7.5. Scheduler

The SICS Scheduler is where you define batch jobs and the schedules to which they run. A batch job is a sequence of commands submitted for execution as a single unit. In many cases, batch jobs accumulate during working hours and are then executed during the evening or another time the computer is idle, as batch jobs often requirelarge resources.

Scheduler Setup #

The SICS Scheduler allows you to have multiple running batch schedulers with inclusion /exclusion of jobs based on Job Step Type, e.g. Accounting Orders, Automatic Renewal, General Ledger Transfer, Mass Pairing etc. By having the possibility to define multiple schedulers, it is possible to separate more time consuming jobs from other daily jobs by running them individually.

Create new scheduler #

1. From the System Administration Utility desktop, select Periodic Functions and then Scheduler
2. Select Scheduler Setup and select New from the pop-up menu
3. Enter Name
4. Enter a Description if wanted
5. Press OK

Configure the scheduler #

Link the scheduler to one or multiple Job Step Types.

1. From the System Administration Utility desktop, select Periodic Functions and then Scheduler
2. Select Scheduler Setup and select the Configuration tab
3. Select New from the pop-up menu
4. Select wanted scheduler from the drop-down
5. Enter
6. Priority
7. Select Job Step Type.
   If selected Job Step Type is “Accounting Orders”

• select Accounting Order Types
• indicate whether selected Accounting Order Types should be included or excluded

8. Press OK

Delete a scheduler #

Remove a scheduler e.g. set up in error

1. From the System Administration Utility desktop, select Periodic Functions and then Scheduler
2. Select Scheduler Setup and select Delete from the pop-up menu

Note! A scheduler can only be deleted if not linked to an actual job or a template.

Field description 1. Scheduler setup

Job Scheduler #

The Scheduled Job facility is used to define batch jobs and the schedules to which they run.

• Accounting Order
• Exchange Rate Loader
• External Program
• General Ledger Transfer
• MTK Loader
• EDI Batch
• Life specific non-accounting Orders (cession handling)

Scheduled Jobs icon

Double-click the Scheduled Jobs icon in the Periodic Functions folder. The Scheduled Jobs window is separated into four tabs.

• Job Templates, which enables you to create, view and delete templates that are used to describe the scheduled jobs.
• Requested Actual Jobs, displays all Scheduled Jobs that are requested by user from Accounting Orders within the workstation.
• Pending Actual Jobs, in which you can create, view and delete the actual jobs that are to be run.
• Historical Actual Jobs, in which you can view jobs which have already been performed.

When you have defined your batch job(s), you start scheduled jobs by clicking the ‘Process Scheduled Jobs’ from ‘Scheduling’ in the upper left corner of the ‘Scheduled Jobs’ window.

Job Templates #

The Job Templates tab shows you the existing Job Templates. Select New from the pop-up menu on the Job Templates tab to create a new template.

Enter an Identifier for the job.

The Job Activation can be:

• Active: The job is active and will run on schedule.
• On Call Only: The job will only run when required.
• Suspended: The job will not run until the activation status is changed to Active or On Call Only.

The job Priority can be any number. The job with the highest priority is the job with the highest number.

Desired Scheduler - select wanted scheduler from the drop-down list

In order to create the template, the job should include some job steps (otherwise it will be an empty template). To do this, select New from the pop-up menu in the Job Steps display list.

Select the Job Step Type and the Sequence in which this job step should occur. Job Step Types can be:

• Multi Business Auto Protection Order
• Accounting Order
• Automatic Renewal
• Batch Booking Utility
• Centralized Email Sending
• Exchange Rate Loader
• External Program
• General Ledger Transfer
• MTK Loader
• General Interface
• EDI Batch
• Order
• Functional Currency Revaluation Order
• Full refresh

For example, your first job step could be the External Program from which you get your exchange rates. The second job step (Sequence 2), could be Exchange Rate Loader.

When selecting job step Full Refresh, the system will do a full refresh of the data to ensure that any recent updates in SICS base data is read into memory before the next job starts. This option could be used if you have selected to run the scheduler with only light refresh between the jobs, however you see that a particular job requires a full refresh to update f.ex. reference data before next job is run.

