1.1.1 Automating an application

(1) Defining the steps in an application and their order of execution

Many applications involve a set sequence of steps. For example, creating sales forms might involve the following steps:

1. Data entry

2. Computation

3. Form creation

4. Printing

To run an application under JP1/AJS, you divide it into separate steps and define their execution sequence. Each command, program, or shell script is regarded as a separate step. In JP1/AJS3, this smallest element of processing is called a job. Multiple jobs defined in a set sequence are known as a jobnet.

The steps in an application do not always form a simple linear sequence. Their order of execution is determined by a variety of conditions. For example, multiple steps may be executed in parallel, or a subsequent process may differ depending on whether the computed data is greater or less than a base value. You create a jobnet by refining these conditions and working out the application flow.

The following figure shows an example of an application flow.

Figure 1‒2: Application flow

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(2) Defining an execution schedule

To run an application automatically, you must first set a schedule that defines when the application is to start.

Day-to-day business applications run according to various schedules. Some run on a daily basis, some only at the end of the week or on a specific day of the month, depending on the nature of the application. Some applications need to be performed in the morning, some at the end of the business day or at night. Using JP1/AJS3, you can define schedules like these, so that the date and time of execution are set automatically.

In defining a schedule, you set up a calendar that shows the company's working days and non-working days. You then define the date and time for running the application, or the interval at which it is to be executed. Based on these definitions, JP1/AJS3 sets the execution schedule and starts the application automatically when the specified time arrives.

JP1/AJS3 provides ways of refining scheduling to match actual operations in the workplace. For example, you can set the following rules:

• If the scheduled execution date falls on a holiday, execute the job on the preceding day.

• If a job could not begin at the scheduled time because of a delay with the previous job, cancel that particular run.

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(3) Registering conditions to start execution

As well as starting an application at a specific time, you can start an application when a specific situation occurs - for example, when a file is created or a particular event takes place. When you register file creation or some other event as the start condition, the application will start running when that situation occurs.

The condition that you define to start an application may occur several times a day, not necessarily once a day in an invariable pattern. If a condition is likely to apply more than once a day, you must work out in advance whether to execute the processes in parallel or in succession.

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