Jobs

These sections describe the functions for scheduling jobs in DBA Cockpit.

The Jobs sections cover the following areas:

Central Calendar
DBA Planning Calendar
Back-end Configuration

Central Calendar

Central Calendar provides an overview of database administration actions on all the databases that you are monitoring with DBA Cockpit. Examples of DBA actions are backups or database system checks. The actions available differ depending on the database platform.

With Central Calendar, you can perform the following tasks:

Manage in real time databases from the system where the DBA Cockpit is running.
You can also manage remote databases of different types and versions, including non-ABAP SAP systems.
Manage databases for different versions of the SAP system
Quickly check whether actions were executed successfully
Quickly check the number of actions and the actions with the highest status severity for each system

Note With Central Calendar, you can only display actions. To schedule, change, delete, or execute actions, you can switch from Central Calendar to DBA Planning Calendar for any SAP system that you are administering in DBA Cockpit.

Integration

The Central Calendar runs with all database platforms supported by SAP.

Prerequisites

You have defined the systems to be displayed in the Central Calendar by double-clicking the required system in the screen DBA Cockpit: System Configuration Maintenance and selecting Collect Central Planning Calendar Data.
In an ABAP system, make sure that you schedule the jobs for the remote database in the central monitoring system.
Jobs that have been scheduled in the remote system are not displayed.
In the DBA Planning Calendar of the DBA Cockpit from where you call the Central Calendar, you have scheduled the action Central Calendar Log Collector to run regularly.
This action collects information from remote systems to be displayed in the Central Calendar.

Example

In the system in which you normally run DBA Cockpit, you can use DBA Planning Calendar to schedule a regular job to update the results from remote systems. Use the action Central Calendar Log Collector.

In DBA Cockpit, you can then define the systems you want to monitor by setting the flag Collect Central Planning Calendar Data for each system.

Using Central Calendar, you can regularly check the results.

To schedule, change, delete, or execute actions, use DBA Planning Calendar.

Using the Central Calendar

This section describes the functions offered in the Central Calendar in DBA Cockpit.

Table 1: Functions in Central Calendar

Function

Steps

Start Central Calendar.

Choose Start of the navigation path Jobs Next navigation step Central Calendar End of the navigation path .

If you have already run or scheduled actions, entries are displayed for each day and for each system.

Here is an example of entries for Thursday February 8 affecting two systems, FUD and FIB:

003	FUD	002
004	FIB	001

On system FUD for Thursday February 8, three actions were scheduled, two of which had the highest status severity.

For example, the highest status severity for FUD might be "Finished with warning", in which case the entry for FUD is displayed with a yellow background. This means that two actions ended with a warning.

On system FIB for the same day, four actions were scheduled, one of which was completed with the highest severity.

For example, the highest severity for FIB might be "Finished with error", in which case the entry for FIB is displayed with a red background. This means that one action was completed with an error.

Display the color-coded action statuses

Choose Legend.

The following table shows the color-coded statuses for actions in Central Calendar:

Color	Status
Light blue	Planned
Dark blue	Running
Green	Finished successfully
Yellow	Finished with warning
Red	Finished with error
Dark yellow	No longer available
Dark red	Scheduling failed

Display a summary of the actions for a day.

Double-click the day header.

The system displays a summary of the actions and status for each system on the day you selected, as in the following example:

System	Total	No longer available	Scheduled	Running	Finished	Warning	Error	Overdue
FUD	3	1		2
FIB	4		3				1

Display the actions for a particular system.

Double-click the entry for the system for a particular day.

The day is displayed in DBA Planning Calendar. You can schedule jobs using DBA Planning Calendar.

Refresh the display.

The Central Planning Calendar does not automatically display the live status of scheduled actions.

The date and time of the last data collection is displayed at the top of the screen.

To refresh the display for the system from which you called Central Calendar, choose Refresh.

To refresh the display for all systems, choose Remote Refresh.

