Overview
Note
These instructions assume the user has a working knowledge of SAP.
The SAP task allows you to send commands to an SAP system and gather status information and output back from SAP. The SAP task uses Stonebranch's proprietary Universal Connector for SAP (USAP) to communicate with SAP. Universal Connector for SAP allows Universal Controller to connect to an SAP system and manage SAP background processing tasks.
Before You Begin
To run an SAP task, you must first complete the following:
- Identify the Utility Agent that has Universal Connector for SAP installed and licensed; either a Universal Agent for Linux/Unix or a Universal Agent for Windows that will interface with the SAP system.
- Define an SAP connection in the Controller database.
Built-In Variables
The following built-in variables can be used in an SAP task to pass data where appropriate:
Creating an SAP Task
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > SAP Tasks. The SAP Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined SAP tasks.
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new SAP task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.
To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:
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Step 3 | Click the |
Note
To open an existing record on the list, either:
- Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the New button that displays above and below the Details.)
- Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.
- Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).
SAP Task Details
The following SAP Task Details is for an existing SAP task.
Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, whether or not the SAP task has ever been launched, and whether you have Enhanced View or Legacy View selected, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the SAP Task Details.
SAP Task Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the SAP Task Details.
Field Name | Description | ||||||||||
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General | This section contains general information about the task. | ||||||||||
Name | User-defined name of this task (Maximum = 255 alphanumeric characters); variables supported. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for tasks. | ||||||||||
Version | System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the Controller every time a user updates a record. Click the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning. | ||||||||||
Description | Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters. | ||||||||||
Member of Business Services | User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to. (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.) You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service. If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted. | ||||||||||
Resolve Name Immediately | If enabled, the Instance Name of the task instance will be resolved immediately at trigger/launch time. | ||||||||||
Time Zone Preference | User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task. Options:
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Hold on Start | If enabled, when the task is launched it appears in the Activity Monitor with a status of Held. The task runs when the user releases it. | ||||||||||
Hold Reason |
Information about why the task will be put on hold when it starts. | ||||||||||
Virtual Resource Priority | Priority for acquiring a resource when two or more tasks are waiting for the resource. This priority applies to all resources required by the task. Options: 1 (high) - 100 (low). Default is 10. | ||||||||||
Hold Resources on Failure |
If enabled, the task instance will continue to hold Renewable resources if the task instance fails. Renewable resources will be returned only if the task instance status is either Complete, Finished, or Skipped. | ||||||||||
| Mutually Exclusive With Self | If enabled, the task will not be allowed to run concurrently with itself. Task will not start until the instance that is running finishes. An instance will transition to Exclusive Wait status if it cannot start due to another instance already running. | ||||||||||
| Simulate | Specifies if the instance should execute under simulation mode. | ||||||||||
Agent Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the Agent / Agent Cluster selected for this task. | ||||||||||
Cluster | Indication that selecting a Utility Agent Cluster is required. If Cluster is selected, selecting a Utility Agent is not required unless Utility Agent Variable is selected. | ||||||||||
Utility Agent | Name of the Agent resource that identifies the machine where the operation will run. If you do not specify a Utility Agent, you must specify a Utility Agent Cluster or Utility Cluster Broadcast. | ||||||||||
Utility Agent Variable | If enabled, the Utility Agent field converts from a reference field (where you browse and select a record) into a text field that allows you to enter a variable. Use the format:
The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Agent reference to using a Utility Agent variable, you must change the Utility Agent Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Agent variable in the Utility Agent Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Agent variable to using a Utility Agent reference, you must change the Utility Agent Variable field to No and specify the Utility Agent reference in the Utility Agent field. | ||||||||||
Utility Agent Cluster | If Cluster is selected; Group of Agents, one of which the Controller will choose to run this task. You can specify a Utility Agent Cluster in addition to or in place of a specific Utility Agent. If you specify a Utility Agent and a Utility Agent Cluster, the Controller first tries to run the task on the specific Utility Agent. If the Utility Agent is not available, the Controller reverts to the Utility Agent Cluster. See Agent Clusters for more information. | ||||||||||
Utility Agent Cluster Variable | Indication of whether the Utility Agent Cluster field is a reference field for selecting a specific Agent Cluster (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Utility Agent Cluster as a variable (checked). Use the format:
The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Agent Cluster reference to using a Utility Agent Cluster variable, you must change the Utility Agent Cluster Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Agent Cluster variable in the Utility Agent Cluster Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Agent Cluster variable to using a Utility Agent Cluster reference, you must change the Utility Agent Cluster Variable field to No and specify the Utility Agent Cluster reference in the Utility Agent Cluster field. | ||||||||||
Utility Credentials |
Required if the Agent Credentials Required Universal Controller system property is true. | ||||||||||
Utility Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Utility Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Utility Credentials as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Credentials reference to using a Utility Credentials variable, you must change the Utility Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Credentials variable in the Utility Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Credentials variable to using a Utility Credentials reference, you must change the Utility Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Utility Credentials reference in the Utility Credentials field. | ||||||||||
SAP Details (Enhanced View) | This section contains assorted detailed information about an SAP Task in Enhanced View. | ||||||||||
| Specifies whether to display the SAP task in Legacy View or Enhanced View. Enhanced View runs as Command Group Submit with both Start and Wait options enabled automatically. The Enhanced SAP Task support both XBP 2.0 and XBP 3.0 options. Depending on the interface activated within the SAP system, certain options might not take effect. See Standard Universal Connector for SAP Job Definition File Syntax to understand whether a field is a XBP 2.0 or XBP 3.0 exclusive option. | ||||||||||
| SAP Job Name | User defined name of the SAP Job. | ||||||||||
| SAP Job Class | Job class for the SAP Job. Options are:
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| SAP Target Server | SAP server on which the job should run. | ||||||||||
| Email Notification... | The Email Notification... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up email notifications.
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| Send Email | Specifies the circumstances in which to send the email notification. Options are:
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| Email Language | Specifies the language of the email. Populate the drop-down list with options retrieved from the SAP system by clicking the refresh picker icon next to its drop-down list to display a Refresh Email Language Options... dialog. The fields on the Refresh Email Language Options... dialog are fields from the SAP Task Details, and the values for those fields in the dialog are, by default, the same as the values for the fields in the Details. You can keep the current values or change them from their drop-down lists. | ||||||||||
| Email Recipient | Specifies one or more email addresses. The addresses must be separated by a semicolon. | ||||||||||
| Spool List Recipient... | The Spool List Recipient... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up a spool list recipient.
