Managing background tasks
Use these forms to schedule some processes to run at certain times of day and at regular intervals:
- Background Task Definitions:
Use this form to create definitions that identify each background task to
TaskMan. TaskMan uses these definitions to monitor the Application Database in
order to execute background tasks.
Every report, and every utility or activity that can be run as a background process, must be listed and defined on this form.
- Background Queue: Use this form to
specify when and/or how often, the task from the parent form is to run.
This form can be accessed through the menu on many reports, activities, and utilities. Each time the task runs, this form uses any search criteria you may have set up.
- Active Background Tasks: Use this form to
schedule background tasks and to view the background tasks that are waiting to
run or are in progress.
This form provides many options for scheduling background tasks. This is especially important when scheduling background tasks that recur. Many of these scheduled background tasks are for reports that are to be produced on a regular basis. You can, however, also schedule other tasks, such as utilities that can run operations in the background.
- Background Task History: Use this form
to display information about background tasks that have been run, and whether
they have completed successfully.
Return codes generated by background tasks display here.
These types of tasks can be displayed:
- Reports (): Background tasks of the type
are for reports of any
of the currently supported report types. Note: If the Report Server has been set up in the Application settings of the Configuration Manager, the server name, logical folder name, and file server path where the report output is written, display on this form. This information can be used to retrieve the file even if the configuration changes at a later time.
- Stored procedures (): Developers supply the exit status for a stored procedure within the coding of the procedure. Generally, the exit status of the stored procedure functions as its return code, which is returned by TaskMan and displays on this form.
- IDO methods (): IDO methods can be called by a background task, usually with parameters. The method code then returns a status of success or failure and, optionally, a message that can be displayed on this form. In this sense, the IDO method can be used in a way similar to the way stored procedure background tasks are used.
- Reports (): Background tasks of the type
are for reports of any
of the currently supported report types.