The 'Jobs' menu items allow you to create and edit lists of jobs (reports, updates, exports, and imports) that you would like to run together.
QuickFill has one pre-defined job list named "Tonight's jobs." Batches that you choose to "Post later" are automatically added to this job list. You can also add any reports, updates, exports, and imports that you would like to run at the end of the day to this job list. When you run "Tonight's jobs," as each job is completed it is removed from the list. This automatic removal only applies to the "Tonight's jobs" list.
You can save and re-use the filter selections for reports, updates, and other jobs by creating your own job lists. This feature is helpful because it allows you to run the same reports the same way daily, weekly, monthly, etc. For example, if you run the same reports at the end of each week, you can create a job list (you might call it "Week's end") and schedule those reports, using a date range of "Current week," to run as part of that list. Then, at the end of each week, run the "Week's end" job list to create the scheduled reports with data from the Sunday through Saturday of the current week. Because the reports are not being run as part of "Tonight's job," QuickFill will not remove them from the job list after they are run.
Note: the sequence of items on the "Tonight's jobs" job list
QuickFill always places batches waiting to be posted ahead of any updates or reports. The reports and updates are placed at the end of the job list in the order that you schedule them. You can change the sequence in which any of the batches, updates, or reports will be run by using the "Move up" and "Move down" buttons.
Below the "Job List" box, you will see the "New," "Change," "Delete, " Run," and "Run later" options.
New
Click on "New" to create a new job list. For example, you might add a job list titled "Month's end" for reports that you would like to run at the end of each month. When you select "New," QuickFill displays a blank 'Job lists' screen so that you can define your new job list. Click here for details on defining job lists.
Change
Select a job list and click on "Change" to view or change its contents. For example, you may have forgotten what reports you have scheduled for a particular job list. Click here for details on changing job lists.
Delete
Select a job list and click on "Delete" to remove it. Before deleting a job list, QuickFill displays the items contained on the list and asks you to confirm that you would like to delete it. (Note, you cannot delete the "Tonight's jobs" job list.)
Run
Select a job list and click on "Run" to start running it. (Click here for information on running job lists from a command line.)
Once you start running a job list, each of the jobs on it are executed in turn, producing the same report files that would have been produced if they had been run in "run now" mode. The reports are not printed—you must use 'Print…' on the reports menu to print them at the end of the run.
At the end of the run you can print a list of the jobs that were run by selecting 'Print…' from the reports menu and printing the 'Scheduled Update Run Report'. This report shows you how long each job took to run as well as a status for each job. This information is especially helpful when trying to determine how much time to allow for a backup or an update.
Note: "Tonight's jobs"
Remember, as each job is completed it is removed from the "Tonight's jobs" job list. If you would like to save a job, you should not schedule it to run as part of "Tonight's jobs." Instead, create a separate job list for it.
Note: multiuser systems
If you select "Run" in a multiuser system, QuickFill will check to see if there are any other users signed on to the system; if there are, they must be in 'Lookup-only' mode in order for the job list to run. A user may change over to the 'Lookup-only' mode by selecting the 'Lookup only' from the 'File' menu. Users whose password gives them access to nothing but the lookup function are automatically in the 'Lookup-only' mode.
Run later
Select a job list and click on "Run later" to schedule a specific time at which you would like to begin running that job list. Click here for more details.
Shortcut:
Incompletely posted batches
Sometimes QuickFill will detect problems in a batch that it is posting as part of a scheduled update. When this happens, QuickFill skips over the offending items and leaves the batch on the list of unposted batches. On the 'Scheduled Update Run Report' it shows the number of items that were not posted. You should go back into the batch and look at the list of unposted items that remain. Next to each unposted item will be an error message. You should correct each item by clicking the 'Change' button and fixing the problem, or you can delete the item by clicking the 'Delete' button. When you have fixed all the errors, repost the batch.
Database check
It is a good idea to run the database check as part of your scheduled update run on a regular basis. That way you will know if something has corrupted the database before you have invested many days of work doing data entry. It is best to schedule the database check as the first item in the job list, because if the database check discovers a problem in the database it automatically stops the job list. (The 'Scheduled Update Run Report' will display a status of "Database check failed!" If this occurs you should contact Technical Support at CWC Software, Inc. immediately.) There isn't any point in running a report or update on a database that is corrupt. Click here for details on the database checker.
The following items appear after selecting the "New" or "Change" options for a job list.
Job list
The name of the job list currently displayed.
Shut down QuickFill at end of run
Check this field if you would like QuickFill to automatically shut down after all of the items on this job list have been run.
Use these buttons to change the order in which the jobs on your job list are run. You must first click once on the item you would like to move and then click on the "Move up" or "Move down" button until the item is in the desired position. (QuickFill will run items in a job list from top to bottom.)
