The ActiveBatch V7 release (the release has completed the Beta phase, and is now in the final quality assurance [QA] phase; its release date is scheduled for January 2009) is not a slouch either when it comes to introducing new concepts like the one of Dynamic Web Services within the Business Process Automation (BPA) module. This module allows both externally and internally developed Web Services to be incorporated into workflows, and to trigger workflow steps.
These specific business objects can be created on the fly to combine ActiveBatch services (e.g., a trigger service) with any Web Services-enabled application to allow for jobs and job plans to retrieve information from external or internal data sources and applications. This feature allows the resulting job step to be re-useable in multiple workflows, and to facilitate the creation of composite applications.
The integrated and extensible Job Library capability is also pertinent here via stored routines for applications and infrastructure to developers and users and to the overall business. The library supports Microsoft .NET Framework class library and Web Services architecture, and the V7 release enables inbound and outbound integration of jobs, notifications, and triggers. New events were introduced for email triggers, such as using key words, Microsoft Message Queuing, Web Services, and more.
Helping with ITSM and “Green” Needs
In addition to its Web Services and service oriented architecture (SOA)-based integration and process modification capabilities, two other notable improvements debuted in V7. First, a Change Management/Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) system with a new user interface (UI) was introduced to allow the reliable and fast movement of ActiveBatch objects between the Development, Quality Assurance (QA), and Production departments. To make it easier to update and manage ActiveBatch objects, V7 supports the creation, comparison, modification, and updating of objects from one environment to another.
For example, objects can be moved from a QA environment to a production environment in a simple and auditable fashion. The environment enables synchronization across job schedulers in different departments and in different lifecycle phases, whereby object differences can be highlighted and color-coded. Users can select whether to apply changes later (save for approval), apply changes now (based on permissions), or to enable a controlled time window for changes.
All these capabilities, together with objects’ dependency resolutions, aim to provide greater reliability when managing multiple and diverse computing operations. Modifications to objects can be compared across revision levels to see what changes were made and by whom. The designer can elect to rollback to a previous revision should this be required, while custom callbacks for object customization can be applied to all objects, job user accounts, queues, etc.
Second, given the increasing calls for energy preservation everywhere, the V7 release introduced a “green” Power Management feature that allows idle machines to be placed in a Hibernate or Suspend state to save on power consumption and potentially take advantage of rebates or passing carbon credits. The dormant systems can be reactivated either at a specific time or via the hardware’s “Wake-On-LAN (WOL)” function.
Moreover, the separate graphical view enables monitoring of service level agreements (SLAs), in terms of service level violations, potentials for violation, successes/failures, and whether the business process succeeded even with a SLA failure. There is also integration with business rules engines (e.g., for completion rules creation and dynamic runtime prioritizations).
Rule constraints can be set in terms of jobs, files, resources, and other variables. Other features include the ability for users to query jobs’ execution state and to evaluate idle times. However, the SLA capabilities have been pushed out to what will likely be a Service Pack (SP) release after the January 2009 release date of ActiveBatch V7.
From the performance standpoint, release V7 features improved scheduling through dynamics characteristics of a historical data-driven Online Analytic processing (OLAP) database. The database is constantly populated by historical data details to develop “hints” for optimized performance (e.g., to minimize elapsed time, optimize resource utilization, etc.) and to forecast server loads.
These specific business objects can be created on the fly to combine ActiveBatch services (e.g., a trigger service) with any Web Services-enabled application to allow for jobs and job plans to retrieve information from external or internal data sources and applications. This feature allows the resulting job step to be re-useable in multiple workflows, and to facilitate the creation of composite applications.
The integrated and extensible Job Library capability is also pertinent here via stored routines for applications and infrastructure to developers and users and to the overall business. The library supports Microsoft .NET Framework class library and Web Services architecture, and the V7 release enables inbound and outbound integration of jobs, notifications, and triggers. New events were introduced for email triggers, such as using key words, Microsoft Message Queuing, Web Services, and more.
Helping with ITSM and “Green” Needs
In addition to its Web Services and service oriented architecture (SOA)-based integration and process modification capabilities, two other notable improvements debuted in V7. First, a Change Management/Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) system with a new user interface (UI) was introduced to allow the reliable and fast movement of ActiveBatch objects between the Development, Quality Assurance (QA), and Production departments. To make it easier to update and manage ActiveBatch objects, V7 supports the creation, comparison, modification, and updating of objects from one environment to another.
For example, objects can be moved from a QA environment to a production environment in a simple and auditable fashion. The environment enables synchronization across job schedulers in different departments and in different lifecycle phases, whereby object differences can be highlighted and color-coded. Users can select whether to apply changes later (save for approval), apply changes now (based on permissions), or to enable a controlled time window for changes.
All these capabilities, together with objects’ dependency resolutions, aim to provide greater reliability when managing multiple and diverse computing operations. Modifications to objects can be compared across revision levels to see what changes were made and by whom. The designer can elect to rollback to a previous revision should this be required, while custom callbacks for object customization can be applied to all objects, job user accounts, queues, etc.
Second, given the increasing calls for energy preservation everywhere, the V7 release introduced a “green” Power Management feature that allows idle machines to be placed in a Hibernate or Suspend state to save on power consumption and potentially take advantage of rebates or passing carbon credits. The dormant systems can be reactivated either at a specific time or via the hardware’s “Wake-On-LAN (WOL)” function.
Moreover, the separate graphical view enables monitoring of service level agreements (SLAs), in terms of service level violations, potentials for violation, successes/failures, and whether the business process succeeded even with a SLA failure. There is also integration with business rules engines (e.g., for completion rules creation and dynamic runtime prioritizations).
Rule constraints can be set in terms of jobs, files, resources, and other variables. Other features include the ability for users to query jobs’ execution state and to evaluate idle times. However, the SLA capabilities have been pushed out to what will likely be a Service Pack (SP) release after the January 2009 release date of ActiveBatch V7.
From the performance standpoint, release V7 features improved scheduling through dynamics characteristics of a historical data-driven Online Analytic processing (OLAP) database. The database is constantly populated by historical data details to develop “hints” for optimized performance (e.g., to minimize elapsed time, optimize resource utilization, etc.) and to forecast server loads.