3. Integrate between workload automation and applications
Integration between a workload automation tool and applications is more than just the ability of the tool to execute application jobs. For example, Unix cron-armed with an appropriate script and a schedule-can execute an application job in a rudimentary fashion. But this clearly does not constitute workload automation.
In order to best integrate with applications, your workload automation product needs to have the following eight abilities:
- Appropriately initiate the execution of an application job-working within its security model
- Pass dynamically-calculated parameter values to an application job at its start
- Intercept and control a user initiation of an application job
- Monitor intermediate status codes or names from the executing application job
- Kill an executing job in a manner appropriate
- Collect job log files and reports generated
- Distribute job files and reports automatically
- Accurately determine the success or failure of an application job
Further reading
An organization that has been using the in-built scheduler of its financial enterprise resource planning (ERP) application, the in-built scheduler of its human resources (HR) application and a general job scheduling tool can consolidate onto a central workload automation tool that has tight integration to both the ERP and HR applications.
