SAS Enterprise Guide: Scheduling Projects

[#1]

Did you miss the Ask the Expert session on SAS Enterprise Guide: Scheduling Projects? You can catch in on demand at your convenience.

Watch the webinar

In this webinar, you’ll get a step-by-step guide to scheduling your SAS Enterprise Guide project using Windows Task Scheduler.

You can use features such as “run only when user is logged on” and “run whether user is logged on or not” for security in Windows Task Scheduler. The webinar includes tips and tricks to successfully schedule your projects.

During this session, you’ll learn about:

• Prerequisites for scheduling projects.
• Cached metadata credentials.
• When you need a credentials.xml file.
• Windows user rights and Windows 10 specifics.
• Troubleshooting.

Here are some highlighted questions from the Q&A segment held at the end of the session for ease of reference. I’ve attached the slides as well.

What steps do we need to take if the workspace server is configured to prompt for userid and password?

Create a credentials.xml file on the SAS Enterprise Guide machine. Steps outlined in SAS Note 30917. 

What do I do if my SAS Metadata userid and password will not save in my connection profile?

SAS Administrator will need to enable client-side caching for your credentials. SASSEC_LOCAL_PW_SAVE option in omaconfig.xml documentation. 

Can I schedule a process flow instead of a project?

Yes, right-click on "Process Flow" in Project Tree window. Project must be closed.

I get an "Access Denied" error when I try to schedule a project. What does this mean?

Either your Windows userid cannot schedule anything in Windows Task Scheduler or your Windows userid needs Admin rights to do so or you need to start SAS Enterprise Guide using "Run as Administrator" before you use the Schedule task, SAS Note 59079. 

Recommended Resources:

Tutorial: "Use the Scheduling Features of SAS Enterprise Guide"

Paper: "Doing more with SAS Enterprise Guide Automation" by Chris Hemedinger

SAS Note 56648: "Tips for scheduling a SAS Enterprise Guide project"

Want more tips? Be sure to subscribe to the Ask the Expert board to receive follow up Q/A, slides and recordings from other SAS Ask the Expert webinars.

[ramya4]

Hello,

I am working on scheduling jobs in SAS EG. I would like to know as to how we would be able to schedule jobs in such a way that the job runs only on a weekday. I am scheduling monthly jobs to run on the second day of the month and if the second day falls on a Saturday, then I would like the job to run on the 4th day which is the Monday and if the second day falls on a Sunday, then I would want the job to run on the third day. Appreciate if any inputs could be provided.

Thanks!

[fifthand57th]

@ramya

The conditions available to trigger the execution of a SAS Enterprise Guide project are a function of Windows Task Scheduler. EG creates the VBScript file that is scheduled, but Windows Task Scheduler is the actual scheduling software used to run the job. Look at the "Triggers" tab of the scheduled job properties to see what is available.

Task Scheduler Triggers Tab

[Sajid01]

Very good and informative webinar.

Thank you SAS

[harrison_david]

I'm having trouble with using the scheduler to automate some of my projects in E-Guide. I would like a project to run every night at 2:00 am. However, I am not here and my computer is not on. (My company uses an auto-shutdown process to turn off computers at 5:00 pm). 

I know that the scheduled job has to be on a local computer, so I've placed it on our SAS OA server because that doesn't get shutdown. The server has a version of E-Guide on it, so it can run the project. Using that version of E-Guide, I've scheduled the task and created the script. I can't seem to get the scheduled task to run.

Looking for advice on how to work through this issue. I've watched the webinar and read the papers, but I'n not getting anywhere. 

[fifthand57th]

@harrison_david 

Outside of Windows Task Scheduler on the OA Server machine, have you verified that the project runs successfully from VBScript at a command prompt? In the webinar I mention uncommenting the MsgBox line at the end of the .vbs file to catch any errors that may occur when the VBScript executes. 

If the project runs successfully from VBScript outside of Task Scheduler, did you open EG using "Run as Administrator" before scheduling the project? See SAS Note 59079, http://support.sas.com/kb/59079

Does the scheduled job run successfully when you choose the "run only when user is logged on" Task Scheduler security context?

[harrison_david]

Thank you for the quick response. In response to your response :), I can get the project to run from a script on my local computer. But when I try it from the OA server, I can't get it to run. I haven't tried to open EG using "Run as Administrator", so I will try that. 

I haven't tried the uncommenting tip. I will try that as well. 

In the project, I do have steps that export data sets to Excel. However, the locations they are being exported to, the OA server doesn't have access to. I'm assuming that will cause an issue. (But it shouldn't keep the project from running entirely, should it?)

[fifthand57th]

@harrison_david 

First ensure that the project runs successfully interactively on the OA server machine. Next make sure the project runs successfully from script on the server. Then schedule the project after opening EG using "Run as Administrator".

[Rosss]

Hi! I'm having trouble with using the scheduler. my project runs successfully with scheduler.(I've checked it in the "history" tab) but there is no output data. I'm looking for some advice on how to work through this issue. Thanks!!

[fifthand57th]

@Rosss 

Is this an issue with one project or several? Did you test Enterprise Guide scheduling using a very simple project first? As we discuss in the webinar, always test using a very simple project using the "Run only when logged on" security context first. 

After confirming that a very simple project using "Run only when logged on" executes successfully, then verify that the VBScript created by SAS Enterprise Guide for your project executes successfully outside of Task Scheduler and creates the expected results. See slide 10 of the EG Scheduling.pdf file download mentioned above. 

What is are the results of these two tests?

[macvirii]

I had some problems when trying to schedule an EG project with only "SAS File Transfer Task: .

The documentation say it's not an SAS Code, so you can't use it in that context, but still it runs on the enterprise guide as expected, but it doesn't when I try to run it scheduled on the vbs file.

I tried adding the app.SetActiveProfile(xxxx)  but nothing, the error was " a workspace connection to server "SASApp" is required....

As there is no server method on the flow item, it still doesn't open the workspace session.

My solution was: Create a program step before the "File Transfer Task" (I used a simple "Hello World" code) and... TA DA
It worked, the schedule was executed correctly without a problem.

Hope this help someone in the future.