File dependency not available - skip job

[francestrotter]

We have a group of jobs that use external files as their file dependencies. The user is requesting that if a file is not available, skip/don't run the job and move to the next job. Currently, if the file is not available, the job has a status of 'waiting on dependencies'. How is a job configured to meet this criteria? Thanks.

[Cale Montgomery]

We actually just had this be an issue.  There was a job running daily which had a file dependency.  The file only shows up now-and-then, which meant several days worth of this job was in the schedule when the file showed up.  Five or six instances then fired off at the same time.

Our solution was to put a timing window on the entire job group.  Start Between 07:00 and 19:00

This gave the job a 12 hour window to see the file and run.  If it didn't, then the entire group would Time Out and not carry over to the next day.

Fortunately, this group has no Successor jobs.  If it did, then the Dependency of Job Skipped or Job Timed Out could be added down the line.

[francestrotter]

Thanks for the response. The jobs (11) run every hour and must run in sequential order; there are successor jobs.

[Cale Montgomery]

You can set two dependencies.  One on Completed Normally, the other on Skipped with a setting that At Least One Must Be Met.

SO if the job finds its file, it'll run to a normal completion.  If it doesn't find its file, it'll hang until the end of its window and go to Skipped.  The successor job will be looking for both Completed Normally and Skipped coming from the job, launching if it finds either.