Managing matching criteria

In this topic you can find a description of matching criteria.

Matching criteria are resolution rules that identify the predecessor task or workflow when there is one or multiple instances of the same predecessor task or workflow in the plan. The successor runs when the dependency is satisfied by the predecessor task or workflow.

Matching criteria are defined at external follows dependency level. When no matching criteria is specified at external follows dependency level, by default the criteria defined at workflow level are evaluated. If no matching criteria has been defined, the closest preceding resolution rule applies.

Matching criteria select the possible resolution instances and, among them, the closest preceding instance resolves the dependency. If there is not a preceding instance, the dependency is resolved by the closest succeeding instance.

For more information about the time zone that is used to resolve dependencies, see Dependency resolution.

There are four types of matching criteria:

You can find the descriptions below.

Closest preceding: Closest preceding matching criteria selects predecessors that have a start time which is scheduled before the scheduled start time of the dependent instance. This is the default criteria, so if no matching criteria is specified at external follows dependency level or workflow level, the closest preceding resolution rule is applied. Closest preceding matching criteria shows a workflow Js1 that has a dependency on the closest instance of workflow Js2 scheduled before Js1 start time.
Figure 1. Closest preceding matching criteria
Same day: Same day matching criteria selects predecessors that have the same scheduled date. The scheduled date corresponds to the day generated by the run cycle before applying the start time. For instances generated by the submit command, the scheduled date corresponds to the schedtime day. Same day matching criteria shows a workflow Js1 that has a dependency on the instance of workflow Js2 that is scheduled to run on the same day.
Figure 2. Same day matching criteria
Within a relative interval: Within a relative interval selects predecessors that have a start time within the specified time interval. Within a relative interval matching criteria shows a workflow Js1 that has a dependency on the instance of workflow Js2 that is scheduled to run in a time interval that goes from three hours before Js1 scheduled start time and 6 hours after Js1 scheduled start time. HCL Universal Orchestrator searches for the closest instance that precedes the start time of Js1 in the defined time range. Such instance does not exist in the specified interval, so HCL Universal Orchestrator searches for the closest instance scheduled after Js1 start time.
Figure 3. Within a relative interval matching criteria
Within an absolute interval: Within an absolute interval criteria selects predecessors within the specified time interval. Within an absolute interval matching criteria shows a workflow Js1 that has a dependency on the instance of workflow Js2 that is scheduled to run in a time interval that goes from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Figure 4. Within an absolute interval matching criteria

The following table shows the syntax of the matching criteria, both at workflow level and at external follows dependency level.

Table 1. Matching criteria syntax
Matching criteria	workflow	External follows dependency
Closest preceding	`MATCHING PREVIOUS`	`FOLLOWS...PREVIOUS`
Same day	`MATCHING SAMEDAY`	`FOLLOWS...SAMEDAY`
Within a relative interval	`FROM [+/- n hour[s] minute[s]] TO [+/- n hour[s] minute[s]]`	`FOLLOWS ... RELATIVE FROM [+/- n hour[s] minute[s]] TO [+/- n hour[s] minute[s]]`
Within an absolute interval	`FROM time [+/-n day[s]] TO time [+/-n day[s]`	`FOLLOWS...FROM time [+/-n day[s]] TO time [+/-n day[s]`

To resolve external follows dependencies defined on a task, matching criteria evaluate the start time of the workflow that contains the predecessor task. The following image shows in bold the predecessors of Job1. Js2 contains the predecessor job2, so the start time of Js2 is evaluated to resolve the external follows dependency.

Successor tasks or workflows may even have a dependency on a pending predecessor when applying same day, within a relative interval and within an absolute interval matching criteria. A pending predecessor is a task or workflow that is scheduled later than the dependent task or workflow instance, out of the current plan. Pending predecessors are marked with a [P] in the Dependencies column in ocli plan showjobs and ocli plan showsched command outputs. A predecessor is marked as pending until it enters in the current plan.

