Scheduling Process Initiation 

Use

As administrator, you use this function to create tasks for scheduled processes and to create schedule definitions for these tasks. You set up this data in the Administration workset under Schedule Process Initiation. You can set up schedules for recurrent and future tasks.

For example, you need to stock up on certain materials at regular intervals. You create a task for initiating the order office material process. You maintain the user-specific process name “order ink cartridges” and after completing the wizard steps you create a schedule using the recurrent monthly type.

Prerequisites

In GP design time you have configured and activated the process template that you want to schedule.

Features

Scheduling process initiation comprises the following functions:

Wizard-driven functions

●     Maintaining basic data

You can specify a name and description for the task and a user-specific name and description for the process.

●     Selecting the initiator

You can choose the current or any other user registered in the portal.

●     Selecting the template

You can choose any process template that you set up in GP design time.

●     Filling parameters

If the process uses input parameters, you can enter the relevant values.

●     Initiating the process and assigning users

You can determine whether to use one process for all users (Single Initiation) or as many processes as you assign users to a selected role (Mass Initiation).

Maintaining schedule data

Once you have created a task, you can create and edit the corresponding schedule data. The system always displays the Assigned Schedule table for a selected task.

●     Schedule type

You can determine whether the process is to start only once or repeatedly. You can choose between several recurrence options.

However, in GP runtime you can only manually initiate processes that have schedule type once. Recurrent tasks are always initiated automatically by the system.

●     Date

You can specify or pick the date and time. At the scheduled date and time the system executes the task and updates the data Status and Last Execution.

You can enter a date in the past. This may be necessary in exceptional cases, for example, for testing purposes.

When you specify a schedule date in the past, the system will always use a current process start date and launch the process immediately.

●     Priority

You can choose between different levels of priority. The system uses middle as default. If there are several threads, the system processes those with high priority first.

●     Error Mode

You can choose between different modes that either abort the processing or try to execute the scheduled process again. You can configure a maximum number of attempts to initiate the process in case of an error.

We recommend to change the error mode settings in the Config Tool while your SAP J2EE Engine has been stopped instead of making the changes in the Visual Administrator at runtime.

In the Offline Configuration Tool you have two options (schedule.errormodes) to configure this limit. The system uses the following default settings:

○     #!Scheduled Initiation Error Mode Try Again, max number of tries

#!(Type : int, Default: '2')

schedule.errormode.tryagain=2

○     #!Scheduled Initiation Error Mode Try Max (Try until success), max number of tries

#!(Type : int, Default: '100')

schedule.errormode.trymax=100.

For more information, refer to the documentation Config Tool.

Activities

Creating (Maintaining) a Task to be Scheduled

       1.      In the Administration workset, choose Schedule Process Initiation.

The system opens an initial screen containing the Scheduled Processes table.

       2.      Under Scheduled Processes, choose Create (or, maintaining a task, choose Edit).

The system opens a wizard that leads you through the processing steps and creates an entry in the Assigned Schedule table.

Creating (Maintaining) a Schedule

       1.      Under Scheduled Processes, select a task.

       2.      Under Assigned Schedule, choose Create (or, maintaining a schedule, choose Edit) and add or edit the required data.

Setting the Error Mode

...

       1.      Stop your portal server and start the Config Tool, for example, using the shortcut configtool_offline.bat provided by your SAP J2EE Engine.

The Configuration Editor opens.

       2.      Under Configuration ® cluster data ® server ® persistent ® caf~eu~gp~model ® extended.properties, change the values of – the following error modes:

○     schedule.errormode.tryagain

○     schedule.errormode.trymax

       3.      Restart the portal server.