Scheduler Start Time

Hi

I am not sure if others experience this, but I find the Start Time on the scheduler a bit confusing in that there are 2 areas that it can be entered.

In the attached example the initial frame has it starting at a specific time and then the Advanced Frame has it starting at a different time when on repeat.
The Grid shows it next starting at the time nominated in the first panel.

The scheduling works - it just seems a bit confusing.

Also, on occasions we have a workflow that adjusts the next start time. This is specifically to handle the scenario where we don't know when the data will arrive but once it does, we need to process and reschedule for the original time the next day. IF there is a problem on our end and the workflow is executed a number of times then the Next Schedule Runtime keeps getting shuffled along (every 24 hours) and if we miss that it changed then the workflow may not run for a few days. But when we go into change the Next Start Time it never seems to stick and I have to do it manually in the database backend. I suspect it may have something to do with having 2 'start times.'

We are using a scheduler and not a Monitor because the source endpoint is either a mailbox or an SFTP folder and on occasions these monitors miss new inbound messages.

cheers

 
 
 

Hi Bruce

Apologies for not replying to your post earlier.

Working with the scheduler is indeed confusing and it was even more confusing writing it

>>> I am not sure if others experience this, but I find the Start Time on the scheduler a bit confusing in that there are 2 areas that it can be entered.

Having two start times allows us to cover the following situations:

I want to start the execution package from this "specific date and time (1)" within the following "execution window (2)"

Every time  the scheduler record is updated the next execution time is calculated and saved into START_AT field (First start time)

Most of the users forget to take into account the current time.

For example 

The execution window is 11:00 (2) to 17:00 every 30 minutes

Current time is 10:00, calculated start time is  today at 11:00 (START_AT )

Current time is 11:25, calculated start time is today at 11:30 (START_AT )

Current time is 17:25, calculated start time is tomorrow at 11:00 (START_AT )

There is also a start date to consider you may set a start date 2 days before the current date but the software will still calculate the next execution start time (START_AT ) in relation to the current time

Or you can set a start date 2 days after, for example on Friday you may want to start running the package from Monday.

I hope it clarifies it a bit

 

Thanks Mike.

I think I am also one who fails to consider the Current Time. But the attached sample is what I come across all the time. Which is when I need to adjust when a task is to start. Tyically make it run a bit earlier

In this case (not real world...

• I initially setup the task to start at 12:10PM and had it repeating from 12:10 to say midnight
• I then wanted it to start a few minutes earlier at 12:02. 
• I went into the Repeating section because I want it to always start at 12:02 today and every day 
• It was not yet 12:10. In fact, I don't think it was even 12:02 when I did this. Think it was about 12:00 (neat)

 

You can see that after changing the repeating time and clickin OK through. The original starting time remains at 12:10

I repeated the test and believe it happens if you go back in time. Advancing the start time seems to be ok. But bringing it back earlier before the current start time I believe is the issue. Even if that time has not yet passed.

cheers

 

Hi.

I still think there is something amiss when editing the start time of an existing scheduled package.  In this case the task has a step to recalculate the next start time and updates the schedule by 24 hours when the package has finished.

However, we had an issue where this package ran multiple times and consequently kept adjusting the schedule by 24 hours resulting in being a few days out. When I went to use the UI to correct the next start date. It kept overriding my start time even though the DAY was the next day and not today.

it was overriding my start "time" which was earlier than the current "time" to the "time" of when the scheduled entry was originally created.

The attached screen shot shows this better.