Batch Execution allows you to select for some executable commands (Valuations, Valuation Sets, Core Projections, Deterministic Forecasts, Stochastic Forecasts and Gain / Loss Analyses) one or more library entries that have been defined, but not yet run, and execute them consecutively. (The Batch Execution command thus is useful if you are leaving for lunch or for the day and want results of several runs to be waiting for you when you return.) There are two methods of executing batch jobs – you may either “queue them up” for local (on your own computer) execution or, in more demanding environments, you may execute them remotely by using specially configured batch servers.

The initial dialog box under the Batch Execution command (the Batch Execution dialog box) will display the Selections to be processed, that is, the library entries to be run, in the order in which they will be processed. Click the Add / Omit button to enter the next (Add/Omit) dialog box, in which you select the library entries to include for batch processing. The order in which the runs will be executed can be changed by clicking the Reorder button. The list of available library entries for the executable commands appears under the Select items to include parameter. The remaining parameters of the Add / Omit dialog box allow you to change this list:

• Click the Select Client button if you wish to change the ProVal client directory from the one currently open, in order to execute commands in a different ProVal client.

• The Project / Mode parameter allows you to narrow down the item list from the library entries defined in the current ProVal Project / Mode (of the selected ProVal Client) to just those unhidden in the Project you select. Alternatively, you may select an entire ProVal Mode (perhaps different from the Mode of the current Project) within the currently open Client.

• The Library parameter allows you to narrow down the item list to show saved library entries for only some of the six executable commands listed in the first paragraph of this article, instead of for all of them.

Click the name of an item in the list to select it; click the name of a selected item (i.e., an item that already has a check in the box next to its name) to deselect it. When you are finished, click OK to return to the Batch Execution dialog box, where your selected commands now will appear as Selections to be processed.

If a Batch Server has been installed and configured correctly (for more information, see the Batch Server Installation Guide.pdf), the Submit to the Batch Server check box is accessible. This parameter lets you execute the selected runs (e.g., Valuations, Core Projections) on other computers, freeing up your computer for other activities. When you check the box, the parameters of the Batch Execution dialog box that pertain to use of a batch server (the Start time, Batch Inbox and Inbox Queue parameters) become accessible. For details about coding these parameters, see the discussion at the end of this article.

If you are executing batch jobs locally (that is, you are not submitting the runs to a batch server), ProVal needs to know what to do after it completes these runs. Select the desired choice for the After completion, ProVal will parameter. ProVal may remain open, close, log off the system, shutdown the system or restart the system, according to your choice:

• The “remain open” option keeps ProVal open so that you can continue working in ProVal as soon as batch execution is completed.

• The “close” option will close ProVal when batch execution is completed but leave all other open applications untouched.

• The remaining options, “log off the system”, “shutdown the system” and “restart the system”, will close ProVal and close all other open applications, regardless of whether you are currently working in any of those applications. Under any of these three options, once all the applications have been closed, you will be logged off the system. If you have chosen “shutdown the system”, then your computer will also be turned off. If you have chosen “restart the system”, your computer will shut down, restart and await your “log on”. Note that, under all of these options, any unsaved information or results for applications other than ProVal will be lost.

Whether your batch runs have been performed locally or by use of a Batch Server, you may click the View Prior Batch Messages button to see the resulting processing messages. Each message indicates which library entry / command was processed, along with the elapsed execution time, information on any errors and/or warnings produced, and information about subtotaling (if performed) and/or Data Defaults (if applied). The information for each run (which is also stored with the individual library entry / command) may be printed or saved to a file.

Messages that are no longer needed in the Batch Message Log can be deleted by clicking the View Prior Batch Messages button: you can scroll to the individual messages you want to delete, click the Delete button and choose either the Delete current message option or the Delete messages older than x days option, which allows you to supply a threshold number of days that ProVal will use to delete all messages that meet the indicated criterion. For additional options related to Batch Message Log maintenance, see the Pack tab of the Options command of the File menu (which you can use to set up automatic deletion of messages older than a certain number of days), and the Pack Files command of the File menu (which includes an option to delete all messages from the Batch Message Log). Note that deleting messages from the Batch Message Log does not remove the processing information stored with the individual library entries / commands that were run via Batch Execution.

