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.
 
To the right of the list, Task Monitor Task Details for a new Task Monitor task displays.
 

Step 2

Enter/select Details for a new Task Monitor task, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.
  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.
  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.
  • Click the  button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click the  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

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:

  • – System Default –
    Time zone is based on the value of the Task Time Zone Preference Universal Controller system property: Server or Inherited.
  • Server (xxx)
    Where (xxx) is the time zone ID of the server; time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the server.
  • Inherited
    Time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the Parent Workflow or Trigger / Launch specification in the case there is no Parent Workflow.

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

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).

Monitor Late StartSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that started late. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.
Monitor Late FinishSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that finished late. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.
Monitor Early FinishSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that finished early. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.

Monitoring Type

Specifies which task or tasks are being monitored.

Options:

  • Specific Task - One task is being monitored. Use the Task to Monitor field to specify the task name.
  • General Tasks - Allows you to specify selection parameters that determine which task or tasks to be monitored. Use the Task Name Condition and Task Type to Monitor fields to create your selection parameters.

Task to Monitor

If Monitoring Type = Specific Task; specifies the task to monitor. Enter a task name or select a task from the drop-down list. To display details about a task on the list, select it and then click the Task To Monitor icon.

Task Name Condition

If Monitoring Type = General Task(s); specifies a type of condition for the name of tasks being monitored for. If you select a condition type, a corresponding field displays that allows you to enter a value for that condition. Only tasks meeting the specified condition value will be monitored for.

Options:

  • - - None - -
  • Equals
  • Starts With
  • Contains
  • Ends With
  • Wildcard

Task Type to Monitor

If Monitoring Type = General Tasks; allows you to define specific task types to monitor for. For example, to monitor all SQL tasks, you would select Monitoring Type = General Tasks, then select Task Type to Monitor = SQL Tasks.

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.
 
Default is false.

Workflow Name Condition

Type of condition for the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. If you select a condition type, a corresponding field displays that allows you to enter a value for that condition.

Only tasks in workflows meeting the specified condition value will be monitored for.

Options:

  • - - None - -
  • Equals
  • Starts With
  • Contains
  • Ends With
  • Wildcard

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

Used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

The Time Scope fields are used to create a window during which the Task Monitor conditions must be met in order for the Task Monitor to be satisfied.

Options:

  • -- None --
  • Relative
  • Relative / Last Run

The Time Scope window is always relative to the time that the Task Monitor launched. For example, if you put -01:00 in the From time field and 02:00 in the To time field, the window's begin time is one hour before the Task Monitor is launched and its end time is two hours after it is launched.

Use Relative / Last Run if you want to match the most recent prior instance.
 

Note

For additional details, see Understanding Relative Time Scope, below.

Expiration Action

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run and the Task Monitor cannot find any matches during the specified criteria and time interval; State to transition to if Relative Time Scope conditions are not met within the specified window.

Options:

From 

Format is (+/-)hh:mm

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run; used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

hh must be a positive integer. mm must be a positive integer between 0 and 59 inclusive. For example, -124:00, -12:00, -6:00, 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, or 124:00.

Together with the Time Scope To field, it allows you to specify a window of time, relative to the time the Task Monitor task launched, during which the conditions of the Task Monitor must be met.

If the conditions are not met within the specified window, the Task Monitor task instance will transition to Failed (default) or Finished status determined by the Expiration Action.

  • Required if Time Scope = Relative.
  • Optional if Time Scope = Relative / Last Run; if a value is not specified, the Task Monitor has no limit on how far back it can look for a match.

To

Format is (+/-)hh:mm

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run; used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

hh must be a positive integer. mm must be a positive integer between 0 and 59 inclusive. For example, -124:00, -12:00, -6:00, 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, or 124:00.

Together with the Time Scope From field, it allows you to specify a window of time, relative to the time the Task Monitor task launched, during which the conditions of the Task Monitor must be met.

If the conditions are not met within the specified window, the Task Monitor task instance will transition to Failed (default) or Finished status determined by the Expiration Action.

