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Managing Report-Running Tasks

This topic describes how you can view and manage report-running tasks on Report Server.

You can perform the following fundamental report-running tasks on Server: quickly view a report (Run), view a report using selected options and parameters (Advanced Run), and schedule a report to run unattended at a specific time or periodically (Schedule).

You can view the status of report-running tasks, such as scheduled tasks that are waiting to be performed by Report Server, the tasks that are currently being performed, and the tasks that have already been performed.

This topic contains the following sections:

• Accessing the Task Information Tables
• Managing Report-Running Tasks in the Task Tables
• Task-Level Timeout for Advanced Run and Schedule Tasks

Accessing the Task Information Tables

Server collects task information and manages it in a set of tables.

• Server displays the tasks that you scheduled in the following tables:
  • Scheduled table
    Status information of scheduled tasks that are waiting to perform, such as task ID, whether the task is enabled, previous running time, and next running time.
  • Running table
    Status information of tasks that are currently being performed, such as task ID, time when the task was started, and engine status.
  • Completed table
    Status information of tasks that have already been performed, such as task ID, time when the task was completed, whether the task performed successfully, result files, and error messages.
• Server displays the tasks that you performed using Run, Advanced Run, or Background Run in the Background Tasks table.
  • Background Tasks table
    Status information of the tasks that you Run, Advanced Run, or Background Run reports, such as report path and name, catalog path and name, running format, time when the task was started/completed, time elapsed since the task was performed, and the status of the task.
• Server displays the tasks that you performed using Run/Advanced Run or Run via the API in the Interactive table.
  • Interactive table
    Status information of the tasks that you Run/Advanced Run reports or run reports via the API, such as report path and name, catalog path and name, report format, time when the task was started/completed, the user who performed the task, and the status of the task. Administrators can view all the running reports on Server, while end users can only view their own running reports.

To access a specific table, on the Server Console select My Tasks on the system toolbar, then select the corresponding tab. You can also use URL commands to directly open a task table.

The following introduces the task tables.

Scheduled table

The Scheduled table consists of the following columns:

Column	Description
Schedule Name	The name of the schedule task.
Task ID	The internal ID for this task, which is a unique time stamp.
Report	The report path, name, and its status.
Report Tabs	The names of the report tabs in the report that this task included.
Next Run Time	The next scheduled time for when this task is to perform.
Last Run Time	The last scheduled time this task was performed.
Task Type	The type of task, such as Versioning System, File System, E-mail, or Printer.
Is Enabled	Show whether this task is enabled. It can be Enabled or Disabled.
Is Successful	Show whether the last running of this task performed successfully. The value true means that the last running performed successfully and false means the task failed. If the column is empty, the task has not run before.
Catalog	The catalog path and name that the report belongs to.
Launch Type	The way in which Server runs this task, such as Repeatedly and One Time.
Requester	The user who submitted this task.

Running table

The Running table consists of the following columns:

Column	Description
Schedule Name	The name of the scheduled task.
Task ID	The internal ID for this task (a unique time stamp).
Report	The report path and name.
Report Tabs	The names of the report tabs in the report that this task included.
Start Time	The time when this task was started.
Task Type	The type of the task, such as Versioning System, File System, E-mail, or Printer.
Catalog	The catalog path and name that the report belongs to.
Launch Type	The way in which Server runs this task, such as Repeatedly, One Time, and Instant.
Requester	The user who submitted this task.
Parameter File	The parameter file name. You can select the underlined file name to view the parameter values.
Parameters	The list of parameter values according to the size you specified. To specify the size, select Preferences on the task bar, then in the Preferences dialog box, set a value for the Parameter Display Size option.
Engine Status	The current status of Report Engine, such as record fetching, grouping, memory paging, and engine initializing.