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| Type | Recipient type. Options are:
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| Recipient | Recipient address. | ||||||||||
| Report Status by Email | For Type = External Addresses only, options are:
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Report Send Status | For Type = External Addresses only, options are:
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| Copy | If selected, recipient will receive the document as a copy. | ||||||||||
| Blind Copy | If selected, recipient will receive the document as a blind copy. | ||||||||||
| Express | If selected, document will be sent to the recipient as an express message. | ||||||||||
| No Forwarding | If selected, recipient cannot forward the document to other users. | ||||||||||
| SAP Connection |
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SAP Connection Variable | Indication of whether the SAP Connection field is a reference field for selecting a specific SAP Connection (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the SAP Connection as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using an SAP Connection reference to using an SAP Connection variable, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to Yes and specify the SAP Connection variable in the SAP Connection Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using an SAP Connection variable to using an SAP Connection reference, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to No and specify the SAP Connection reference in the SAP Connection field. | ||||||||||
| SAP Credentials |
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| SAP Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Credential as a variable (checked). Use the format: The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Credentials reference to using a Credentials variable, you must change the Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Credentials variable in the Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Credentials variable to using a Credentials reference, you must change the Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Credentials reference in the Credentials field. | ||||||||||
| Start Immediately | Specification for whether or not to start the job immediately. | ||||||||||
| Use Application RC | Specification for whether or not to use application RC. | ||||||||||
| Delete SAP Job on Completion | Specification for whether or not to delete the SAP Job on completion. | ||||||||||
SAP Command Options |
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Runtime Directory |
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Environment Variables |
Allows you to enter environment variables needed by the program to run. To add a variable, click the + icon and enter a Name and Value. To delete a variable, select in the list of variables and click the - icon. You can add a maximum of 4,000 characters for the combined Names and Values of all variables. The variable is listed in the space underneath. | ||||||||||
| SAP Print Parameters | This section contains assorted information about print parameters of an SAP Task in Enhanced View. | ||||||||||
| Print Job Log | Specification for whether or not to print the job log. | ||||||||||
| Print Spooled Output | Specification for whether or not to print the spooled output. | ||||||||||
| Print Application Log | Specification for whether or not to print the application log. | ||||||||||
| Print Application RC | Specification for whether or not to print the application RC. | ||||||||||
| SAP Wait Child Parameters | This section contains assorted information about wait child parameters of an SAP Task in Enhanced View. | ||||||||||
| Wait Child | Specification for whether or not to monitor child jobs. | ||||||||||
| Max Child Depth | Specifies the maximum depth of child processes that Universal Connector will monitor. | ||||||||||
| Job Log Child | Specifies whether or not to return job logs for child jobs. Options are:
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| Spool List Child | Specification for whether or not to print the spool list for child jobs. | ||||||||||
| Purge Child | Specification for whether or not to purge all child jobs from the SAP system. | ||||||||||
SAP Details (Legacy View) | This section contains assorted detailed information about an SAP Task in legacy view. | ||||||||||
| Specifies whether to display the SAP task in Legacy View or Enhanced View. Enhanced View runs as Command Group Submit with both Start and Wait options enabled automatically. The Enhanced SAP Task support both XBP 2.0 and XBP 3.0 options. Depending on the interface activated within the SAP system, certain options might not take effect. See Standard Universal Connector for SAP Job Definition File Syntax to understand whether a field is a XBP 2.0 or XBP 3.0 exclusive option. | ||||||||||
SAP Connection |
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SAP Connection Variable | Indication of whether the SAP Connection field is a reference field for selecting a specific SAP Connection (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the SAP Connection as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using an SAP Connection reference to using an SAP Connection variable, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to Yes and specify the SAP Connection variable in the SAP Connection Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using an SAP Connection variable to using an SAP Connection reference, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to No and specify the SAP Connection reference in the SAP Connection field. | ||||||||||
SAP Language |
SAP logon language used when executing the SAP task. Valid values are:
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SAP Credentials |
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SAP Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Credential as a variable (checked). Use the format: The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Credentials reference to using a Credentials variable, you must change the Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Credentials variable in the Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Credentials variable to using a Credentials reference, you must change the Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Credentials reference in the Credentials field. | ||||||||||
SAP Job Name |
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SAP Job ID | Job ID of the SAP job. Variables supported. | ||||||||||
SAP Process Chain Log ID |
Log ID for process chain instance to be monitored to completion. | ||||||||||
SAP InfoPackage Request ID |
Request ID of the InfoPackage that is to be monitored. | ||||||||||
Command Group | See Universal Connector Commands, below, for a description of all supported commands and their contingent fields (options). | ||||||||||
SAP Command Options |
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Runtime Directory |
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Environment Variables |
Allows you to enter environment variables needed by the program to run. To add a variable, click the + icon and enter a Name and Value. To delete a variable, select in the list of variables and click the - icon. You can add a maximum of 4,000 characters for the combined Names and Values of all variables. The variable is listed in the space underneath. | ||||||||||
| Result Processing Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about result processing for this task. | ||||||||||
Exit Code Processing | Specifies how the Controller should determine whether the executed command failed or completed successfully. Options:
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Output Type | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; type of output. Options:
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Scan Output For | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; text for which the Controller should scan the output file. The Controller will process this field as a regular expression. | ||||||||||
Output File (for Exit Code Processing) | Required if Output Type = File; path and file name of the output file that should be scanned for the text in the Scan Output For field. | ||||||||||
Exit Codes | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Exitcode Range or Failure Exitcode Range; range of exit codes. Format: Numeric. Use commas to list a series of exit codes; use hyphens to specify a range. Example: 1,5, 22-30. Variables are supported. | ||||||||||
Automatic Output Retrieval |
Specifies whether you want the Controller to automatically retrieve any output from the job and attach it to the task instance record. Options:
Note Tasks specifying Automatic Output Retrieval will fail with Start Failure if the Agent Output Prohibited field is true in the Details of the specified Agent. | ||||||||||
Wait For Output | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error, and Failure Only is not enabled (checked); Specification that the task should wait for the requested output before completing. | ||||||||||
Failure Only | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error, and Wait For Output is not enabled (checked); Indication for whether output should be retrieved on task failure only. | ||||||||||
Start Line | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Instructs the Controller to retrieve data beginning at the line indicated.
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Number of Lines | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Allows you to limit the retrieved data to the number of lines specified. If a Number of Lines value is not specified, the default is the value of the Retrieve Output Default Number Of Lines Universal Controller system property. | ||||||||||
Scan Text | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Regex pattern that the Controller will search for a match for in STDOUT/STDERR or a specified file. The Controller will include the Number of Lines above and below the first line matched. | ||||||||||
Output File (for Automatic Output Retrieval) | Required if Automatic Output Retrieval = File; path and file name containing the output that you want automatically retrieved and attached to the task instance. | ||||||||||
Retry Options | This section contains specifications for retrying the task. | ||||||||||
Maximum Retries |
User-defined; maximum number of times that the Controller should retry this task after it has started and gone to a failed state. | ||||||||||
Retry Indefinitely | User-defined; indicates whether the Controller should continue trying indefinitely to run this task. If you enable this field, it overrides any value placed in the Maximum Retries field. | ||||||||||
Retry Interval (Seconds) |
User-defined; number of seconds between each retry. | ||||||||||
Suppress Intermediate Failures | User-defined; If the task instance is in the Failed status, indicates whether or not the following will be suppressed until all scheduled retry attempts (a Maximum Retries value has been entered or Retry Indefinitely has been enabled) have been made:
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Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. | ||||||||||
Wait To Start |
Amount of time to wait before starting a task from the time that it was launched.
