Scheduling Object Generation

One of the properties that you set for each object type is the schedule for generating that object. The properties pane for each object type includes a Schedule tab in which you can view the currently configured schedule and from which you can open either a dialog box to change the schedule or a dialog box to copy the schedule to other object types.

When you schedule object generation, you set three tiers of scheduling information:

• First, you set whether scheduling is enabled at all.
• If you enable scheduling, you set how often the schedule is run.
• Within the constraints of how often the schedule is run, you set how frequently, and for how long, objects are generated on the day or days when the schedule is run.

Object generation schedules are set in a dialog box similar to the one used for scheduling tasks in SMS Site Properties Manager.

  To schedule object generation

1. In the SMS Object Generator window, under Objects to Generate, click the name of the object type whose schedule you want to set.
2. Click the Schedule tab and then click Schedule. The Scheduler: <Object Type> dialog box opens.
3. Enable scheduling by clicking Yes under Enable Scheduler and then complete the settings in the remainder of the dialog box.

   – Or –

   Disable scheduling by clicking No under Enable Scheduler? and then click OK.

4. Specify how often you want the schedule, and thereby a session, to run.
   • To run the schedule once, click Once. Note, however, that this does not always mean that only one set of objects will be generated. All of the settings under Daily Frequency will be applied on the day that you set for object generation, even if you choose Once.
   • For intervals of one or more days, click Daily.
   • For intervals of one or more weeks, click Weekly.
   • For intervals of one or more months, click Monthly.
5. For a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, specify the settings you want to use in the associated area of the Run Schedule options. For example, if you choose Weekly, you can specify one or more days of the week, whether the schedule should run every week, every other week, and so on. You can also specify the start and end dates for the schedule to run.
6. Specify the Daily Frequency for each day that the schedule is run:
   • Set the Start time, either a clock time or the number of minutes after you click Start in the Object Generator toolbar.
   • Set how often objects are to be generated during the day, by selecting the Occurs every check box and setting the associated values.
   • Set the Stop time, either a clock time or the number of minutes after the Start time you set.
7. Click OK to close the Scheduler: <Object Type> dialog box.

You can also copy the schedule for one object to one or more other objects. After you copy a schedule, you can modify the copy.

For example, you might schedule the generation of DDRs and inventory objects as described in the following procedure.

  To schedule DDR and inventory object generation

1. Create a schedule for generating DDRs once.
2. Copy that schedule to the following objects: HIC files, HID files, SIC files, and SID files.
3. Edit the schedules for complete inventories so that they run once, after the DDR generation has had time to run and be processed.
4. Edit the schedules for delta inventories so that they run repeatedly, beginning after the complete inventories have had time to run and be processed. Make sure that the Unique Key setting in the SMS Object Generator Options dialog box is not random, that all other settings for these objects are as you want them, and that the check boxes for all of these objects are selected.
5. Click Start.

  To copy an object generation schedule

1. Click the Schedule tab for the object whose schedule you want to copy and then click Copy Schedule.

   The Copy Schedule: <Object Type> dialog box opens.

2. Select the check boxes for the object types you want to copy this schedule to.
3. Click OK.