You can remotely refresh the display as follows:

Option	How the Refresh Runs
Run in Dialog	Runs in dialog mode, which can take a long time. For this reason, it is not normally recommended.
Start immediately	Runs immediately in the background.
Schedule at	Specify a time to runs the refresh job in the background. Note We recommend that you schedule the Central Calendar Log Collector to run regularly.

Customize the calendar display.

You can customize the calendar display as follows:

Specify a factory calendar in Calendar ID.

Holidays are displayed with the same background color as weekend days. This does not restrict the scheduling of actions in DBA Planning Calendar.
To switch to day, week, or month view, choose Administration View Day Administration View Week or View Month.
Choose Save Settings and change Number of Weeks or Entries per Day in the display.

DBA Planning Calendar

DBA Planning Calendar displays scheduled actions, and allows you to schedule backups and other database administration tasks.

The DBA Planning Calendar display comprises the following sections:

DBA Planning Calendar
Action Pad
Calendar

The functionality is described in the sections that follow.

Changing the Layout

To change the layout of the sections, choose Start of the navigation path Administration Next navigation step Left-Right Split View Layout End of the navigation path or Top-Bottom Split View Layout.

Note The day view can only be displayed in the left-right split layout.

To change the default layout, choose Save Settings…, select your preferred options, and Save.

In DBA Planning Calendar, you can display an overview of scheduled actions for a day, a week, or a month.

To apply a different calendar layout, choose Day, Week, or Month.

DBA Planning Calendar: Overview

The overview section in DBA Planning Calendar displays the following information:

Table 2: DBA Planning Calendar Overview
Field	Description
System	Select the system you want to use to schedule DBA actions.
Category	Select which type of actions to display in the calendar. You can display: Only DBA Actions Only External Actions All actions
Calendar ID	Specify a calendar ID for a factory calendar. Changing the factory calendar adjusts the calendar display to display public holidays, but does not cause any restrictions for any actions already scheduled.
Calendar Control	Select the week to display. By default, the current week is displayed. Double-click to select a calendar week to display in the calendar.

Schedule Actions with DBA Planning Calendar

This section describes the general procedure to schedule actions using DBA Planning Calendar. The action parameters are described in the sections that follow.

Context

Note You should make sure in advance that the resources required will be available at the time when the scheduled action is executed.

Note

With DBA Cockpit, you can schedule backups for SAP HANA multitenant database containers. For this, you must first set up a connection to the system database in DBA Cockpit.

More information: SAP Note 2164096 (Schedule backups for SAP HANA multiple-container systems with DB13) in Related Information

Procedure

Schedule an Action

In DBA Cockpit, choose Jobs DBA Planning Calendar .

Note To start DBA Planning Calendar outside of DBA Cockpit, use transaction code DB13.
To schedule a new action, you can do either of the following:
- Double-click a calendar row.
- Select a calendar cell and choose Add.
- Drag and drop an action from the Action Pad to a calendar cell in the future.
  You can also drag and drop actions to reschedule them.
  
  To copy a scheduled action, hold down the CTRL key while dragging.
Note Planning patterns are not available for SAP HANA.

Specify the action details.

Action Setting	Description
Planned Start	Specify the start date and time of the action. Note The time specified is the SAP system time.
Action Parameters	For destination type FILE: If different from the default, specify the location and prefix for the file. For destination type BACKINT (using a third-party backup tool): If different from the default, specify the prefix for the backup. Note For backups made using third-party tools, the backup destination cannot be changed.
Recurrence	Specify when the action will be repeated or whether it will be executed only once.

Action Setting

Description

Planned Start

Specify the start date and time of the action.

Note The time specified is the SAP system time.

Action Parameters

For destination type FILE:

If different from the default, specify the location and prefix for the file.

For destination type BACKINT (using a third-party backup tool):

If different from the default, specify the prefix for the backup.

Note For backups made using third-party tools, the backup destination cannot be changed.