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Wait Time | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Time of day (in 24-hour time) to wait until before starting the task. | ||||||||||
Wait Day Constraint | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the wait time to another day. Valid values:
Default is – None --. | ||||||||||
Wait Duration | If Wait To Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to wait before starting the task. | ||||||||||
Wait Duration In Seconds | If Wait To Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to wait before starting the task. | ||||||||||
Delay On Start |
Amount of time to delay the start of a task, after it has been launched, from the time that it is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, it is not waiting on any predecessors, or there is no wait time specified.
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Delay Duration | If Delay On Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to delay after starting the task. | ||||||||||
Delay Duration In Seconds | If Delay On Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to delay after starting the task. | ||||||||||
Workflow Only | Specification for whether or not to apply the Wait To Start and Delay On Start specifications only if the task is in a Workflow.
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Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for the task. | ||||||||||
Late Start | If enabled, and if the task instance starts after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late start (see Late Start Type). To determine whether a task instance started late, open the task instance and locate the Started Late field; the field is checked if the instance started after the specified time. The Started Late field displays in the task instance Details only if the user specified a Late Start in the task Details. | ||||||||||
Late Start Type | Required if Late Start is enabled. Options:
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Late Start Time | If Late Start Type = Time; Time after which the task start time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. | ||||||||||
Late Start Day Constraint | If Late Start Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late start time to another day.
Default is – None --. | ||||||||||
Late Start Nth Amount | If Late Start Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. | ||||||||||
Late Start Duration | If Late Start Type = Duration; Duration (amount of relative time) after which the task is considered to have started late. For a task within a workflow, the duration is the period between the time the workflow starts and the time the task itself starts. For example, a task might have a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes. If the workflow starts at 9:00 a.m. but the task itself does not start until 10:30, the task has started late. For a task that is not within a workflow, Late Start Duration has meaning only if the task has been held upon starting. For example, if a task has a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes and the Hold on Start field is enabled, if the task is not released from hold within the amount of time specified in the Late Start Duration field, the task has started late. | ||||||||||
Late Finish | If enabled, and if the task instance finishes after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late finish (see Late Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished late, open the task instance and locate the Finished Late field; the field is checked if the instance finished after the specified time or lasted longer than expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user specified a Late Finish in the task definition. | ||||||||||
Late Finish Type | Required if Late Finish is enabled. Options:
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Late Finish Offset Type | |||||||||||
Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + ) | Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset. The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. (Minimum = 0 and Maximum = 1000) | ||||||||||
Late Finish Duration Offset ( + ) | Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. | ||||||||||
Late Finish Duration Offset Unit | |||||||||||
Late Finish Time | If Late Finish Type = Time; Time after which the task finish time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. | ||||||||||
Late Finish Day Constraint | If Late Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late finish time to another day.
Default is – None --. | ||||||||||
Late Finish Nth Amount | If Late Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. | ||||||||||
Late Finish Duration | If Late Finish Type = Duration; Longest amount of time this task instance should take to run. | ||||||||||
Early Finish | If enabled, and if the task instance finishes before the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as early. You can specify a time or duration to determine an early finish (see Early Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished early, open the task instance and locate the Finished Early field; the field is checked if the instance finished before the specified time or did not last as long as expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user added Early Finish specifications to the task definition. | ||||||||||
Early Finish Type | Required if Early Finish is enabled. Options:
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Early Finish Offset Type | |||||||||||
Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - ) | Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration. (Minimum = 0 and Maximum = 100) | ||||||||||
Early Finish Duration Offset ( - ) | Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration. | ||||||||||
Early Finish Duration Offset Unit | |||||||||||
Early Finish Time | If Early Finish Type = Time; Time before which the task finish time is considered early. That is, enter a time at which the task should still be running. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. | ||||||||||
Early Finish Day Constraint | If Early Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the early finish time to another day.
Default is – None --. | ||||||||||
Early Finish Nth Amount | If Early Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. | ||||||||||
Early Finish Duration | If Early Finish Type = Duration; Shortest amount of time this task instance should take to run. | ||||||||||
User Estimated Duration | Required if Early Finish Type or Late Finish Type = Average Duration; Estimated amount of time it should normally take to run this task. The Controller uses this information to calculate the User Estimated End Time on a task instance record. User Estimated Duration is used when the Average Duration is not available; for example, on the first launch of a task. | ||||||||||
Critical Path Options | This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task. | ||||||||||
CP Duration | Optional; Allows you to override the estimated Critical Path Duration of the task when running in a Workflow; used in conjunction with the CP Duration Unit field. In most cases, this field should be left blank, which implies that the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. Valid values are any integer equal to or greater than 0. Variables and Functions are supported. | ||||||||||
CP Duration (Resolved) | Displays the current resolved value of the CP Duration field, which may contain variables or functions that will be displayed as unresolved until the task instance starts. The CP Duration (Resolved) field can continue to change value until the task instance starts, at which time CP Duration will display as resolved and CP Duration (Resolved) will no longer be visible unless there was an issue resolving the variables and/or functions contained within CP Duration. If the Controller is unable to resolve CP Duration or it resolves to an invalid value, CP Duration will be ignored and the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. | ||||||||||
CP Duration Unit | Type of CP Duration; used in conjunction with the CP Duration field. For example, for a CP Duration of two minutes, specify 2 in the CP Duration field and select Minutes in this field. Options:
Default is Minutes. | ||||||||||
Workflow Execution Options | This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow. | ||||||||||
Execution Restriction | Specification for whether or not there is a restriction for this task to be run, skipped, or held. Options are:
If Execution Restriction on a task is Run or Skip, then when it is part of a Workflow that is being launched, the Restriction Period is evaluated. The task instance will be skipped if Execution Restriction is Skip and the date is within the Restriction Period or Execution Restriction is Run and the date is not within the Restriction Period. Execution Restriction can be set to Skip with a Restriction Period of - None -, meaning the restriction is always active and the task will be skipped when it is part of a Workflow. | ||||||||||
Restriction Period | If Execution Restriction = Run, Skip, or Hold; Period of time when the task is restricted. Options are:
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Before Date | If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Date before which the restriction is valid. | ||||||||||
Before Time | If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Time on the selected date before which the restriction is valid. | ||||||||||
After Date | If Restriction Period = After or Span; Date after which the restriction is valid. | ||||||||||
After Time | If Restriction Period = After or Span; Time on the selected date after which the restriction is valid. | ||||||||||
Date List | If Restriction Period = On; Date(s) on which the restriction is valid. | ||||||||||
| Self-Service Options | This section contains Self-Service specifications for the task. | ||||||||||
| Enforce Variables | Specifies whether or not to enforce Launch with Variables... when launching a task using the User Interface. | ||||||||||
| Lock Variables | Specifies whether or not to prevent editing variables when using Launch with Variables... from the User Interface. | ||||||||||
Statistics | This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task. | ||||||||||
| First Execution | System-supplied; End Time of the first instance of this task to complete. | ||||||||||
Last Execution | System-supplied; End Time of the last instance of this task to complete. | ||||||||||
Last Instance Duration |
System-supplied; Amount of time the task took to run the last time it ran. | ||||||||||
Lowest Instance Time |
System-supplied; Lowest amount of time this task has taken to run. | ||||||||||
Average Instance Time |
System-supplied; Average amount of time this task takes to run. | ||||||||||
Highest Instance Time |
System-supplied; Highest amount of time this task has taken to run. | ||||||||||
Number of Instances |
System-supplied; Number of instances in the database for this task. | ||||||||||
Metadata | This section contains Metadata information about this record. | ||||||||||