Click the Schedule tab to define when the job is run. Jobs can be run on an Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly or Quarterly basis. Enter a First Due Date and Last Due Date for the job, the Time it is run, and the day or date on which it is run. Select the Do Not Run On Weekends check box if you don’t want the job to run on weekends.

Enter persons to receive e-mail information when a scheduled job is completed

1. From System Administration Utility, select Scheduler and then Scheduled Jobs
2. On the Job Templates ab, select New and navigate to the E-mail tab
3. Enter E-mail Information details
4. Assign users to receive e-mail when scheduled job is completed
5. Press OK

Note! Receivers of e-mail must be set up with an E-mail address in Security/ Electronic Address

Field description 2.

Requested Actual Jobs #

System Administrator will find all the job requests in here and decide if the order should be run or not and also maintain the job queue by the desired start time. In addition, if the Validate Booking Year and Period for Account Order system parameter (on the Accounting/Miscellanous tab on the system parameters window) is selected the system will display any orders that have been run as a Scheduled Job, but failed in run process because of closed Booking Period in this tab with Job Activation value Interrupted.

The system will automatically record an Identifier for the job, this will be a combination of the Order ID and Order Title. However, this may be changed by the user.

Desired/ Selected Scheduler: scheduler selected for this particular job

The Job Activation can be:

• Requested: The job will not run until the activation status is changed to Active.
• Interrupted: Valid for Account Orders only and when System Parameter Validate Booking Year and Period for Account Orders are selected. If parameter is selected the system validates the Booking Period prior to run of the order and if order fails when scheduler is processing this activation code will be set by the system.
• Active: The job can be changed from Requested or Interrupted to Active and will be moved to Pending Actual Jobs folder. Priority field is defaulted with 0 and is as for Job Templates.

The Status of the job is shown. You cannot change this status. It automatically changes from Ready to Started to Finished or Stopped with Failure. Both jobs that are Requested and Interrupted are getting status Ready

Enter a Desired Start Time when the job will commence, you can change the time from edit of the Scheduled Job or from the pop-up menu. The option from pop-up menu allows you to do update for more than one job at the time.

Create the Job Steps as with Job Templates.

When you select Parameters from the Job Steps pop-up menu, you are able to edit detailed parameters for the selected job.

If you wonder if there have been any new requests from workstation you can select the option Refresh Job List from the pop-up menu.

In order to define the contents of the job steps, you have to define the parameters for each of them. For example, the accounting order parameters.

Select the parameter you want to include, and then select the order identifier to be part of this job step.

Pending Actual Jobs #

The actual job view can be used either to produce one-off jobs or to modify properties of a one-off job that has been generated from a template. If you produce a one-off job, it can be “scheduled” by setting the desired start time to a point in the future.

The Pending Actual Jobs tab displays a list of all the jobs that are pending and details about these jobs. Select a job from the list and select Details from the pop-up menu to view the specifics of a pending job.

Select New from the pop-up menu to create an actual job.

The Job Identifier, Job Activation and Priority fields are as with Job Templates.

The Status of the job is shown. You cannot change this status. It automatically changes from Ready to Started to Finished or Stopped with Failure.

Enter a Desired Start Time when the job will commence. Change if wanted, the defaulted scheduler presented. Create the Job Steps as with Job Templates.

When you select Parameters from the Job Steps pop-up menu, you are able to edit detailed parameters for the selected job.

Historical Actual Jobs #

The Historical Actual Jobs tab displays a list of jobs that already have been performed. Select a job in the display and select View from the pop-up menu to see a log of the various job steps.

When an Accounting Order that does not create any worksheets when it runs in scheduler, the Job steps status will be marked as No Result , then all orders in sequence will continue and be executed as expected.

This requirement involves the following types of account order:

• Financial Premium Reserve Order
• Multi GAAP Account Order
• Multi GAAP Retrocession Order
• Original Premium Reserve Order
• Unearned Premium Reserve Order