Recurrence

Specify when the action will be repeated or whether it will be executed only once.

Choose Add to schedule the action.

Results

The action is scheduled and the calendar display is updated.

Caution

You cannot schedule a backup to run while another backup is still running.

The system checks whether more than one action is scheduled within a period of 30 minutes. If there is less than 30 minutes between scheduled actions, a warning is displayed. However, you can still schedule the action. If a scheduled action is started while another action is still running, the second job is canceled, and is not automatically restarted.

When scheduling actions close to each other, you should also consider whether issues could occur that would impact access to the database or system performance.

To display the parameters and logs for a scheduled action, select the action and choose Action Details.

To execute the job immediately with the same parameters, choose Re-Execute.

Alternatively, to execute one or more scheduled actions immediately, select the actions, choose Execute, and confirm.

Edit Scheduled Actions

You can change or delete scheduled actions in DBA Planning Calendar.

Context

Note If an action has already been executed, you can only display information about it. If you change a recurring action, only future ocurrences are affected. Actions that have already been executed cannot be undone.

Procedure

Open DBA Planning Calendar.

In DBA Cockpit, choose Jobs DBA Planning Calendar .
To edit a scheduled action, select the action and choose Edit.

A dialog box displays information about the action.
Specify your changes.

You can specify different action parameters and different recurrence parameters.

To delete an action, choose Delete, then confirm.

Alternatively, you can select an action from the calendar and choose Delete, then confirm.
Save.

Results

The action is re-scheduled and the calendar display is updated.

Caution The system checks whether more than one action is scheduled within a period of 30 minutes. If there is less than 30 minutes between scheduled actions, a warning is displayed. However, you can still schedule the action. You need to consider whether issues could occur that would impact access to the database or system performance.

Action Parameters: Complete Data Backup

This section describes the options for scheduling a complete data backup in DBA Planning Calendar.

A data backup includes all the data that is required to recover the database to a consistent state. With a data backup, only the actual data is backed up; unused space in the database is not backed up.

When you schedule a complete data backup, specify the following action parameters:

Action Parameter	Description
Database Name	Note This field is only displayed if you are connected to the system database of an SAP HANA multitenant database container. For an SAP HANA multiple database container, you can select the system database or a tenant database.
Destination Type	Specify where the backup will be written to: File The backup data is written to the file system. Each SAP HANA service writes backup data to a separate file in the specified destination in the file system. Backint The backup data is written through a third-party backup tool. Each SAP HANA service starts the Backint for SAP HANA agent and sends the backup data to the third-party backup tool. Note The Backint option is only available if a third-party backup tool is installed.
UTL File (Only available for destination type Backint)	This action parameter is only relevant for backups using third-party backup tools (Backint). To use this option, you need to be connected to the tenant database that you want to back up. The default Backint parameter file for a third-party backup tool specified is specified in Configuration Backup Configuration (field Backint Parameter File - Data Backup). When a backup is scheduled, you have the option to specify a differerent Backint parameter file for the current action. You have the following options: Leave the field UTL File empty. DBA Cockpit uses the default Backint parameter file. Specify a different Backint parameter file for the current action. For the action you are scheduling, the default Backint parameter file is overwritten with the Backint parameter file you specify. After the action is completed, the default Backint parameter file is restored and used for subsequent actions. Note If you specify a different Backint parameter file for a scheduled action, ensure that the following option is DISABLED: Use same parameter file for data and log backups To check this option, go to Configuration Backup Configuration Ensure also that a different Backint parameter file is specified here for data backups and log backups. Note If you specify a UTL file that is the same as the default Backint parameter file, the action terminates with an error. More information: SAP Note 2330743 (DB13: Backup for Backint fails with error 'The following INI file parameters must have different values') in Related Information
Backup Destination	Specify the backup destination. The default backup destination is the path specified in Configuration Backup Configuration . For file-based backups, you can change the default backup destination. Backups made using third-party tools always use the backup destination /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint. For third-party backup tools with SAP HANA multitenant database containers, the following directories are used /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_SYSTEMDB /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_<tenant_database_name> It is not possible to change the backup destination for third-party tools. For this destination, the only objects created in the file system are named pipes. Named pipes occupy no space in the file system.
Backup Prefix	By default, the prefix `COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP` is used. You can also use the following variables to create a unique timestamp: `<$DAYOFWEEK>` Inserts the weekday on which the backup is created. For example, "FRIDAY". `<$DAYOFMONTH>` Inserts the number of the day on which the backup is created. For example, "03". `<$DATETIME>` Inserts the timestamp for when the backup is created. For example, "2016-06-10_10-56_". You can also combine these variables with text. For example: `<COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP_<$DATETIME>`