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.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Time
  • Relative Time
  • Duration
  • Seconds

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:

  • -- None --
    • If Wait To Start = Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the time that the task instance is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, and it is not waiting on any predecessors.
    • If Wait To Start = Relative Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the task instance Trigger Time or, if there is no Trigger Time, before the task instance Launch Time. In the latter case, when a task instance is within a workflow, it will inherit the Launch Time of the top-level parent workflow task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.

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.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Duration
  • Seconds

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.
 
Options are:

Time Options

This section contains time-related specifications for task instances of 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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it starts after the specified time.
  • Duration - Flag the task if it starts a certain amount of time after the programmed start time. The task must have a specific start time.

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.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late start time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes after the specified time (see Late Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time after the programmed finish time (see Late Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Late Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Late Finish Offset Type

If Late Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

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.

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

If Late Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes before the specified time (see Early Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time before the programmed finish time (see Early Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Early Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Early Finish Offset Type

If Early Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

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.

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

If Early Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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.

 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified early finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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:

  • -- None -- No restriction for this task.
  • Run Restriction for when this task will be run.
  • Skip Restriction for when this task will be skipped.
  • Hold Restriction for when this task will be held.

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:

  • – None –
    No period of restriction for this task.
  • Before
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value.
  • After
    Restriction is valid if the date is after the After Date value.
  • Span
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value and after After Date value.
  • On
    Restriction is valid if the date is one of the Date List values.

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 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 Task


Manually launches the task.

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:

  • Specified in an enabled Trigger.
  • The only task specified in a disabled Trigger.

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.

Variables


Lists all user-defined variables associated with this record; that is, variables that have been defined for this specific record.

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:

  • Task instance status
  • Exit codes
  • Late start
  • Late finish
  • Early finish

Actions are:

Abort Action

Abort the task if certain events occur. For details, see Abort Actions.

Email Notification

Send an email if certain events occur. For details, see Email Notification Actions.

Set Variable

Used in tasks and workflows to set a variable based on the occurrence of certain events. For details, see Creating a Set Variable Action within a Task or Workflow.

SNMP Notification

Send an email if certain events occur. For details, see SNMP Notification Actions.

System Operation

Run an Universal Controller system operation based on specified conditions. For details, see System Operation Actions.

Virtual Resources


Lists all Virtual Resources to which this task is assigned.
 
If you want to create a Task Virtual Resource for this task, you can select an existing Virtual Resource (or, optionally, first create a new Virtual Resource and then select it as the Task Virtual Resource) or enter a Virtual Resource variable. The variable must be a supported type as described in Variables and Functions.

Mutually Exclusive


Lists all tasks that have been set to be mutually exclusive of this task.

Instances

Lists all instances of the task.

Task Monitor Triggers

Lists all Task Monitor triggers that reference this task in the Task Monitor field of the trigger Details; that is, a list of all Task Monitor triggers that execute this task. For instructions on creating triggers, see Triggers.

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


Lists all notes associated with this record.

Versions


Stores copies of all previous versions of the current record. See Record Versioning.

Viewing a Task Monitor Task Instance

When a Task Monitor 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:

Task Monitor Task Instance Details

The following Task Monitor Task Instance Details contains information on the execution of the task shown in the Task Monitor Task Details.


 


Task Monitor Task Instance Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in Task Monitor 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:

  • Scheduled Trigger

    If the instance was directly launched by a scheduled trigger, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the scheduled trigger.
  • Trigger Monitor

    If the instance is a monitor associated with monitor trigger, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the monitor trigger.
  • Trigger Now / User Interface

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.
  • Trigger Now / System Operation

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger and the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • Trigger Now / Web Service

    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.
  • Trigger Now / Command Line
    If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command, the Trigger (trigger_id) column is assigned the UUID of the trigger.

  • Workflow

    If the instance was launched by a workflow, the Workflow (workflow_id) column is assigned the UUID of the workflow instance.  Likewise, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will also be assigned the UUID of the workflow instance.
  • Launch Task / User Interface

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.
  • Launch Task / System Operation

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • Launch Task / Web Service

    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.
  • Launch Task / Command Line
    If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be null.

