Controlling When Schedules Run After Blackout Periods

You can now use the Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End option, to ensure that your schedules will run automatically the day after a Blackout Period ends, rather than waiting for the next scheduled recurrence.

Using the ReportCaster scheduling tools you can specify when a report or other type of task is run, the format in which to create the output, how it will be distributed, and how often the report should be run. However, if an authorized user in your organization defines a Blackout period that occurs at the same time as your report is scheduled to run, by default, your schedule will terminate, and will run again according to the recurrence settings you configured for the schedule.

For example, you have created a schedule that distributes reports every Wednesday, while another user in your organization has configured Blackout Periods that correspond to all holidays. By default, if a holiday occurs on a Wednesday, when your reports are scheduled to run, they will terminate for that week, and run again the next Wednesday, unless you use the Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End option to automatically run the reports at the same time the following day.

Once you select this option, it immediately applies to any schedules that run during a blackout period.

To access the Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End option, navigate to the ReportCaster Console. On the ribbon, in the Show group, click the Configuration button to display the Configuration options for the Console. In the side panel, click the General Preferences folder to display this check box, as shown in the following image.

The Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End check box

To enable this option, select the Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End check box. Then save and restart ReportCaster from the Manage Configuration group on the ribbon. This option is disabled, by default.

Procedure: How to How to Verify the Next Run Time of Your Schedule

You can verify that your schedule will run the day after a Blackout Period in the ReportCaster Explorer. Here, you can view the run time information for your schedule.

  1. Launch the ReportCaster Explorer.
  2. On the Explorer toolbar, click the Change your filter button and click Schedule to only view schedules saved in the Repository.
  3. In the side panel, select the folder or subfolder that contains your schedule to display all saved schedules contained in the folder.

    In the Next Run Time column, the next run time of your schedule displays.

    Note: If the schedule has just been run, you may need to refresh your view. Wait a few minutes, and click the Refresh button to display the updated next run time of the schedule.

    The following image shows an example of run time information for a schedule that was due to run during a blackout period.

    Image showing a schedule run times in ReportCaster Explorer

    Since the schedule was terminated, this event is recorded as an error in the Last Job Status column. However, since the Set Next Run Time to Day After Blackout Period End option was set before the schedule ran, the next run time for the schedule shows as the next day, at the same time.

    Related Resources:
    • Using Blackout Periods
    • Using the ReportCaster Console
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