Completed table

The Completed table consists of the following columns:

Column	Description
Schedule Name	The name of the scheduled task.
Task ID	The internal ID for this task (a unique time stamp).
Is Successful	Show whether this task performed successfully. The value true means that the task performed successfully and false that the task failed.
Report	The report path and name.
Report Tabs	The names of the report tabs in the report that this task included.
Completed Time	The time when this task was completed.
Task Type	The type of task, such as Versioning System, File System, E-mail, or Printer.
Catalog	The catalog path and name that the report belongs to.
Launch Type	The way in which Server runs this task, such as Repeatedly, One Time, and Instant.
Requester	The user who submitted this task.
Parameter File	The parameter file name. You can select the underlined file name to view the parameter values.
Parameters	The list of parameter values according to the size you specified. To specify the size, select Preferences on the task bar, then in the Preferences dialog box, set a value for the Parameter Display Size option.
Engine Status	The status of Report Engine when the task was completed, such as record fetching, grouping, memory paging, and engine initializing. When a task fails to perform, here you can see the status of the engine at the time of the error.
Error Message	The error message for when the task failed to complete.
Result Files	The report result file names and links to the report result files.

Background Tasks table

Server provides a background running system, which shows the status information of tasks that you submitted using the Run, Advanced Run, or Background Run mode.

Server clears the records that it saved in the background running system under the following conditions:

• Report Server restarts.
• The maximum time limit specified for the report result life is reached. By default, it is 86400 seconds (24 hours).
• The maximum time limit specified for the interval between a user signs out and signs in is reached. By default, it is 300 seconds.
• If the number of records exceeds the number specified for the background task list (by default it is 100 records), Server only retains the latest 100 records.

The Background Tasks table consists of the following columns:

Column	Description
Report Tabs	The names of the report tabs in the report that this task included.
Result	The result in the format in which the report ran. You can select the format link to open the report result. For a Page Report result, Server removes the task automatically once you opened the result.
Report	The path and name of the report that the report tabs belong to.
Start Time	The time when this task was started.
Finish Time	The time when this task was completed.
Status	The status of the task.
Catalog	The path and name of the catalog that the report belongs to.
Elapse Time	The time elapsed since the start of this task.
Catalog Version Number	The version number of the catalog that the report belongs to.
Report Version Number	The version number of the report.
Parameters	The parameters of the report.
Cancelled	Shows whether the task is canceled or not.
Requester	The username who ran the report.

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Managing Report-Running Tasks in the Task Tables

You can manage tasks in the task tables, for example, you can run a scheduled task immediately, or stop a running task.

Management operations that are common to the task tables

If you want to	Then do
Select a task	Select in the row that the task is in.
Select multiple tasks	Select the rows that the tasks are in while holding the Ctrl or Shift button.
Remove a task	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Delete on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Delete from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select Delete on the floating toolbar.

Management operations for the Scheduled table

If you want to	Then do
Create a new schedule task	Select New Schedule on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Server displays the New Schedule dialog box. Specify how to create the task: by selecting a report or by importing a script file.
Run a task immediately	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Run on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Run from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Run button on the floating toolbar.
Duplicate a task	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Copy on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Copy from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Copy button on the floating toolbar.
Enable a task	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Enable on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Enable from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Enable button on the floating toolbar.
Disable a task	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Disable on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Disable from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Disable button on the floating toolbar. Server does not perform the disabled task until you enable it again.
Export a schedule task to a script file on disk	For more information, see Importing and Exporting Scheduled Tasks.
Import a script file saved on disk to create a schedule task	For more information, see Importing and Exporting Scheduled Tasks.

• You can perform the Run action on a disabled scheduled task.
• When you copy a disabled scheduled task or export it to script, Server does not include the disabled state since it is not a property of the task.

Management operations for the Running table:

If you want to	Then do
Stop a task that is running	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Stop on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Stop from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Stop button on the floating toolbar. When you stop a bursting task from running, some sub tasks in the bursting task may have already finished, so Server may have sent some results to some recipients.
View parameter information	See the Parameters column of the Running table.

Management operations for the Completed table

If you want to	Then do
View detailed task run information	Choose one of the following ways: Select the schedule name of the task. Select the task row and select Edit > Details on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Details from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Details button on the floating toolbar. Server displays the Result Details table which contains the following columns: Column Description Task ID The task ID. Report The Report on which the task is based. Publish Type Publish types of the task. Result Results of the task. For results of the To Version publish type, you can select the format links to view the results. See Viewing Results Scheduled to Version for more information. Is Successful Display whether the task is successful. Details Locations of the results.
View parameter information	See the Parameters column of the Completed table.