  • Recurring

    If the instance was directly launched by a Recurring Task Instance, the Source Instance (source_instance) column will be assigned the UUID of the Recurring Task Instance.

Source Instance

System-supplied; UUID of the source instance.

  • If the instance was directly launched by a Trigger Now command; the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • If the instance was launched by a workflow; the UUID of the workflow instance.
  • If the instance was directly launched by the Launch Task command; the UUID of the instance invoking the System Operation.
  • If the instance was directly launched by a Recurring Task Instance; the UUID of the Recurring Task Instance.

Invoked by

System-supplied; how the task instance was launched.

Options:

  • Trigger: (Trigger Name)
    Instance was launched by the named trigger.
  • Workflow: (Workflow Name)
    Instance was launched by the named workflow.
  • Manually Launched
    Instance was launched by a user. To identify the user, check the Execution User column for that task instance on the Task Instances screen or, on most task instance screens, the Execution User field.

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:

  • – System Default –
    Time zone is based on the value of the Task Time Zone Preference Universal Controller system property: Server or Inherited.
  • Server (xxx)
    Where (xxx) is the time zone ID of the server; time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the server.
  • Inherited
    Time zone is evaluated in the time zone of the Parent Workflow or Trigger / Launch specification in the case there is no Parent Workflow.

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

System-supplied; see Task Instance Statuses



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.

Trigger

Trigger, if any, on whose behalf the Task Monitor task is monitoring other tasks.

Task Instance Matched

Last task that matched the specifications of the task(s) being monitored.

Monitor Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the task instance.

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).

Monitor Late StartSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that started late. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.
Monitor Late FinishSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that finished late. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.
Monitor Early FinishSpecifies to monitor for an instance or instances that finished early. When specifying a Time Scope, the instance Created Time must fall within the time window.

Monitoring Type

Specifies which task or tasks are being monitored.

Options:

  • Specific Task - One task is being monitored. Use the Task to Monitor field to specify the task name.
  • General Tasks - Allows you to specify selection parameters that determine which task or tasks to be monitored. Use the Task Name Condition and Task Type to Monitor fields to create your selection parameters.

Task to Monitor

If Monitoring Type = Specific Task; specifies the task to monitor. Enter a task name or select a task from the drop-down list. To display details about a task on the list, select it and then click the Task To Monitor icon.

Task Name Condition

If Monitoring Type = General Task(s); specifies a type of condition for the name of tasks being monitored for. If you select a condition type, a corresponding field displays that allows you to enter a value for that condition. Only tasks meeting the specified condition value will be monitored for.

Options:

  • - - None - -
  • Equals
  • Starts With
  • Contains
  • Ends With
  • Wildcard

Task Type to Monitor

If Monitoring Type = General Tasks; allows you to define specific task types to monitor for. For example, to monitor all SQL tasks, you would select Monitoring Type = General Tasks, then select Task Type to Monitor = SQL Tasks.

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.
 
Default is false.

Workflow Name Condition

Type of condition for the name of a workflow or workflows containing the task being monitored for. If you select a condition type, a corresponding field displays that allows you to enter a value for that condition.

Only tasks in workflows meeting the specified condition value will be monitored for.

Options:

  • - - None - -
  • Equals
  • Starts With
  • Contains
  • Ends With
  • Wildcard

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

Used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

The Time Scope fields are used to create a window during which the Task Monitor conditions must be met in order for the Task Monitor to be satisfied.

Options:

  • -- None --
  • Relative
  • Relative / Last Run

The Time Scope window is always relative to the time that the Task Monitor launched. For example, if you put -01:00 in the From time field and 02:00 in the To time field, the window's begin time is one hour before the Task Monitor is launched and its end time is two hours after it is launched.

Use Relative / Last Run if you want to match the most recent prior instance.
 

Note

For additional details, see Understanding Relative Time Scope, below.

Expiration Action

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run and the Task Monitor cannot find any matches during the specified criteria and time interval; State to transition to if Relative Time Scope conditions are not met within the specified window.

