Submitting and Scheduling Process Requests

This chapter provides an overview of run control IDs and discusses how to:

• Submit process requests.

• Schedule process requests.

Note. This chapter is intended for the PeopleSoft application user who uses PeopleSoft Process Scheduler from a web browser to run background processes, such as PeopleSoft Application Engine, COBOL, or Structured Query Report (SQR). Depending on your security authorizations, you can run background processes on your browser or on a network server.

Understanding Run Control IDs

To run a report, you must tell the system when and where you want the report to run. For example, you might tell the system to run the report on the database server at midnight or on a Microsoft Windows server every Sunday afternoon, or you might tell it to run the report immediately. For most reports, you must also set parameters that determine the content of the report, such as the business unit or time period on which to report.

A run control is a database record that provides values for these settings. Instead of entering the same values each time you run a report, you create and save a run control with those settings. The next time that you run the report, you select the run control, and the system completes the settings.

You can create run controls that apply to several related reports. For example, suppose that all of the reports that you run at the end of a month require the same parameters: business unit, department, and from and to dates. You can create a single run control that provides values for these parameters and use it for every report.

Conversely, you can create several run controls for the same report to manage different situations. For example, you can create one run control that sets the parameters for a quarterly report and another run control that sets them for a year-to-date version of the same report. Each time that you run the report, you select the appropriate run control. This way, you can print several variations of the same report without changing the settings every time.

A run control ID is used as a key (with a user ID) for records that contain the parameters that a process needs at runtime. Storing the parameters in a table that the process can query using the run control ID and user ID enables the process to run without user intervention. Run control IDs are stored in a minimum of two tables: an application run control table and the Tools Run Control table (PSPRCSRQST). You can examine the PS_PRCSRUNCNTL table as a sample application run control table.

The PeopleTools Run Control table stores information that is required by PeopleSoft Process Scheduler, such as output type, format, distribution, file dependency, and destination. The application run control table stores information that is required to run a process, such as the from date, department ID, employee ID, and so on. All application run control tables are keyed by user ID and run control ID.

Note. Run control IDs are product-specific. See your PeopleSoft product documentation for details on the run control IDs that you will be using. It is recommended to use alphanumeric characters when possible since some special characters may cause conflicts with some products.

Submitting Process Requests

This section discusses how to:

• Use the Process Request Dialog page.

• Run processes from PeopleSoft applications.

Page Used to Submit Process Requests

Using the Process Request Dialog Page

The Process Request Dialog page shows the run control ID that you selected or added for submitting your process request. It also includes links to Report Manager and Process Monitor so that you can check the progress of your job and view its content immediately after it is posted.

The Process Request Dialog page has two additional pages that show your options for submitting requests if you do not run the process from the browser:

• The Component Interface page enables you to run the process from a component.

• The ProcessRequest PeopleCode page enables you to run the process using PeopleCode.

This chapter is written with the primary focus of submitting process requests from the browser. Click the Run button to access the Process Scheduler Request page.

See Also

Scheduling Processes from Outside the PeopleSoft System

Using the PeopleCode ProcessRequest Class

Running Processes from PeopleSoft Applications

To expedite the process of running reports, PeopleTools delivers Run Control subpages for application developers. Using these subpages, application developers can run reports without accessing the Process Request Dialog page.

The following subpages are recommended for application developers to use:

• PRCSRUN_LC_SBP

• PRCSRUN_RL_SBP

• PRCSRUN_SBP

• PRCSRUN_SBP2

The subpages comprise the following buttons:

See Also

Defining a Subpage

Scheduling Process Requests

This section provides an overview of PeopleSoft Process Scheduler Requests and discusses how to:

• Specify process variables.

• Set job detail information.

• Select output types and formats.

• Set report distribution.

• Set log/output directory and report repository.

Understanding PeopleSoft Process Scheduler Requests

The Process Scheduler Request page enables you to submit a job or process to run. This page is commonly integrated into applications to support process requests that you make from a PeopleSoft application by clicking Run.

When you click Run, the Process Scheduler Request page appears, showing all of the jobs and processes that you have the security to run.