UUID | Universally Unique Identifier of this record. | ||||||||||
Updated By | Name of the user that last updated this record. | ||||||||||
Updated | Date and time that this record was last updated. | ||||||||||
Created By | Name of the user that created this record. | ||||||||||
Created | Date and time that this record was created. | ||||||||||
Buttons | This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Task Details that let you perform various actions. | ||||||||||
Save | Saves a new task record in the Controller database. | ||||||||||
Save & New | Saves a new record in the Controller database and redisplays empty Details so that you can create another new record. | ||||||||||
Save & View | Saves a new record in the Controller database and continues to display that record. | ||||||||||
New | Displays empty (except for default values) Details for creating a new task. | ||||||||||
Update |
Saves updates to the record. | ||||||||||
Launch |
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View Parents |
Displays a list of any parent Workflow tasks for this task. | ||||||||||
Copy | Creates a copy of this task, which you are prompted to rename. | ||||||||||
Delete |
Deletes the current record. Note You cannot delete a task if it is either:
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Refresh | Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details. | ||||||||||
Close | For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this task. | ||||||||||
Tabs | This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Task Details that provide access to additional information about the task instance. | ||||||||||
| Job Steps | For Enhanced View only; Lists all Job Steps defined for this task. | ||||||||||
Variables |
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Actions | Allows you to specify actions that the Controller will take automatically based on events that occur during the execution of this task. Events are:
Actions are:
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Virtual Resources |
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Mutually Exclusive |
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Instances | Lists all instances of the task. | ||||||||||
Triggers | List of all triggers that reference this task in the Task(s) field of the trigger Details; that is, a list of all triggers that have been defined to launch this task. Also allows you to add new triggers. If you add a new trigger from this location, the Controller automatically constructs a default trigger name as follows: <current task name>#TRIGGER#. You can change the default name if desired. For instructions on creating triggers, see Triggers. | ||||||||||
Notes |
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Versions |
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Viewing an SAP Task Instance
When an SAP task is launched, the Controller creates a task instance record of that task.
A task instance contains detailed information about a single execution of that task.
You can access a task instance from:
- Instances tab on the SAP Task Details for that task
- Activity Monitor
- Task Instances list
SAP Task Instance Details
The following SAP Task Instance Details contains information on the execution of the task shown in the SAP Task Details.
SAP Task Instance Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in SAP Task Instance Details.
Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
General | This section contains general information about the task instance. |
Instance Name | Name of this task instance. |
Instance Number |
System-supplied; Sequentially assigned number, maintained per task, representing the creation order of the instance. |
Description | Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters. |
Member of Business Services | User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to. (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.) You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service. If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted. |
Task |
Name of the task that was run to create this task instance. Click the icon to display Task Details for the task. |
| Source Version | Version of the task that was run to create this task instance. |
Launch Source | System-supplied; Source from which this task was launched. Options:
|
Source Instance | System-supplied; UUID of the source instance.
|
Invoked by | System-supplied; how the task instance was launched. Options:
|
Execution User |
System-supplied; If the task was launched manually; ID of the user who launched it. |
Calendar |
Calendar associated with the task instance. |
Time Zone Preference | User-defined; Allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the task. Options:
|
Virtual Resource Priority | Priority for acquiring a resource when two or more tasks are waiting for the resource. This priority applies to all resources required by the task. Options: 1 (high) - 100 (low). Default is 10. |
Hold Resources on Failure |
If enabled, the task instance will continue to hold Renewable resources if the task instance fails. Renewable resources will be returned only if the task instance status is either Complete, Finished, or Skipped. |
| Mutually Exclusive With Self | If enabled, the task will not be allowed to run concurrently with itself. Task will not start until the instance that is running finishes. An instance will transition to Exclusive Wait status if it cannot start due to another instance already running. |
| Simulate | Specifies if the instance should execute under simulation mode. |
Status | This section contains information about the current status of the task instance. |
Status | |
Exit Code |
System-supplied; the exit code captured by the Agent when executing the task (for example, a command or script). |
Status Description |
System-supplied; additional information, if any, about the status of the task instance. |
Operational Memo |
User-defined operational memo. |
Evaluation Time |
If time zone of user is different than time zone of task instance; Time at which Execution Restrictions and Run Criteria were evaluated based upon the requested time zone. (Time zone of task instance displays in parentheses.) |
Critical |
Indicates that this task is in the Critical Path of a workflow. |
| Critical Endpoint | Indicates that this task was defined as a Critical Endpoint of a Critical Path in a workflow. |
Wait Until Time |
Amount of time calculated to wait before the task was started, based on Wait To Start and Delay On Start times. |
Queued Time |
System-supplied; Date and time the task was queued for processing. |
Trigger Time |
System-supplied; Date and time the task instance was triggered. |
Launch Time |
System-supplied; Date and time the task instance was launched. |
Start Time |
System-supplied; Date and time the task instance started. |
End Time |
System-supplied; Date and time the task instance completed. |
Duration |
System-supplied; amount of time the task instance took to run. |
Process ID |
System-supplied; ID of the process that was launched. |
Agent Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the Agent / Agent Cluster selected for this task. |
Cluster | Indication that selecting a Utility Agent Cluster is required. If Cluster is selected, selecting a Utility Agent is not required unless Utility Agent Variable is selected. |
Utility Agent | Name of the Agent resource that identifies the machine where the operation will run. If you do not specify a Utility Agent, you must specify a Utility Agent Cluster or Utility Cluster Broadcast. |
Utility Agent Variable | If enabled, the Utility Agent field converts from a reference field (where you browse and select a record) into a text field that allows you to enter a variable. Use the format:
The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Agent reference to using a Utility Agent variable, you must change the Utility Agent Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Agent variable in the Utility Agent Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Agent variable to using a Utility Agent reference, you must change the Utility Agent Variable field to No and specify the Utility Agent reference in the Utility Agent field. |
Utility Agent Cluster | If Cluster is selected; Group of Agents, one of which the Controller will choose to run this task. You can specify a Utility Agent Cluster in addition to or in place of a specific Utility Agent. If you specify a Utility Agent and a Utility Agent Cluster, the Controller first tries to run the task on the specific Utility Agent. If the Utility Agent is not available, the Controller reverts to the Utility Agent Cluster. See Agent Clusters for more information. |
Utility Agent Cluster Variable | Indication of whether the Utility Agent Cluster field is a reference field for selecting a specific Agent Cluster (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Utility Agent Cluster as a variable (checked). Use the format:
The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Agent Cluster reference to using a Utility Agent Cluster variable, you must change the Utility Agent Cluster Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Agent Cluster variable in the Utility Agent Cluster Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Agent Cluster variable to using a Utility Agent Cluster reference, you must change the Utility Agent Cluster Variable field to No and specify the Utility Agent Cluster reference in the Utility Agent Cluster field. |
Utility Credentials |
Required if the Agent Credentials Required Universal Controller system property is true. |
Utility Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Utility Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Utility Credentials as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Utility Credentials reference to using a Utility Credentials variable, you must change the Utility Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Utility Credentials variable in the Utility Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Utility Credentials variable to using a Utility Credentials reference, you must change the Utility Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Utility Credentials reference in the Utility Credentials field. |
SAP Details (Enhanced View) | This section contains assorted detailed information about an SAP Task in Enhanced View. |
| Specifies whether to display the SAP task in Legacy View or Enhanced View. Enhanced View runs as Command Group Submit with both Start and Wait options enabled automatically. The Enhanced SAP Task support both XBP 2.0 and XBP 3.0 options. Depending on the interface activated within the SAP system, certain options might not take effect. See Standard Universal Connector for SAP Job Definition File Syntax to understand whether a field is a XBP 2.0 or XBP 3.0 exclusive option. |
| SAP Job Name | User defined name of the SAP Job. |
| SAP Job Class | Job class for the SAP Job. Options are:
|
| SAP Target Server | SAP server on which the job should run. |
| Email Notification... | The Email Notification... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up email notifications.
