Configure Data Management agents and tasks

IMPORTANT    Provider Data Management has been declared End of Sale as of November 1st, 2023 and is no longer available for purchase.

The Data Task Management page enables you to configure and maintain Data Management agents and the tasks that use those agents. You can also view task history.

  • The Agents tab lists the installed agents and their status, along with other details such as version and owner. When you select a listed agent, its associated tasks are listed in the lower panel. From here you can add, edit, and delete agents.
  • The Tasks tab lists all tasks. Each task listed shows its status as well as details about its schedule and when it was last run. You can view all tasks, or filter the list by agent. From here you can add, edit, and delete tasks.
  • The History tab is a log of agent task activity.

Prerequisites

  • Data Task Administration permission

Page location

Application Management > Data Management > Data Task Management

Manage agents

The agents managed on the Agents tab are not people. These agents are controllers that manage the data. you use in reports. Agents work only with connectors, getting data from source systems and loading it into a data library.

  • Cloud agents push data from cloud to cloud (for example, from Salesforce.com or FTP/SFTP to the Workforce Optimization database).
  • Ground agents pull data from on-premise to cloud (for example, from MSSQL, MySQL, ODBC/JDBC, or file transfer to the Workforce Optimization database). Ground agents are configured from the cloud and are then deployed to an on-premise server.

The BI Cloud Agent is the default agent in Workforce Optimization and can be used for all tasks. As the default agent, it cannot be edited or deleted.

IMPORTANT   In order for the BI Cloud Agent to be available for use, it must be enabled. To do this, the indicee.agent.administration.enabled attribute must be configured for the user or users who will be creating tasks.

Procedures

  1. On the Reporting User Attributes Management page (Application Management > Data Management > Reporting User Attributes Management), select the user who will be creating and managing tasks.
  2. In the Extra Attributes section, add the indicee.agent.administration.enabled attribute, and set its value to true.
  3. Click Save.
  4. Repeat these steps for any user who will be creating and managing tasks.

For more information on managing users and user attributes, see Manage Data Management users.

  1. At the bottom left of the Agents tab, click Add a New Agent . The New agent window appears.
  2. In the Name field, give the new agent a descriptive name.
  3. (Optional) In the Description field, enter a description of the agent.

  4. In the Registered IP field, enter 0.0.0.0.

    NOTE   The Registered IP field is not currently used in a cloud environment. Use the generic IP address 0.0.0.0 as a placeholder.

  5. Under Administrators, click Add and move the desired one or more administrator accounts you want associated with the agent from the Available pane to the Selected pane, and then click Done.
  6. Click Save.
  1. At the bottom left of the Agents tab, click Edit Agent . The Edit Agent window appears.
  2. Update the fields as needed.
  3. Click Save.
  1. On the Agents tab, select the agent you want to delete.
  2. At the bottom left of the page, click Remove the selected agent .

Manage tasks

A task is a process that manages agents. A task’s primary function is to acquire data from a source and load it into a data library. These types of agents are called “data connectors”. However, tasks can also perform other functions, such as:

  • Extending data by reading new data and calculating some additional properties
  • Truncating data by summarizing details and recording a simple aggregate
  • Synchronizing the system state with some external system

Data sets are created and added to through the use of tasks. Tasks can be one-time events or on a recurring schedule. You configure the task to control how and when data is imported.

Procedures

NOTE   You must be an administrator assigned to an active agent in order to create a new task.

  1. At the bottom left of the Tasks tab, click Create New Task . The New Task window appears.
  2. In the Task Name field, give the new task a descriptive name.
  3. in the Choose Data Task left pane, select the desired agent category. One or more agents appear in the right pane.
  4. Select the desired agent from the right pane. The lower pane then displays a list of the information you need to configure the agent.

  5. Click Next and complete the configuration fields.

    NOTE   Many agent connectors allow you to configure an optional trigger field. For more information about using trigger fields with scheduled recurring tasks, see Use trigger fields with scheduled tasks.

  6. Click Finish.
  1. On the Tasks tab, hover over the task you want to edit. Four buttons appear next to the task name .
  2. Click Edit Task .
  3. Edit the task as needed, and then click Save.

The Tasks tab displays all existing configured tasks. You can:

  • Filter the list by agent by selecting the desired agent from the drop-down field at the top of the list.
  • Search for a specific task using the search field.

The History tab displays a log of task history. You can:

  • Filter the list by agent by selecting the desired agent from the drop-down field at the top of the list.
  • Sort the log on any column in ascending or descending order by clicking on the column header.
  • Search for a specific task using the search field.
  • Click the small Information button in the Status column to view more details about the execution of the task. The displayed message can be used to troubleshoot a task that failed to complete successfully.

You can manually run a scheduled task at any time.

  1. On the Tasks tab, hover over the Scheduled Start Time field. The Run Now button appears to the left of the column.
  2. Click Run Now to run the task immediately.
  1. On the Tasks tab, hover over the task. Four buttons appear next to the task name .
  2. Click Set Active/Inactive . If the task is currently active, this deactivates it. If the task is currently inactive, this activates it.
  1. On the Tasks tab, you can do either of two things:
    • Right-click the task you want to delete, and click Delete.
    • Hover over the task. Four buttons appear next to the task name . Click Remove Task .

    BEST PRACTICE   Deactivate a task rather than removing it. That way it is still available if it is needed in the future.