Scheduled status.

Figure 7-2 EDI_Download Job Scheduled to Run

 

 

3. Select the EDI_Download job occurrence.

4. Right-click the EDI_Download job and select Details from the context menu to see its Job Detail dialog.

5. Click the Dependencies tab to view the file dependency status.

The Job Detail dialog displays the file dependency for this job.

6. Click OK to close the dialog.

Creating a File to Satisfy the Dependency

In this example, the dependency only requires that the file exists and does not require any specific data. For this exercise, we just create an empty file since the job does not require any data from the file. Normally, however, this kind of dependency is set up because the job uses the data from the file’s input.

To create a file to satisfy the dependency:

1. Open a new document in a text editor or word processing program, such as Notepad or Microsoft Word.

2. Save the file as EDI_File.txt in the location that you specified when defining the file dependency ( C:\Program Files\<Installation Directory>\Agent\Tutorial EDI_File.txt ), substituting the name of the directory where Scheduler is installed for <Installation Directory> . Some software will supply a file extension for you, such as .txt or .doc . For your file to satisfy the dependency, the name must match exactly. Saving as a plain text file helps ensure the correct file name.

3. Double-check that the file exists, is correctly named and in the correct directory.

Monitoring the Job in Production

Open the Job Activity pane.

You can see that the file dependency for the EDI_Download job is met and the job goes from a Waiting on Dependencies state into an Active state.

Congratulations! In this chapter, you have created a job with a file dependency, and fulfilled that dependency requirement by creating the file. By this time, you should also feel comfortable with moving between the Job Activity pane and Jobs pane, and with the basic procedure for adding a job.