The Process Scheduler Request page enables you to specify variables, such as where a process runs and in what format the process output is generated. You can set:

• Server name.

• Run date, run time, and time zone.

• Recurrence.

• Output type.

• Output format.

• Output destination.

• Distribution.

Pages Used to Schedule Process Requests

Specifying Process Variables

Access the Process Scheduler Request page.

Server Name	Select the name of the server on which you want the process to run.
Recurrence	Select the recurring time intervals for the process to run. For example, to run a process every weekday at 5:00 p.m., select the predefined recurrence definition M-F at 5pm.
Time Zone	Select the time zone in which the process will run. For example, you might be in Eastern Standard Time (EST) and schedule a process to run in Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Run Date	Select the date on which you want the process to run.
Run Time	Select the time when you want the process to run.
Reset to Current Date/Time	Click to reset the run date and time to the present date and time.
Select	Select a job or process to run. You can select multiple jobs and processes.
Description	Identifies a process or job. Jobs are listed as links. Click the link to display the Job Detail page, which shows all of the individual processes and jobs that are associated with the selected main job.
Process Name and Process Type	Identifies the name and type (such as COBOL or Crystal) of the process as it appears in the process or job definition.
Type	Select the output type for this job or process. An output type that is selected for a process at the process definition level overwrites the output type, and the output type drop-down list box becomes unavailable. An output type that is selected for a job at the main job level carries through to the job items. An output type that is selected for individual job items overwrites the output type that is entered for the parent job. Output type for an XML Publisher report is set at the report definition level. Options set at that level may render the output type drop-down list box unavailable. File: Writes the output to the file that you indicate in the Output Destination field. Note. For PS/nVision, the Output Destination must contain the full path and the name of the file. Printer: Sends the output to a printer. You can enter a custom printer location in the Output Destination field if you have the appropriate security access. If the Output Destination field is left blank, the printer that is defined on the Process Profile Permissions page is used. If that printer is undefined, the default printer that is defined for the process scheduler is used. Email: Sends the output by email. To distribute a report to an email list, enter the appropriate information on the Distribution Detail page by clicking the Distribution link. By default, the output is sent by email to the person running the process. This option is available for SQR, PS/nVision, and Crystal reports. Web: Sends all output of the process to the report repository, including log and trace files. The format of the report is specified by the format list. Window: Sends the output to a new browser window. The status of the process now appears in the new browser window before the results are displayed. The different states can be Queued, Initiated, Processing, Success, Error, or Warning. All output for the process is also sent to the report repository, including log and trace files. The format of the report is specified by the format list. When multiple processes are requested, a new browser window is opened for each request. Note. This output type is not available if the user does not have REN server Report Window permission, or no active REN server cluster is available for Reporting. To grant access to the new browser window, the permission lists of the users must include full access for the Realtime Event Notification for Reporting Window and the WEBLIB_RPT web library with full access.
Format	Select the output format for this job or process. When an output format is selected for a process at the process definition level, it cannot be changed. Therefore, the Format drop-down list box becomes unavailable. An output format that is selected for a job at the main job level carries through to the job items. The format that is selected for individual processes or jobs that are attached to a job override the format that is entered for the parent job. Output format for an XML Publisher report is set at the report definition level. Options set at that level may render the output format drop-down list box unavailable.
Distribution	Click the Distribution link to access the Distribution Detail page, where you enter additional distribution information when the output type is Web, Window, or Email. Also use this page to select a folder name to which the output should be distributed when the output type is Web or Window.
File Dependency	Click the File Dependency link to access the File Dependency page, where you can change the name of the file that is currently listed. Note. File dependency information is saved with the run control ID. Therefore, information that is changed in the process definition will not appear here.
Output Destination	Enter the file path or printer destination for the output. This field is available only when the output type that you select is File or Printer. If you select an output destination for a process at the process definition level, this field is populated with that output destination. Note. For PS/nVision, if the output type is File, the output destination must contain the full path and the name of the file.

See Also

Defining Recurrence Definitions

Defining Process Type Definitions

Defining Process Output Types

Defining Process Output Formats

Setting Process Definition Options

Defining Permissions

Setting Output Options

Setting Job Detail Information

Access the Job Detail page.