Options:

From

Format is (+/-)hh:mm

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run; used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

hh must be a positive integer. mm must be a positive integer between 0 and 59 inclusive. For example, -124:00, -12:00, -6:00, 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, or 124:00.

Together with the Time Scope To field, it allows you to specify a window of time, relative to the time the Task Monitor task launched, during which the conditions of the Task Monitor must be met.

If the conditions are not met within the specified window, the Task Monitor task instance will transition to Failed (default) or Finished status determined by the Expiration Action.

  • Required if Time Scope = Relative.
  • Optional if Time Scope = Relative / Last Run; if a value is not specified, the Task Monitor has no limit on how far back it can look for a match.

To

Format is (+/-)hh:mm

If Time Scope = Relative or Relative / Last Run; used for Task Monitor tasks not associated with a trigger.

hh must be a positive integer. mm must be a positive integer between 0 and 59 inclusive. For example, -124:00, -12:00, -6:00, 00:00, 6:00, 12:00, or 124:00.

Together with the Time Scope From field, it allows you to specify a window of time, relative to the time the Task Monitor task launched, during which the conditions of the Task Monitor must be met.

If the conditions are not met within the specified window, the Task Monitor task instance will transition to Failed (default) or Finished status determined by the Expiration Action.

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.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Time
  • Relative Time
  • Duration
  • Seconds

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:

  • -- None --
    • If Wait To Start = Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the time that the task instance is eligible to start; that is, all dependencies have been met. For example: it is not being held, and it is not waiting on any predecessors.
    • If Wait To Start = Relative Time; Advance to the next day if the specified wait time is before the task instance Trigger Time or, if there is no Trigger Time, before the task instance Launch Time. In the latter case, when a task instance is within a workflow, it will inherit the Launch Time of the top-level parent workflow task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.

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.
 
Options are:

  • – None –
  • Duration
  • Seconds

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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it starts after the specified time.
  • Duration - Flag the task if it starts a certain amount of time after the programmed start time. The task must have a specific start time.

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.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late start time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes after the specified time (see Late Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time after the programmed finish time (see Late Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Late Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Late Finish Offset Type

If Late Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

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.

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

If Late Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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.
 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified late finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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:

  • Time - Flag the task if it finishes before the specified time (see Early Finish Time).
  • Duration - Flag the task if it finishes a certain amount of time before the programmed finish time (see Early Finish Duration). The task must have a specific finish time.
  • Average Duration - Flag the task if it finishes before the average duration (see Average Instance Time) for the task, less an offset (see Early Finish Offset Type), if specified.

Early Finish Offset Type

If Early Finish Type = Average Duration;

Options:

  • Percentage
  • Duration

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.

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

If Early Finish Offset Type = Duration;

Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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.

 
Valid values:

  • -- None --
    Advance to the next day if the specified early finish time is before the Created time of the task instance.
  • Same Day
    Do not advance day.
  • Next Day
    Advance to the next day.
  • Next Business Day
    Advance to the next business day.
  • Sunday
    If today is not Sunday, advance to next Sunday.
  • Monday
    If today is not Monday, advance to next Monday.
  • Tuesday
    If today is not Tuesday, advance to next Tuesday.
  • Wednesday
    If today is not Wednesday, advance to next Wednesday.
  • Thursday
    If today is not Thursday, advance to next Thursday.
  • Friday
    If today is not Friday, advance to next Friday.
  • Saturday
    If today is not Saturday, advance to next Saturday.
  • Nth Day
    Advance to a specific number of days in the future.

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.

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:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours

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:

  • -- None -- No restriction for this task.
  • Run Restriction for when this task will be run.
  • Skip Restriction for when this task will be skipped.
  • Hold Restriction for when this task will be held.

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:

  • – None –
    No period of restriction for this task.
  • Before
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value.
  • After
    Restriction is valid if the date is after the After Date value.
  • Span
    Restriction is valid if the date is before the Before Date value and after After Date value.
  • On
    Restriction is valid if the date is one of the Date List values.

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.