|
| Send Email | Specifies the circumstances in which to send the email notification. Options are:
|
| Email Language | Specifies the language of the email. Populate the drop-down list with options retrieved from the SAP system by clicking the refresh picker icon next to its drop-down list to display a Refresh Email Language Options... dialog. The fields on the Refresh Email Language Options... dialog are fields from the SAP Task Details, and the values for those fields in the dialog are, by default, the same as the values for the fields in the Details. You can keep the current values or change them from their drop-down lists. |
| Email Recipient | Specifies one or more email addresses. The addresses must be separated by a semicolon. |
| Spool List Recipient... | The Spool List Recipient... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up a spool list recipient.
|
| Type | Recipient type. Options are:
|
| Recipient | Recipient address. |
| Report Status by Email | For Type = External Addresses only, options are:
|
Report Send Status | For Type = External Addresses only, options are:
|
| Copy | If selected, recipient will receive the document as a copy. |
| Blind Copy | If selected, recipient will receive the document as a blind copy. |
| Express | If selected, document will be sent to the recipient as an express message. |
| No Forwarding | If selected, recipient cannot forward the document to other users. |
| SAP Connection |
|
SAP Connection Variable | Indication of whether the SAP Connection field is a reference field for selecting a specific SAP Connection (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the SAP Connection as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using an SAP Connection reference to using an SAP Connection variable, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to Yes and specify the SAP Connection variable in the SAP Connection Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using an SAP Connection variable to using an SAP Connection reference, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to No and specify the SAP Connection reference in the SAP Connection field. |
| SAP Credentials |
|
| SAP Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Credential as a variable (checked). Use the format: The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Credentials reference to using a Credentials variable, you must change the Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Credentials variable in the Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Credentials variable to using a Credentials reference, you must change the Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Credentials reference in the Credentials field. |
| Start Immediately | Specification for whether or not to start the job immediately. |
| Use Application RC | Specification for whether or not to use application RC. |
| Delete SAP Job on Completion | Specification for whether or not to delete the SAP Job on completion. |
SAP Command Options |
|
Runtime Directory |
|
Environment Variables |
Allows you to enter environment variables needed by the program to run. To add a variable, click the + icon and enter a Name and Value. To delete a variable, select in the list of variables and click the - icon. You can add a maximum of 4,000 characters for the combined Names and Values of all variables. The variable is listed in the space underneath. |
| SAP Print Parameters | This section contains assorted information about print parameters of an SAP Task in Enhanced View. |
| Print Job Log | Specification for whether or not to print the job log. |
| Print Spooled Output | Specification for whether or not to print the spooled output. |
| Print Application Log | Specification for whether or not to print the application log. |
| Print Application RC | Specification for whether or not to print the application RC. |
| SAP Wait Child Parameters | This section contains assorted information about wait child parameters of an SAP Task in Enhanced View. |
| Wait Child | Specification for whether or not to monitor child jobs. |
| Max Child Depth | Specifies the maximum depth of child processes that Universal Connector will monitor. |
| Job Log Child | Specifies whether or not to return job logs for child jobs. Options are:
|
| Spool List Child | Specification for whether or not to print the spool list for child jobs. |
| Purge Child | Specification for whether or not to purge all child jobs from the SAP system. |
SAP Details (Legacy View) | This section contains assorted detailed information about the task instance in legacy view. |
| Specifies whether to display the SAP task in Legacy View or Enhanced View. Enhanced View runs as Command Group Submit with both Start and Wait options enabled automatically. The Enhanced SAP Task support both XBP 2.0 and XBP 3.0 options. Depending on the interface activated within the SAP system, certain options might not take effect. See Standard Universal Connector for SAP Job Definition File Syntax to understand whether a field is a XBP 2.0 or XBP 3.0 exclusive option. |
SAP Connection |
|
SAP Connection Variable | Indication of whether the SAP Connection field is a reference field for selecting a specific SAP Connection (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the SAP Connection as a variable (checked). Use the format: Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using an SAP Connection reference to using an SAP Connection variable, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to Yes and specify the SAP Connection variable in the SAP Connection Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using an SAP Connection variable to using an SAP Connection reference, you must change the SAP Connection Variable field to No and specify the SAP Connection reference in the SAP Connection field. |
SAP Language |
SAP logon language used when executing the SAP task. Valid values are:
|
SAP Credentials |
|
SAP Credentials Variable | Indication of whether the Credentials field is a reference field for selecting a specific Credential (unchecked) or a text field for specifying the Credential as a variable (checked). Use the format: The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions. Note When updating multiple Tasks, to change from using a Credentials reference to using a Credentials variable, you must change the Credentials Variable field to Yes and specify the Credentials variable in the Credentials Unresolved field. Conversely, to change from using a Credentials variable to using a Credentials reference, you must change the Credentials Variable field to No and specify the Credentials reference in the Credentials field. |
SAP Job Name |
|
SAP Job ID | Job ID of the SAP job. Variables supported. |
SAP Process Chain Log ID |
Log ID for process chain instance to be monitored to completion. |
SAP InfoPackage Request ID |
Request ID of the InfoPackage that is to be monitored. |
Command Group | See Universal Connector Commands, below, for a description of all supported commands and their contingent fields (options). |
SAP Command Options |
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Runtime Directory |
|
Environment Variables |
Allows you to enter environment variables needed by the program to run. To add a variable, click the + icon and enter a Name and Value. To delete a variable, select in the list of variables and click the - icon. You can add a maximum of 4,000 characters for the combined Names and Values of all variables. The variable is listed in the space underneath. |
| Result Processing Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about result processing for this task. |
Exit Code Processing | Specifies how the Controller should determine whether the executed command failed or completed successfully. Options:
|
Output Type | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; type of output. Options:
|
Scan Output For | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Output Contains or Failure Output Contains; text for which the Controller should scan the output file. The Controller will process this field as a regular expression. |
Output File (for Exit Code Processing) | Required if Output Type = File; path and file name of the output file that should be scanned for the text in the Scan Output For field. |
Exit Codes | Required if Exit Code Processing = Success Exitcode Range or Failure Exitcode Range; range of exit codes. Format: Numeric. Use commas to list a series of exit codes; use hyphens to specify a range. Example: 1,5, 22-30. Variables are supported. |
Automatic Output Retrieval |
Specifies whether you want the Controller to automatically retrieve any output from the job and attach it to the task instance record. Options:
Note Tasks specifying Automatic Output Retrieval will fail with Start Failure if the Agent Output Prohibited field is true in the Details of the specified Agent. |
Wait For Output | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error, and Failure Only is not enabled (checked); Specification that the task should wait for the requested output before completing. |
Failure Only | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error, and Wait For Output is not enabled (checked); Indication for whether output should be retrieved on task failure only. |
Start Line | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Instructs the Controller to retrieve data beginning at the line indicated.
