TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Having an efficient scheduler on an iPaaS platform not only allows efficient and timely allotment of information to relevant systems but also optimizes heavy querying during peak hours. Additionally, it also minimizes manual intervention through automation and paves the way for data analysis in real-time. In Alumio, schedulers allow the setting up of incoming and outgoing configurations to run as per customized schedules. 


You can set up how often you wish to run an incoming configuration or an outgoing configuration along with how much data you want to receive/send out. 


Video

Getting Started With The Scheduler Page In Alumio

To begin with, go to Settings > Scheduled Jobs.


In the Scheduler overview page, you can check all the schedulers that are present within the system. There are tabs to help you with the details of such Schedulers such as:


Name: It lists the schedulers by their names.


Description: It reflects a short description for the schedulers (if specified by a user).


Job Type: It reflects whether a scheduler has been implemented for an outgoing or an incoming configuration.


Status: It displays whether a scheduler has been enabled or disabled. You can easily enable/disable it with just a click.


Actions: It allows the users to perform some actions on the schedulers.


Additionally, there are some useful search filters in the Scheduler Overview Page of Alumio such as Name, Job Type, Status, and Add Filter +, that paves the way for a varied range of search functionalities.


Creating A New Scheduler In Alumio

Here is a step-by-step guide for you to set up schedulers in Alumio!


Step 1: There is a + button present right next to the left of the Pagination button. Click on the + button to create new schedulers. 


Step 2:  You will coke across some configuration fields in the scheduler set up page that you have to fill. They are:


  • Name - You can use this field to denote the incoming or outgoing configuration the Scheduled job will trigger. For example, you can name it Get customers from CRM.


  • Identifier - It is a unique identifier for the scheduled job (this field is automatically generated based on the name).


  • Description - You can provide a detailed description of the scheduled job here.


  • Status - This is a flag that indicates whether the scheduler is disabled or enabled. In case the scheduler is disabled, it will not process data.


  • Job - This field allows you to opt and configure the scheduler either for an incoming or outgoing configuration.


Possibility 1: You Have Selected An Incoming Configuration As The Job


Incoming Configuration- If you have selected an incoming configuration as the Job in the previous step, you will have to choose an incoming configuration that you wish to trigger. You can opt from the list of all available incoming configurations built on your environment.


Expression- You have to specify the cron expression that the scheduler will be writing. It will define how often the job is triggered. For instance, you can set the scheduler to retrieve data every 15 minutes in a specific 4-hour interval.


(Watch the video above for a better understanding)


Possibility 2: You Have Selected An Outgoing Configuration As The Job


Route- If you have selected an outgoing configuration as the Job in the previous step, you will be offered to choose a route that you wish to trigger. You can opt from the list of all available routes built on your environment. It will push the information 


Number of tasks to export - This field limits the number of tasks that can be triggered in a route. T


For example, let us consider a scenario where the subscriber has subscribed to 1000 tasks at a time. Quite naturally, it will push these 1000 items whenever the route is triggered. 


However, it might cause an API to crash with a 500 server error. To avoid this unwanted situation, you can set a limit of 100 tasks and run the job every 5 minutes. This way, it can process 100 tasks out of 1000 tasks every 5 minutes. More specifically, it will pick up the next 100 "new" tasks every 5 minutes. 


Note: It is important to set up schedulers for both the incoming and outgoing configurations to run them smoothly!


  • Timezone - This field allows you to select your preferred time zone.


Step 3:  When you have finished configuring the scheduler as per requirement, click on the Save & continue button at the top right corner. 

 

Step 4: You can also go to Logs and check the logs of the schedulers that have been activated. You can check when a scheduler executes itself (Started At and Finished At), how did it run, and how long did it take (Duration). 


If you click on the Logs (under the Actions tab), you can see that the scheduler has been executed. Although you can not check what kind of information came in or went out from here, you can do that from other places (Tasks, Route, Incoming configuration, Outgoing configuration).


Wrapping Up

Networked and automated schedulers can help to regulate data streams that are crucial to smoothly running a business. Alumio offers an easy set-up for schedulers facilitating data operations on its platform, that anyone can learn within minutes. We hope this guide has been an eye-opener to you in that regard. Don't forget to read our other articles to learn more about Alumio!