To validate inputs, first click the arrow next to the Run button and then click Validate. This will verify that all required parameter input values for the selected library entries / commands have been entered and are consistent. For a Valuation or a Core Projection, database field values on the Census Database and, in a Core Projection, the New Entrant Database (if a new entrant data file is specified) are also checked, for completeness and consistency. Note that, for batch execution, ProVal’s validation process and its treatment of validation results are exactly the same as for individual library entries validated one at a time under each of the six executable commands available for batch processing. Although you can skip the validation step, it is advisable to validate before running, if the runs are expected to be particularly time-consuming or if the batch processing will run overnight.

Click the Run button to start the batch processing. The specified commands will be executed sequentially. ProVal will first validate all of the necessary parameter inputs for a command; if any such inputs have not been specified, the run(s) with unspecified input values will be aborted and the Batch Execution command will move on to run the next command in the list. Note that for Valuation Sets to be processed, any referenced Valuation(s) must first have been executed (either under the specific command or processed in this batch run) and that for forecasts to be processed, any referenced Core Projection(s) must first have been executed.

When your batch processing is complete, results for the executed commands may be viewed under either the Execute menu or the Output menu.

 

Executing Batch Jobs Remotely Using a Batch Server

If one or more batch servers have been installed, users may optionally send ProVal jobs to batch servers (i.e., the jobs will be processed on a batch server instead of on your own computer). If you wish to send a job to a batch server, ask your system administrator to consult the Batch Server Installation Guide.pdf in the ProVal installation folder for setup instructions. If a Batch Server has been configured correctly, you will be able to check the Submit to the Batch Server check box.

The Start time drop-down list allows you to select whether the item must be put in the queue immediately or can be sent to the queue at a later time. For example, non-critical items may be scheduled for later execution, rather than “immediate” execution, so that they do not tie up the batch server during the day. All eligible batch requests are processed on a first come-first served basis (i.e., if two users set up batch runs using the same batch server and request the same start time for their runs, the batch runs that were set up first will be run ahead of the other user’s batch runs).

NOTE: After setting up the batch runs, be sure to exit the ProVal Client (or open another ProVal Client), so that the batch server can have access to the Client in which you wish to run the commands (your Valuations, Core Projections, etc.).

For logical separation, multiple batch inboxes can be set up. If there are two or more batch inboxes, the Batch Inbox drop-down list will include more than one item. Select the inbox you wish to use and click the Inbox Queue button to enter the Batch Server Inbox Queue dialog box, in which you can view details for the selected batch inbox.

The Batch Server Inbox Queue dialog box displays a list of all the jobs submitted for a particular batch inbox. (The first time you enter this dialog box, the list will contain only the jobs for the Batch Inbox that had been selected in the Batch Execution dialog box.) A row is displayed for each job and information about the job is shown in the following columns:

• Status of the job (e.g., “Done” is displayed after the job has finished running);

• Library, i.e., the type of command being run (e.g., Valuation, Core);

• Name of the library entry, as it is listed in the library for the command;

• the path to the directory containing the ProVal Client in which the command will be or has been run;

• Start Time (either “Immediate” or the time the job will run or has commenced running);

• Submission Time, or Submitted for jobs already completed; and

• User name associated with the computer that sent the job to the batch server.

To select a job in the list, click its row. To select more than one job, press and hold down the Ctrl key and click the row for each job you wish to select.

The User drop-down list box, at the bottom of the dialog box, can be used to limit the display to jobs from only one computer; thus you can toggle between your own jobs and those submitted by other users.

The Batch Inbox drop-down list box (right below the User drop-down list box) can be used to toggle between batch inboxes, if there is a provision to use multiple batch inboxes (instead of just one).

The buttons on the right hand side of the dialog box perform the following functions:

• Job Details: This button allows a user to see a list of items relevant to the selected job(s) and thus is useful for checking to see if the runs were completed correctly or if there was a message from the batch server.

• Cancel Job: This button is used to cancel the selected pending or actively running job(s).

• Refresh List: This button is used to refresh, or update, all the information that appears in this dialog box.

• Clear Dones: This button is used to clear (remove from the display) the selected completed job(s), i.e., marked “Done”. Unless you are a batch server administrator, you may clear only those jobs that you submitted.

• Status Report: This button is used to obtain a status report from the batch server servicing the selected inbox. If the status report is not made available within 60 seconds, the user may assume that the batch server is not running (for example, if it has been turned off). However, when the user requests a status report, ProVal should notify you, eventually, if the batch server is, in fact, not running.

• Shutdown: This button, available only to batch server administrators, is used to shut down the batch server servicing the selected inbox remotely, using the ProVal interface. Two options are available – the user may shut the batch server after completing all active jobs or the user may force the batch server to shut down, interrupting all active jobs.