|
Number of Lines | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Allows you to limit the retrieved data to the number of lines specified. If a Number of Lines value is not specified, the default is the value of the Retrieve Output Default Number Of Lines Universal Controller system property. |
Scan Text | If Automatic Output Retrieval = Standard Output, Standard Error, File, or Standard Output/Error; Regex pattern that the Controller will search for a match for in STDOUT/STDERR or a specified file. The Controller will include the Number of Lines above and below the first line matched. |
Output File (for Automatic Output Retrieval) | Required if Automatic Output Retrieval = File; path and file name containing the output that you want automatically retrieved and attached to the task instance. |
Retry Options | This section contains specifications for retrying the task. |
Maximum Retries |
User-defined; maximum number of times that the Controller should retry this task after it has started and gone to a failed state. |
Retry Indefinitely | User-defined; indicates whether the Controller should continue trying indefinitely to run this task. If you enable this field, it overrides any value placed in the Maximum Retries field. |
Retry Interval (Seconds) |
User-defined; number of seconds between each retry. |
Current Retry Count |
System-supplied; current number of times that the Controller has retried the task after it first went to failure status. |
Suppress Intermediate Failures | User-defined; If the task instance is in the Failed status, indicates whether or not the following will be suppressed until all scheduled retry attempts (a Maximum Retries value has been entered or Retry Indefinitely has been enabled) have been made:
|
Next Retry Time |
System-supplied for a task instance in the Failed status that is scheduled for automatic retry; Next time that a retry will be made. If a task instance is not scheduled for automatic retry, Next Retry Time does not display in the task instance Details. |
Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. |
Wait To Start |
Amount of time to wait before starting a task from the time that it was launched.
|
Wait Time | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Time of day (in 24-hour time) to wait until before starting the task. |
Wait Day Constraint | If Wait To Start = Time or Relative Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the wait time to another day. Valid values:
Default is – None --. |
Wait Duration | If Wait To Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to wait before starting the task. |
Wait Duration In Seconds | If Wait To Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to wait before starting the task. |
Delay On Start |
Amount of time to delay the start of a task, after it has been launched, from the time that it is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, it is not waiting on any predecessors, or there is no wait time specified.
|
Delay Duration | If Delay On Start = Duration; Number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds to delay after starting the task. |
Delay Duration In Seconds | If Delay On Start = Seconds; Number of seconds to delay after starting the task. |
Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for the task instance. |
Late Start | If enabled, and if the task instance starts after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late start (see Late Start Type). To determine whether a task instance started late, open the task instance and locate the Started Late field; the field is checked if the instance started after the specified time. The Started Late field displays in the task instance Details only if the user specified a Late Start in the task Details. |
Started Late | System-supplied; this field is flagged if the task started later than the time specified in the Late Start fields. |
Late Start Type | Required if Late Start is enabled. Options:
|
Late Start Time | If Late Start Type = Time; Time after which the task start time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. |
Late Start Day Constraint | If Late Start Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late start time to another day.
Default is – None --. |
Late Start Nth Amount | If Late Start Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. |
Late Start Duration | If Late Start Type = Duration; Duration (amount of relative time) after which the task is considered to have started late. For a task within a workflow, the duration is the period between the time the workflow starts and the time the task itself starts. For example, a task might have a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes. If the workflow starts at 9:00 a.m. but the task itself does not start until 10:30, the task has started late. For a task that is not within a workflow, Late Start Duration has meaning only if the task has been held upon starting. For example, if a task has a Late Start Duration of 60 minutes and the Hold on Start field is enabled, if the task is not released from hold within the amount of time specified in the Late Start Duration field, the task has started late. |
Computed Late Start Time | If Late Start is enabled, the computed Date/Time for when the task instance will be Late Started. |
Late Finish | If enabled, and if the task instance finishes after the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as late. You can specify a time or duration to determine a late finish (see Late Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished late, open the task instance and locate the Finished Late field; the field is checked if the instance finished after the specified time or lasted longer than expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user specified a Late Finish in the task definition. |
Finished Late | System-supplied; this field is flagged if the task finished later than the time or duration specified in the Late Finish fields. |
Late Finish Type | Required if Late Finish is enabled. Options:
|
Late Finish Offset Type | |
Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + ) | Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset. The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. (Minimum = 0 and Maximum = 1000) |
Late Finish Duration Offset ( + ) | Required if Late Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The late finish time is calculated by adding the offset to the Average Duration. |
Late Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Late Finish Time | If Late Finish Type = Time; Time after which the task finish time is considered late. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. |
Late Finish Day Constraint | If Late Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the late finish time to another day.
Default is – None --. |
Late Finish Nth Amount | If Late Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. |
Late Finish Duration | If Late Finish Type = Duration; Longest amount of time this task instance should take to run. |
Computed Late Finish Time | If Late Finish is enabled, the computed Date/Time for when the task instance will be Late Finished. |
Early Finish | If enabled, and if the task instance finishes before the time or period specified, the task instance is flagged as early. You can specify a time or duration to determine an early finish (see Early Finish Type). To determine whether a task instance finished early, open the task instance and locate the Finished Early field; the field is checked if the instance finished before the specified time or did not last as long as expected. This field only appears on the task instance if the user added Early Finish specifications to the task definition. |
Finished Early | System-supplied; this field is flagged if the task finished earlier than the time specified in the Early Finish fields. |
Early Finish Type | Required if Early Finish is enabled. Options:
|
Early Finish Offset Type | |
Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - ) | Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Percentage; Percentage of Average Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration. (Minimum = 0 and Maximum = 100) |
Early Finish Duration Offset ( - ) | Required if Early Finish Offset Type = Duration; Duration to use as an offset. The early finish time is calculated by subtracting the offset from the Average Duration. |
Early Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Early Finish Time | If Early Finish Type = Time; Time before which the task finish time is considered early. That is, enter a time at which the task should still be running. Use HH:MM, 24-hour time. |
Early Finish Day Constraint | If Early Finish Type = Time; Specification for whether or not to advance the early finish time to another day.