Action Parameters: Incremental Backup

This section describes the options for scheduling an incremental backup in DBA Planning Calendar.

Incremental backups store the data changed since the last full data backup or the last incremental or differential backup.

Note Incremental backups are available from SAP HANA SPS 10.

When you schedule an incremental backup, specify the following action parameters:

Action Parameter	Description
Database Name	Note This field is only displayed if you are connected to the system database of an SAP HANA multitenant database container. For an SAP HANA multiple database container, you can select the system database or a tenant datase.
Destination Type	File: The backup data is written to the file system. Each SAP HANA service writes backup data to a separate file in the specified destination in the file system. Backint: The backup data is written through a third-party backup tool. Each SAP HANA service starts the Backint for SAP HANA agent and sends the backup data to the third-party backup tool. Note The Backint option is only available if a third-party backup tool is installed.
UTL File (Only available for destination type Backint)	This action parameter is only relevant for backups using third-party backup tools (Backint). To use this option, you need to be connected to the tenant database that you want to back up. The default Backint parameter file for a third-party backup tool specified is specified in Configuration Backup Configuration (field Backint Parameter File - Data Backup). When a backup is scheduled, you have the option to specify a differerent Backint parameter file for the current action. You have the following options: Leave the field UTL File empty. DBA Cockpit uses the default Backint parameter file. Specify a different Backint parameter file for the current action. For the action you are scheduling, the default Backint parameter file is overwritten with the Backint parameter file you specify. After the action is completed, the default Backint parameter file is restored and used for subsequent actions. Note If you specify a different Backint parameter file (UTL file) for a scheduled action, ensure that the following option is DISABLED: Use same parameter file for data and log backups To check this option, go to Configuration Backup Configuration Ensure also that a different Backint parameter file is specified here for data backups and log backups. Note If you specify a Backint parameter file (UTL file) that is the same as the default Backint parameter file, the action terminates with an error. More information: SAP Note 2330743 (DB13: Backup for Backint fails with error 'The following INI file parameters must have different values') in Related Information
Backup Destination	Specify the backup destination. The default backup destination is the path specified in Configuration Backup Configuration . For file-based backups, you can change the default backup destination. Backups made using third-party tools always use the backup destination /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint. For third-party backup tools with SAP HANA multitenant database containers, the following directories are used /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_SYSTEMDB /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_<tenant_database_name> It is not possible to change the backup destination for third-party tools. For this destination, the only objects created in the file system are named pipes. Named pipes occupy no space in the file system.
Backup Prefix	By default, the prefix `DIFF_DATA_BACKUP` is used. You can also use the following variables to create a unique timestamp: `<$DAYOFWEEK>` Inserts the weekday on which the backup is created. For example, "FRIDAY". `<$DAYOFMONTH>` Inserts the number of the day on which the backup is created. For example, "03". `<$DATETIME>` Inserts the timestamp for when the backup is created. For example, "2016-06-10_10-56_". You can also combine these variables with text. For example: `<COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP_<$DATETIME>`

Action Parameters: Differential Backup

This section describes the options for scheduling a differential backup in DBA Planning Calendar.

A differential backup stores all the data changed since the last complete data backup.

