Task Monitor Task
Overview
The Task Monitor task monitors another task or tasks for one or more specific statuses.
When setting up a Task Monitor task, you can monitor:
All tasks
Specific task
Task type, such as a Windows task
Group of tasks based on the name, such as all tasks whose name contains the string DEV
You also can monitor for any combination of task statuses.
For example, you can monitor for:
All tasks with a status of RESOURCE WAIT or UNDELIVERABLE
All Windows tasks in a FAILED status
All tasks whose name contains REPORT that have a status of SUCCESS.
For Task Monitors within a workflow, you can also specify a Time Scope, or window of time, during which the event being monitored for must be satisfied.
Built-In Variables
The following built-in variables can be used in a Task Monitor task to pass data where appropriate:
Processing Flow for Task Monitors
The processing on a Task Monitor may differ depending on which of the following methods was used to launch it:
Launched by a workflow
Launched by a Task Monitor trigger
Launched manually or by another trigger
Each method is described in detail below.
Note
Any changes made to a Task Monitor task are not recognized by its respective Triggers until those Triggers are disabled and re-enabled.
Launching a Task Monitor Task Within a Workflow
Within a Workflow, the Task Monitor task launches like any other task in the Workflow; that is, whenever the Workflow conditions warrant it. The Task Monitor runs until one of the conditions described below occurs:
When the conditions specified in the Task Monitor are met, the Task Monitor goes to a status of SUCCESS.
When the time window specified in the Task Monitor passes and the conditions in the Task Monitor are not met, the Task Monitor goes to a status of FAILED. If the time window is entirely in the past and Universal Controller does not locate the required event in the Activity table when the Task Monitor launches, the Task Monitor goes immediately to a FAILED status.
If no time window is specified in the Task Monitor and the Task Monitor conditions are not met, the Task Monitor task continues running.
A user can manually force finish the Task Monitor task.
The following diagram illustrates how a Task Monitor might go to SUCCESS and FAILED status within a workflow.
Launching a Task Monitor Task Using a Task Monitor Trigger
The Task Monitor task launches when the user enables the Task Monitor trigger. Each time the conditions in the Task Monitor task are satisfied, the tasks specified in the trigger are launched. This process continues until a user disables the associated Task Monitor trigger.
The following diagram shows an example of how you might set up a task monitoring scheme using the Task Monitor task and Task Monitor trigger.
Launching a Task Monitor Task Manually or Via Other Trigger
If you manually launch a Task Monitor task or launch it using a trigger other than a Task Monitor trigger, such as a Time trigger, the task continues running until its specified conditions are met. When that occurs, the Task Monitor goes to SUCCESS. No other processing occurs unless you have configured notifications with the task or set up some other task(s) to launch based on the status of this task.
The Task Monitor runs until one of the conditions described below occurs:
When the time window specified in the Task Monitor passes and the conditions in the Task Monitor are not met, the Task Monitor goes to a status of FAILED. If the time window is entirely in the past and the Controller does not locate the required event in the Activity table when the Task Monitor launches, the Task Monitor goes immediately to a FAILED status.
If no time window is specified in the Task Monitor and the Task Monitor conditions are not met, the Task Monitor task continues running.
Creating a Task Monitor Task
Step 1 | From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Tasks > Task Monitor Tasks. The Task Monitor Tasks list displays a list of all currently defined Task Monitor tasks. |
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Step 2 | Enter/select Details for a new Task Monitor 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 a Save button. The task is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Task Details are enabled. |
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).
Task Monitor Task Details
The following Task Monitor Task Details is for an existing Task Monitor task.
Depending on the values that you enter / select for these fields, and whether or not the Task Monitor task has ever been launched, more (or less) fields may display. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of all fields that may display in the Task Monitor Task Details.
Task Monitor Task Details Field Descriptions
The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Task Monitor Task Details.
Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
General | This section contains general information about the task. |
Name | |
Version | |
Description | |
Member of Business Services | |
Resolve Name Immediately | |
Time Zone Preference | |
Hold on Start | |
Hold Reason | |
Virtual Resource Priority | |
Hold Resources on Failure | |
Monitor Details | This section contains assorted detailed information about the task. |
Status To Monitor | Status being monitored for. When the task being monitored goes to a status specified in this field, the associated trigger is satisfied and the tasks specified in the trigger launch. You can specify as many statuses as needed (see Task Statuses). |
Monitoring Type | |
Task to Monitor | |
Task Name Condition | |
Task Type to Monitor | |
Name Starts With | Required if Task Name Condition = Starts With; Character string at the start of the name of a task or tasks being monitored for. |
Name Contains | Required if Task Name Condition = Contains; Character string in the name of a task or tasks being monitored for. |
Name Ends With | Required if Task Name Condition = Ends With; Character string at the end of the name of a task or tasks being monitored for. |
Name Equals | Required if Task Name Condition = Equals; Character string equaling the name of a task or tasks being monitored for. |
Name Wildcard | Required if Task Name Condition = Wildcard; Character string equaling the name of a wildcard in a task or tasks being monitored for. |
Resolve Task Name Condition | If Monitoring Type = Generals Task(s) and Task Name Condition = Starts With, Contains, Ends With, or Equals; Specification (true or false) for whether or not to resolve at run time any variables in the task name of the task(s) being monitored. |
Workflow Name Condition | |
Workflow Name Equals | Optional if Workflow Name Condition = Equals; Exact name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. If the field is blank, the Task Monitor will consider a Task Instance for a match only if the Task Instance is not contained within a workflow. |
Workflow Name Starts With | Required if Workflow Name Condition = Starts With; Character string at the start of the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. |
Workflow Name Contains | Required if Workflow Name Condition = Contains; Character string in the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. |
Workflow Name Ends With | Required if Workflow Name Condition = Ends With; Character string at the end of the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. |
Workflow Name Wildcard | Required if Workflow Name Condition = Ends With; Character string of a wildcard in the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. |
Time Scope | |
Expiration Action | |
From [+/-]hh:mm: | |
To [+/-]hh:mm: | |
Wait / Delay Options | This section contains specifications for waiting to start and/or delaying on start the task. |
Wait To Start | |
Wait Time | |
Wait Day Constraint | |
Wait Duration | |
Wait Duration In Seconds | |
Delay On Start | |
Delay Duration | |
Delay Duration In Seconds | |
Workflow Only | |
Time Options | This section contains time-related specifications for task instances of the task. |
Late Start | |
Late Start Type | |
Late Start Time | |
Late Start Day Constraint | |
Late Start Nth Amount | |
Late Start Duration | |
Late Finish | |
Late Finish Type | |
Late Finish Offset Type | |
Late Finish Percentage Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset ( + ) | |
Late Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Late Finish Time | |
Late Finish Day Constraint | |
Late Finish Nth Amount | |
Late Finish Duration | |
Early Finish | |
Early Finish Type | |
Early Finish Offset Type | |
Early Finish Percentage Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset ( - ) | |
Early Finish Duration Offset Unit | |
Early Finish Time | |
Early Finish Day Constraint | |
Early Finish Nth Amount | |
Early Finish Duration | |
User Estimated Duration | |
Critical Path Options | This section contains Critical Path-related specifications for the task. |
CP Duration | |
CP Duration (Resolved) | |
CP Duration Unit | |
Workflow Execution Options | This section contains Execution Restriction specifications for the task if it is within a Workflow. |
Execution Restriction | |
Restriction Period | |
Before Date | |
Before Time | |
After Date | |
After Time | |
Date List | |
Statistics | This section contains time-related statistics for task instances of the task. |
First Execution | |
Last Execution | |
Last Instance Duration | |
Lowest Instance Time | |
Average Instance Time | |
Highest Instance Time | |
Number of Instances | |
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 | |
Launch Task | |
View Parents |