Default is – None --. |
Early Finish Nth Amount | If Early Finish Day Constraint = Nth Day; Number of days to advance. |
Early Finish Duration | If Early Finish Type = Duration; Shortest amount of time this task instance should take to run. |
Projected Late | System-provided if Late Start Time, Late Start Duration, or Late Finish Time is specified; This field is flagged if the task instance is projected to be late based on critical path projected end times (see Critical Path Projected Late Action Maximum and Critical Path Projected Late Threshold In Minutes Universal Controller system properties). . |
Critical Path Options | This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task. |
CP Duration | Optional; Allows you to override the estimated Critical Path Duration of the task when running in a Workflow; used in conjunction with the CP Duration Unit field. In most cases, this field should be left blank, which implies that the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. Valid values are any integer equal to or greater than 0. Variables and Functions are supported. |
CP Duration (Resolved) | Displays the current resolved value of the CP Duration field, which may contain variables or functions that will be displayed as unresolved until the task instance starts. The CP Duration (Resolved) field can continue to change value until the task instance starts, at which time CP Duration will display as resolved and CP Duration (Resolved) will no longer be visible unless there was an issue resolving the variables and/or functions contained within CP Duration. If the Controller is unable to resolve CP Duration or it resolves to an invalid value, CP Duration will be ignored and the Controller will estimate the Critical Path Duration based on historical executions. |
CP Duration Unit | Type of CP Duration; used in conjunction with the CP Duration field. For example, for a CP Duration of two minutes, specify 2 in the CP Duration field and select Minutes in this field. Options:
Default is Minutes. |
Workflow Execution Options | This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow. |
Execution Restriction | Specification for whether or not there is a restriction for this task to be run, skipped, or held. Options are:
If Execution Restriction on a task is Run or Skip, then when it is part of a Workflow that is being launched, the Restriction Period is evaluated. The task instance will be skipped if Execution Restriction is Skip and the date is within the Restriction Period or Execution Restriction is Run and the date is not within the Restriction Period. Execution Restriction can be set to Skip with a Restriction Period of - None -, meaning the restriction is always active and the task will be skipped when it is part of a Workflow. |
Restriction Period | If Execution Restriction = Run, Skip, or Hold; Period of time when the task is restricted. Options are:
|
Before Date | If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Date before which the restriction is valid. |
Before Time | If Restriction Period = Before or Span; Time on the selected date before which the restriction is valid. |
After Date | If Restriction Period = After or Span; Date after which the restriction is valid. |
After Time | If Restriction Period = After or Span; Time on the selected date after which the restriction is valid. |
Date List | If Restriction Period = On; Date(s) on which the restriction is valid. |
Statistics | This section contains time-related statistics for the task instance. |
User Estimated End Time | System-supplied; If the user entered information into the User Estimated Duration field in the task Details, the Controller uses this information to calculate an end time for the task instance, based on the date/time the task instance started. |
Lowest Estimated End Time |
System-supplied; Lowest estimated end time of the task instance, calculated by the Controller based on the date/time the task instance started. |
Average Estimated End Time |
System-supplied; Average estimated end time of the task instance, calculated by the Controller based on the date/time the task instance started. |
Highest Estimated End Time |
System-supplied; Highest estimated end time of the task instance, calculated by the Controller based on the date/time the task instance started. |
| Projected Start Time | System-supplied; projected start time of the task instance, calculated by the Controller based on Projected End Time minus Projected Duration. |
Projected End Time | System-supplied; projected end time of the task instance, calculated by the Controller based on the projected end time of its predecessor (or the maximum projected end time of all its predecessors, if more than one path exists to that task instance) plus its estimated critical path duration. |
Metadata | This section contains Metadata information about this record. |
UUID | Universally Unique Identifier of this record. |
Updated By | Name of the user that last updated this record. |
Updated | Date and time that this record was last updated. |
Created By | Name of the user that created this record. |
Created | Date and time that this record was created. |
Status History | History of all statuses that the task instance has gone through. |
Operational Memo History | History of all Operational Memos for the task. |
Buttons | This section identifies the buttons displayed above and below the Task Instance Details that let you perform various actions. |
Update |
Saves updates to the record. |
Force Finish | |
Hold |
|
Skip |
|
Re-run | See Re-running a Task Instance. Note If the Re-run (Suppress Intermediate Failures) Permitted Universal Controller system property is set to true, the Re-run button is a drop-down list containing the following options:
The Re-run button does not display if the task instance does not qualify for Re-run. If the task instance qualifies for Re-run, but already has Retry Options enabled, Re-run (Suppress Intermediate Failures) displays as disabled in the drop-down list. |
View Parent |
Displays the task instance Details for the parent Workflow of this task instance. |
Retrieve Output |
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SAP | Displays an Action menu of SAP commands. |
Delete |
Deletes the current record. |
Refresh | Refreshes any dynamic data displayed in the Details. |
Close | For pop-up view only; closes the pop-up view of this task instance. |
Tabs | This section identifies the tabs across the top of the Task Instance Details that provide access to additional information about the task instance. |
Virtual Resources |
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Exclusive Requests |
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Output | Displays output generated from the process, if any, based on specifications provided by the user in the Automatic Output Retrieval fields in the task Details. If automatic output retrieval was not available or was not selected, output can be obtained by clicking the Retrieve Output button. |
Notes |
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Output Redirection
An Agent processes SAP, Universal Command, and File Transfer/UDM task types differently than Windows and Linux/Unix task types. SAP, Universal Command, and File Transfer/UDM command lines are sent to the user process via standard input, so any redirection operators entered as task command input are not processed as expected.
If you want to direct output from an SAP task to your file system, the -uagstdio command option lets you specify the same output redirection commands that are available for Windows and Linux/Unix task types. UAG will apply the user-specified value for -uagstdio directly to the command image.
The I/O redirection commands that you can use with -uagstdio are dependent on the OS/command shell. You should be able to set up any redirection that the OS/command shell supports (just as with Windows and Unix/Linux task types).
The syntax of -uagstdio is similar to Universal Data Mover, Universal Command, and Universal Connector command line options; option followed by value.
For the SAP task type, you can specify uagstdio in the following field:
-uagstdio Examples
If the -uagstdio value contains spaces, it must be enclose in double quotation marks ( " ):
If the quoted value itself requires double quotation marks, they must be doubled ( "" ):
Universal Connector Commands
The following table identifies supported Universal Connector commands, describes the actions that each command performs, and lists each command's related options, which display in the SAP Task Details when that command is selected.