Note Differential backups are available from SAP HANA SPS 10.

When you schedule a differential backup, specify the following action parameters:

Action Parameter	Description
Database Name	Note This field is only displayed if you are connected to the system database of an SAP HANA multitenant database container. For an SAP HANA multiple database container, you can select the system database or a tenant datase.
Destination Type	File: The backup data is written to the file system. Each SAP HANA service writes backup data to a separate file in the specified destination in the file system. Backint: The backup data is written through a third-party backup tool. Each SAP HANA service starts the Backint for SAP HANA agent and sends the backup data to the third-party backup tool. Note The Backint option is only available if a third-party backup tool is installed.
UTL File (Only available for destination type Backint)	This action parameter is only relevant for backups using third-party backup tools (Backint). To use this option, you need to be connected to the tenant database that you want to back up. The default Backint parameter file for a third-party backup tool specified is specified in Configuration Backup Configuration (field Backint Parameter File - Data Backup). When a backup is scheduled, you have the option to specify a differerent Backint parameter file for the current action. You have the following options: Leave the field UTL File empty. DBA Cockpit uses the default Backint parameter file. Specify a different Backint parameter file for the current action. For the action you are scheduling, the default Backint parameter file is overwritten with the Backint parameter file you specify. After the action is completed, the default Backint parameter file is restored and used for subsequent actions. Note If you specify a different Backint parameter file (UTL file) for a scheduled action, ensure that the following option is DISABLED: Use same parameter file for data and log backups To check this option, go to Configuration Backup Configuration Ensure also that a different Backint parameter file is specified here for data backups and log backups. Note If you specify a Backint parameter file (UTL file) that is the same as the default Backint parameter file, the action terminates with an error. More information: SAP Note 2330743 (DB13: Backup for Backint fails with error 'The following INI file parameters must have different values') in Related Information
Backup Destination	Specify the backup destination. The default backup destination is the path specified in Configuration Backup Configuration . For file-based backups, you can change the default backup destination. Backups made using third-party tools always use the backup destination /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint. For third-party backup tools with SAP HANA multitenant database containers, the following directories are used: /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_SYSTEMDB /usr/sap/<SID>/SYS/global/hdb/backint/DB_<tenant_database_name> It is not possible to change the backup destination for third-party tools. For this destination, the only objects created in the file system are named pipes. Named pipes occupy no space in the file system.
Backup Prefix	By default, the prefix `INC_DATA_BACKUP` is used. You can also use the following variables to create a unique timestamp: `<$DAYOFWEEK>` Inserts the weekday on which the backup is created. For example, "FRIDAY". `<$DAYOFMONTH>` Inserts the number of the day on which the backup is created. For example, "03". `<$DATETIME>` Inserts the timestamp for when the backup is created. For example, "2016-06-10_10-56_". You can also combine these variables with text. For example: `<COMPLETE_DATA_BACKUP_<$DATETIME>`

Schedule Action: Consistency Check

This section describes the options for scheduling a consistency check in DBA Planning Calendar.

Prerequisites for a Consistency Check

To execute the procedure, you must have the following SAP HANA system privileges:

For check actions:

DATA ADMIN or CATALOG READ
For repair actions:

DATA ADMIN

Caution The only DBA Cockpit application that requires DATA ADMIN is the REPAIR function in the Consistency Check action in the DBA Planning Calendar.

As the assignment of the DATA ADMIN authorization should be restricted as far as possible in accordance with security guidelines, the following recommendation applies: If you want to use the REPAIR function, configure the DBA Cockpit temporarily with the SYSTEM database user, and, after the REPAIR has been executed, configure DBA Cockpit again with your usual database user.

More information: SAP Note 1640741 (FAQ: "DB users for the DBA Cockpit for SAP HANA") in Related Information

Note Performing a consistency check can negatively impact database performance. For this reason, you should consider scheduling a consistency check at times when the database is subject to a lower workload or performing the consistency check in a copy of a production SAP HANA system.