For example, let's say that you scheduled a label update, billing update, renewal update, and database check to run as part of the job list displayed. After thinking this through, you realize that you should run your database check first to make sure your database does not contain any errors. After all, there is no point in trying to run updates on a corrupt database. To move the database check to the top of the job list, click once on 'Database check', click on "Move up" until this item is at the top of your job list, and then click on "OK." (Now you have insured that your updates will not run on a corrupt database. If the database check finds any errors, QuickFill will not run the rest of the items on the job list.)
Click on this button to see a list of the jobs scheduled on all of your job lists. This option allows you to add a job from another job list onto the job list currently displayed. If your job list already contains some jobs, the job you add will be inserted immediately below the job the cursor was on before you clicked on "Add job."
For example, let's say that you have two job lists, "Tonight's jobs" and "Custom job." "Tonight's jobs" contains a database check, a 'New order revenue' report, a 'Renewal revenue' report, and a 'Promotional labels' report and "Custom job" is empty. You decide that you would like to run the 'Promotional labels' report as part of "Custom job" instead of "Tonight's jobs."
Seeing that the report filter for the 'Promotional labels' report has already been filled in, there's no reason to delete it from "Tonight's jobs," go back to the 'Promotional labels' report, fill in the filter again, and then schedule the report to run with "Custom job." Instead, you can move the 'Promotional labels' report from one job list to another without having to re-enter your filter selections. To do this, you click on "Change" for "Custom job," then click on "Add job," and select the 'Promotional labels' report that is scheduled to run with "Tonight's jobs." After making this change, you can delete the 'Promotional labels' report from "Tonight's jobs."
Add job list
If you would like to add all of the jobs scheduled to run as part of another job list onto the job list that is currently displayed, click on "Add job list" and select the appropriate list. If your job list already contains some jobs, the job list you add will be inserted immediately below the job the cursor was on before you clicked on "Add job list."
This option is useful if you have reports that you run weekly, but also like to run for a one-day period (perhaps with "Tonight's jobs") from time to time. For example, let's say that you have a job list titled "Weekly job" and it contains an Order history report', a 'New order revenue' report, and a 'Renewal revenue' report. You decide that you would like to see the information from these reports, but only for the entries that were made today. To do this, you can create a new job list titled "Special job," click on "Add job list," select "Weekly job" to copy all of these reports to "Special job," and then change the filter (see "Change filter" below) for each of these reports so that the date range specified only covers today instead of a one-week period.
Change filter
Use "Change filter" to view or change the filter selections for a job (report, update, export, etc.). To use this option, click once on the item whose filter you would like to change and then click on "Change filter." Once the filter for the item is displayed, you can make the desired changes and then click on "OK" to save them.
This feature is helpful when you want to double check information (such as a date range) you entered on a filter or when you have copied a job from another job list and wish to change some of the filter selections for it.
Please note that you cannot change an unposted batch from the "Job lists" screen. Instead, you must access the batch by selecting the appropriate transaction from the 'Transactions' menu and then selecting the batch from the "Unposted batches" screen.
Replicate job
Click on "Replicate job" to display a copy of the job (report, update, export, etc.) that the cursor is on. This is helpful when trying to run the same report with minor variations (different publications, marketing plans, etc.) to the filter. Instead of entering information on the report filter for each variation, you can enter it once, schedule it to run as part of a job list, select the 'Edit Job lists' menu item, "Change" the job list, and then use "Replicate job" to create multiple versions of the same report.
For example, let's say you have scheduled the 'Promotional labels' report to run for a group of prospects linked to the "SHW0405" list. Later on, you are asked to run another set of promotional labels using the same criteria for the prospects linked to the "SHW0407" list. You simply go to the job list under which you scheduled the promotional labels, click on the 'Promotional labels' job, and click on "Replicate job." A copy of the 'Promotional labels' report filter for the first set of prospects ("SHW0405") is displayed and you can change your prospect list from "SHW0405" to "SHW0407" and then click on "OK." When the message box asking when you would like the job to be run appears, select "Save to existing job list X" ("X" is replaced by the name of the job list on which you are working) and then click on "OK." Your job list now contains two 'Promotional labels' reports, one for the "SHW0405" prospects and one for the "SHW0407" prospects.
Delete job
Use "Delete job" to remove a job (report, update, export, etc.) from the list that is currently displayed. When you select "Delete job," QuickFill displays the filter for the job and asks you to confirm that you would like to delete it.
Please note that you cannot delete an unposted batch from the "Job lists" screen. Instead, you must access the batch through by selecting the appropriate transaction from the 'Transactions' menu and then selecting the batch from the "Unposted batches" screen.
Run job
Use the "Run job" button to run a selected job immediately without having to run the entire list of jobs. This is useful when you have saved a complex report filter and wish to run just that one report without having to reconstruct the filter from scratch.
Please note that you cannot post an unposted batch from the "Job lists" screen. Instead you must access the batch by selecting the appropriate transaction from the 'Transactions' menu and then selecting the batch from the "Unposted batches" screen.