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Performs the following actions:
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Performs the following actions:
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Performs the following actions:
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Defines a new SAP job. |
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Modifies an SAP job that already exists in an SAP system. A USAP job definition file is used to specify the modifications. |
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Starts a currently defined SAP job. |
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Starts the specified process chain on the SAP system. |
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Starts the specified InfoPackage on the SAP system. |
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Reconnects to a started job and monitors it through completion. |
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Waits for a Process Chain to complete. |
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Waits for an InfoPackage to complete. |
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Cancels a running SAP job. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Removes the specified process chain from the schedule. |
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Deletes a defined SAP job, its joblog, and all of its spoollists. This command is not available on SAP 3.1 and SAP 4.0. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deletes a variant from an SAP system. |
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Raises the specified SAP background processing event. |
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Display | Displays the data specified in the Display Command field. The data is written to standard output. |
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Generates a USAP variant definition file based on a model SAP variant. The generated definition file is written to standard output. Requires XBP interface 2.0 or greater. |
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Generates a USAP job definition file based on a model SAP job. The generated definition file is written to standard output. |
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Creates a new Criteria Manager profile. |
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Sets the criteria for a profile. |
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Activates a criteria profile of the specified type. |
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Deactivates a criteria profile of the specified type. |
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Deletes a criteria profile from an SAP system. |
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Adding Job Steps
For an SAP Task in Enhanced View, you can add one or more Job Steps for each task, and define the values for those job steps, as described below.
Adding a Step
The Controller searches Job Step definitions based on their order in the Job Steps list; the definition at the top of the list is searched first. To change the order of the definitions in the list, drag and drop them to any location.
Step 1 | Open the SAP task to which you want to add the parameter. |
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Step 2 | Click the Job Steps tab. The Job Steps list displays a list of all Job Steps for which values have been defined for this task. |
Step 3 | Click the |
Step 4 | Enter/select Details for a new Job Step, using the field descriptions below as a guide. Fields with the |
Step 6 | Click the |
Job Step Details Field Descriptions
| Field Name | Description |
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| Type | Job step type. Options are
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| Name | Name of the Job Step. |
| SAP User Name | User name in the SAP system. |
| Job Step Type = ABAP Program | This section contains assorted detailed information about an ABAP Program Job Step. |
| Variant Name | Variant to use to process the report. |
| Execution Language | Specifies the language in which the system executes and prints the output. |
| Use Temporary Variant | Specification for whether or not to use Temporary Variant. |
| Temporary Variant | If Use Temporary Variant is enabled, Allows you to enter temporary variants needed by the program to run. To add a temporary variant, click the + icon and enter a Technical Name, Type, Lower Limit/Single Value, Upper Limit, Option and Sign. To delete a variant, select in the list of variables and click the - icon. |
| Print Parameters... | The Print Parameters... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up print parameters. |
| Output Device | Specifies the printer or fax machine. |
| Number of Copies | Number of printouts. |
| Page Area | Specifies if everything should be printed or select pages. Options are:
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| Page From | If Page Area = Page, first page in the range of pages to be printed. |
| Page To | If Page Area = Page, last page in the range of pages to be printed. |
| Print Time | Specifies when the spool request will be sent to the output device. Options are:
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| Format | Page format, depending on the output device, different formats with different maximum page lengths and widths can be specified. |
| Output Contents... | The Output Contents... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up the output contents.
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| Spool Request Maximum 255 Character Width | Specification for a line break in spool after 255 characters. |
| Text Only | Specification to print text output only. |
| Suppress Colors/Shading In Printout | Specifies if colors/shading are included in spool list. |
| Spool List With Structure Information | Specifies if structure information is inserted into the print request. |
| No Frame Characters | Specifies if no frame characters are printed. |
| Spool Request... | The Spool Request... button opens a dialog that allows you to set up the spool request.
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| Spool Request Name | The name of the spool request if not printed immediately. |
| Title | Description text for the spool request, appears on the default cover page and is displayed in the output controller instead of the value of the Spool Request Name. |
| Authorization | Authorization for the spool request. This can be used to check whether or not a user is allowed to carry out certain actions on the spool request. |
| Cover Sheets... |
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| SAP Cover Sheet | Specifies whether a cover page containing details about the print request - such as recipient, department, and format - is to be sent with the with the spool request. |
| OS Cover Sheet | Specifies whether the standard cover page of the operating system spooler is to be sent with the spool request. |
| Selection Cover Sheet | Specifies whether a cover page with the input values of the selection layout is printed. |
| Receivers | Recipient name for the SAP cover page. |
| Department | Department name for the SAP cover page. |
| Output Options... |
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| Delete After Printing | If yes, spool request is deleted immediately after printing, otherwise after the value of Spool Retention. |
| Spool Retention | This field specifies how many days a spool request stays in the spool system before it is deleted. |
| New Spool Request | Specifies whether the system creates a new spool request. |
| Print Priority | Specifies the priority to be passed on to the spool system of the operating system. A spool request with a higher priority is inserted into the spooler queue in front of a spool request with a lower priority. |
| Storage Mode | Specifies the archiving mode. |
| Object Type | If Storage Mode = Archive Only or Print And Archive, Object type of the SAP object. |
| Document Type | If Storage Mode = Archive Only or Print And Archive, Document type of the archiving object. |
| Information | If Storage Mode = Archive Only or Print And Archive, Information abbreviation for the archiving request which can contain more information beside the name. |
| Text | If Storage Mode = Archive Only or Print And Archive, Description text of the archiving request. |
| Job Step Type = External Command/ External Program | This section contains assorted detailed information about an External Command/ External Program Job Step. |
| Parameters | Parameter string to be passed to the external program or command when the step starts. |
| Target Server | Name of the host system on which you want to process a background job. |
| OS | Job Step Type = External Command, Operating system of the application server. |
| Job Waiting For External Termination | Informs SAP to wait for termination before returning. |
| Log Output | Specifies how to write the standard job output. |
| Log Errors | Specifies how to write the standard error job output. |
| Activate Trace With Trace Level | Specifies the trace level. |
Options Fields
Four Job Step Details fields allow you to populate their drop-down lists with options retrieved from the SAP system:
- Name
- Variant Name
- Execution Language
- Output Device
- Format
- OS
To select the options for a field, click the refresh picker icon next to its drop-down list to display a Refresh Options... dialog. There is a different Refresh Options... dialog for each options field.
Most of the fields on a Refresh Options... dialog are fields from the SAP Task Details, and the values for those fields in the dialog are, by default, the same as the values for the fields in the Details. You can keep the current values or change them from their drop-down lists.
When you click the Submit button on the Refresh Options... dialog for an options field, the drop-down list for that field is populated with values that are determined by the values that you submitted on the Refresh Options... dialog.
Name
Variant Name
Execution Language
Output Device
Format
OS
Deleting a Job Step
To delete a single Job Step for a task, either:
- Right-click the step on the Job Step list and click Delete on the Action menu.
- Open the Job Step record and click the Delete button.
Running an SAP Task
You can run an SAP task:
- Manually, by clicking the Launch or Launch with Variables button in the SAP tasks list or SAP Task Details Action menu.
- As part of a workflow.
- Specify triggers that run the task automatically based on times or events.
Monitoring Task Execution
You can monitor all system activity from the Activity Monitor and can view activity history from the History list.