When a job or JobSet is listed, only the main job appears on the Process Scheduler Request page. The Job Detail page displays all of the jobs and processes that are attached to the main job in a hierarchical view that assists you with specifying output options and distribution information for individual processes.

Note. You can specify the output options for jobs either at the main job level or for each job or process in the job.

See Also

Defining Jobs and JobSets

Selecting Output Types and Formats

Access the Process Scheduler Request page.

You can choose from several file output types and formats for your process. The following table lists file output types by process type. The output type for PS/nVision is the same as the default output type on the PS/nVision Report Request page.

Note. TheWindow output type is not available if the user does not have REN server Report Window permission, or no active REN server cluster is available for Reporting.

To grant access to the new browser window, the permission lists of the users must include full access for the Realtime Event Notification for Reporting Window and the WEBLIB_RPT web library with full access.

See Defining Permissions.

Note. If you select the Window output option for your process on the Process Request Dialog page, a message indicating that report notification is not supported on Apple Safari appears. The process is submitted to the web instead.

Note. For Process Type XML Publisher, available output options are based on the report definition template type.

See Creating Report Definitions.

The following table lists valid file output formats by process type.

Note. You must install Adobe Acrobat Reader on your workstation to read PDF files.

Note. For Process Type Crystal, output format HTM is available with Crystal Reports 9 only.

When using BusinessObjects Enterprise XI, the default output format for Window output type is PDF.

Setting Report Distribution

Access the Distribution Detail page.

Note. You must specify an output type of Web, Window, or Email for the distribution list to be accepted when the process instance is created

Folder Name	Select the folder in which the report results are posted. Folders organize report results into meaningful groups and can be viewed from Report Manager. Note. This option is available only when the output type on the Process Scheduler Request page for this process is Web or Window.
Distribute To	Select the recipients of the process output. Select an ID type of User or Role and the corresponding distribution ID. Email recipients must be authorized to view the content of the email and their email addresses must be entered in their security user profiles.
Email Subject	Enter the text that appears in the subject line of the email. If this field is empty, the following default text message is used: Output from <Program Name>(<Process Instance>).
Email With Log	Select to include log files resulting from the SQR program as attachments to the email file (SQR only).
Email Web Report	Select to send an email with a link to the completed report output. This option is available only when the output type for the request is Web.
Message Text	Enter text to appear in the body of the email. If this field is empty, the following default text message is used: Message from Process Scheduler running on system <Process Scheduler Server Agent> using database <Database Name>.
Email Address List	Enter a list of email addresses, separated by semicolons, to which the email should be sent.

See Also

Administering User Profiles

Setting Log/Output Directory and Report Repository

When Process Scheduler submits a request, the system creates a new subdirectory to store the log, trace, and reports that were generated by the request. This subdirectory is created in the directory that is specified in the Log/Output Directory parameter in the Process Scheduler configuration file psprcs.cfg. When a high volume of requests is being processed by the Process Scheduler server, limitations imposed by the operating system can prevent additional directories from being generated for the new requests. For instance, certain UNIX flavors only allocate 32K Inodes for a directory.

To prevent the Log/Output directory from reaching the limit that is imposed by the operating system, you can set up additional subdirectories using meta variables. You can modify the Log/Output directory parameter to include any of the meta variables that are listed below in order to build additional subdirectories.

The meta variables are:

Log/Output Directory

By default, the Log/Output directory is %PS_SERVDIR%\log_output. You can modify the structure of the subdirectory to include the date and hour as subdirectories by changing the default parameter to:

%PS_SERVDIR%\log_output\%CURRDATE%\%CURRHOUR%

Report Repository

You can use the same mechanism to alter the subdirectory structure for the Report Repository. To change the directory structure in the Report Repository, you need to modify the definition of the Report Node stored in the PS_CDM_DIST_NODE.

In the PS_CDM_DIST_NODE table, the field CDM_DIR_TEMPLATE sets the directory structure like this:

%DBNAME%/%CURRDATE%/%REPORTID

You can alter the value of the field to include any of the meta-variables listed previously.

See Also

Log and Output Directory