Action Parameters for a Consistency Check

When you schedule a consistency check, specify the following action parameters:

Table 3: Action Parameters for a Consistency Check
Action Parameter	Description
Action	Specify an action. Choose Show possible values to display an overview of available checks.
Schema	Specify a schema. Choose Show possible values to display an overview of available schemas.
Table	Specify a table to check.

Status of a Completed Consistency Check

When a consistency check is completed, its status can be:

Table 4: Status of a Completed Consistency Check
Green	No inconsistencies were detected.
Red	Either: an error occurred, and the action was canceled. Or: The action was completed, but one or more inconsistencies were detected in the SAP HANA system. For more information, check the job log.

More information: SAP Note 1977584 in Related Information

Schedule Action: Generic SQL Statement

This section describes the action parameters for scheduling an SQL statement in DBA Planning Calendar.

If your user has the required privileges to perform the specific operations, you can schedule SQL statements.

To schedule an SQL statement, it must first be saved.

You can use the SQL Editor in DBA Cockpit to create and save SQL statements.

To schedule an SQL statement, drag the action item Generic SQL Statement to the calendar.

A dialog box appears.
To select a saved SQL statement, choose Show possible values and select a SQL statement.

You can create and save SQL statements using the SQL Editor in DBA Cockpit.

More information: SQL Editor in Related Information
To schedule the SQL statement, choose Add.

To execute the SQL statement now without scheduling it, choose Execute Immediately.

When an SQL statement is executed, its output is recorded in the job log. To display the job log for a SQL statement that has been executed, open the calendar entry for the SQL statement and go to the Job Log tab.

Checking the Status of Scheduled Actions

We recommend that you regularly check whether actions have been executed successfully.

Context

DBA Planning Calendar indicates the status of scheduled actions with a color.

To display the meaning of the status colors, choose Legend.

To display the parameters and other information for a completed action, double-click the job in DBA Planning Calendar. The Job Log tab shows the times at which the action was started and finished, the steps executed, as well as the action status. The Program Log tab displays information from the backup catalog.

DBA Planning Calendar shows the status of each action using the following colors:

Color	Description
Light orange	The action is scheduled, but has not been started.
Blue	The action is running, but has not been completed.
Green	The action was completed successfully. For a consistency check, no inconsistencies were detected.
Yellow	The action was completed with a warning. Check the job log for more information.
Red	An error occurred, and the action was canceled or a consistency check detected one or more inconsistencies. For more information, check the job log. If necessary, re-schedule the job.
Dark yellow	No additional information is available.
Dark red	The action could not be scheduled. No status information is available and the action is overdue.

Back-End Configuration

By default, SAP HANA jobs are configured to run on a specific application server. You can configure the back end of DBA Planning Calendar to have background jobs run on dfferent application servers.

Context

You can configure the back end for all systems, for selected database platforms, or only for specific systems.

The system is configured by using the first available configuration from the following:

The system-specific configuration
The configuration for the database platform
The configuration valid for all platforms
The default configuration
(current user, selection of background server by background dispatcher, high priority)

Procedure

From DBA Cockpit, choose Jobs Back-End Configuration .
Choose Display <-> Change.
In Selected Scope, choose whether to all the systems, all the systems with a particular database platform, or a specific system.

In Background Dispatching, choose appropriate values as follows:

Field	Meaning
Background Server	The server on which scheduled jobs are executed. If no server is specified, the background job dispatcher dynamically selects the server.
Job Priority	If no priority is specified, jobs run with the default priority (medium).
User	Name of the user to execute the job. If no user is specified, the dialog user is used.

Field

Meaning

Background Server

The server on which scheduled jobs are executed.

If no server is specified, the background job dispatcher dynamically selects the server.

Job Priority

If no priority is specified, jobs run with the default priority (medium).

User

Name of the user to execute the job.

If no user is specified, the dialog user is used.

Save your changes.