Management operations for the Background Tasks table

If you want to	Then do
Stop a running task that you submitted using Background Run mode	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Stop on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row, and select Stop from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Stop button on the floating toolbar.
Restart a stopped task	Choose one of the following ways: Select the task row and select Edit > Restart on the task bar of the My Tasks page. Select the task row, right-click in the row and select Restart from the shortcut menu. Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Restart button on the floating toolbar.
View parameter information	See the Parameters column of the Background Tasks table.

Management operations for the Interactive table

If you want to	Then do
Stop a running task	Hover over the task row, and then select Stop on the floating toolbar.
Sort tasks by a column	To sort the tasks by a column, select the column header to sort them in the ascending or descending order.
View parameter information	See the Parameters column of the Interactive table.
Remove multiple tasks	After you select multiple tasks, hover over one of the task rows, and then select Delete on the floating toolbar. Server displays a confirmation dialog box. Select Yes to confirm the removal.

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Task-Level Timeout for Advanced Run and Schedule Tasks

Server introduces the task-level timeout mechanism to avoid the never-finished running tasks consuming server resources and thus decreasing the server performance. With the mechanism, you can specify a time duration for a task, and ask Server to cancel the task or to notify you or someone else of the task status via email if the task has not yet finished running when the task duration is up. To do this:

1. Do either of the following to enable the task-level timeout mechanism.
   • In the server.properties file in <install_root>\bin, set the task.duration.enable property to true.
   • On the system toolbar of the Server Console, navigate to Administration > Configuration > Advanced. Server displays the Advanced page. Select Enable Task Duration.
2. By default, Server checks task duration every 30 seconds. You can reset the period value by either of the following:
   • In the server.properties file, set the task.duration.check_cycle property.
   • In the Administration > Configuration > Advanced page, set the Status Refresh Interval option.

   The period value must be an integer greater than 0. Since task duration check frequency affects server performance, you should set the value according to your system environment.

3. Use the Duration tab in the Advanced Run or Schedule dialog box to specify task duration.

   

   1. In the Timeout text box, specify the time limit for when the task can run before notifying of the timeout or canceling the task.
   2. If you want to notify someone of the task status if the task has not yet finished running when the task duration is up, select Notify by e-mail after the specified time and specify the email address in the Mail To text box.
   3. If you want Server to cancel the task when the task duration is up but the task has not finished yet, select Cancel the task after the specified time.
4. Submit the task.

Then, when the specified task duration is up but the task has not finished running,

• For an Advanced Run task
  • If you have specified to have server cancel the task when the task duration is up, the task will be cancelled automatically, however, a record for the task will be still remained in the Background Tasks table of the My Tasks page, shown with a sign of cancellation.
  • In the Duration tab, if you have not selected the option Cancel the task after the specified time, the task will be switched to run in background mode when the task duration is up, in which case, you can choose to cancel the task manually. To do this, in the Background Tasks table,
    • Select the task row and click Edit > Delete on the task bar of the My Tasks page.
    • Select the task row, right-click in the row and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
    • Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Delete button on the floating toolbar.
• For a Schedule task
  • If you have specified to have server cancel the task when the task duration is up, Server cancels the task automatically, and adds a task completed record in the Completed table of the My Tasks page, with the Is Successful status being No.
  • In the Duration tab, if you have not selected Cancel the task after the specified time, Server still lists the task in the Running table of the My Tasks page when the task duration is up. Then, if you want to cancel the task manually, do one of the following in the Running table,
    • Select the task row and select Stop on the task bar of the My Tasks page.
    • Select the task row, right-click in the task row, and select Stop from the shortcut menu.
    • Put the mouse pointer over the task row and select the Stop button on the floating toolbar.

• Server may not cancel a task right after the specified task duration is up due to check frequency.
• You should set the task duration to about five times of the required time for finishing running the task.

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