Examples

In this section you can find an example for each type of matching criteria.

Closest preceding

JS_A is a workflow that contains a task named JOB_A. JS_B is another workflow that has a dependency on the closest preceding instance of JOB_A. The workflows are defined as follows:

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_A
ON RUNCYCLE RULE1 "FREQ=DAILY;"
(AT 0900)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=TU"
(AT 1000)
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_A
END

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_B
ON RUNCYCLE RULE1 "FREQ=DAILY;"
(AT 1400)
FOLLOWS WS_AGT_1#JS_A.@ PREVIOUS
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_B
AT 1800
END

JS_A runs every day at 9 a.m. and it is scheduled to run also on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. JS_B runs every day at 2 p.m. and it has an external follows dependency on the closest preceding instance of JOB_A. When both workflows enter the plan, the dependency is resolved as follows:

On Tuesdays there are two instances of JS_A.JOB_A that run before 2 PM The dependency of JS_B is resolved by the closest preceding instance of JS_A.JOB_A, which is scheduled at 10 AM.
On every other day of the week, JS_B has a dependency on the only instance of JS_A.JOB_A, which runs at 9 AM When the dependency is satisfied, JS_B is put in READY status.
On Tuesdays at 10 AM the second instance of JS_A.JOB_A runs. When the dependency is satisfied, JS_B is put in READY status and JS_B.JOB_B remains in HOLD status until the scheduled start time.
Every day at 6 PM JS_B.JOB_B runs because the dependency on the instance of JS_A.JOB_A has been satisfied.

Same day

JS_A is a workflow that contains a task named JOB_A. JS_A is scheduled to run every day at 9 a.m. and on Wednesdays it is scheduled to run also at 8 a.m. JS_A.JOB_A is scheduled to run at 10 a.m. JS_B is another workflow that runs at 6 a.m. and contains a task named JS_B.JOB_B. JS_B.JOB_B is scheduled to run at 5 p.m. and has an external follows dependency on the closest preceding instance of JS_A that has the same scheduled date. The workflows are defined as follows:

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_A
ON RUNCYCLE RULE1 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=WE"
(AT 0800)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY"
(AT 0900)
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_A
AT 1000
END

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_B
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY;"
(AT 0600)

:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_B
AT 1700
FOLLOWS WS_AGT_1#JS_A.@ SAMEDAY
END

When both workflows enter the plan, the dependency is resolved as follows:

On Wednesdays, JS_B has a dependency on the instance of JS_A which is scheduled to run at 8 AM On every other day of the week, JS_B has a dependency on the instance of JS_A which is scheduled to run at 9 AM.
At 8 AM JS_A starts and the instance of JS_A.JOB_A scheduled at 10 AM remains in HOLD status until the dependency is satisfied. At 10 AM, JS_A.JOB_A is scheduled to run. JS_B.JOB_B remains in HOLD status until the scheduled start time at 5 PM and the dependency from JS_A.JOB_A is satisfied.
On Wednesdays at 5 PM, all the dependencies are satisfied and JS_B.JOB_B runs.

Within a relative interval

JS_A is a workflow that is scheduled to run daily at 4 p.m. and on Fridays also at 9 a.m. JS_B is another workflow that is scheduled to run daily at 2 p.m. and on Fridays also at 7 a.m. The instance that resolves the dependency is defined within the relative interval of three hours before and three hours after the workflow enters the plan (-03:00 to +03:00). The workflows are defined as follows:

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_A
ON RUNCYCLE RULE1 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=FR"
(AT 0900)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY"
(AT 1600)
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_A
END

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_B
ON RUNCYCLE RULE3 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=FR"
(AT 0700)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY;"
(AT 1400)
FOLLOWS WS_AGT_1#JS_A.@
RELATIVE FROM -0300 TO 0300
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_B

END

The JS_B instance scheduled at 7 AM depends on the instance of JS_A scheduled at 9 AM

On Fridays at 9 AM, JS_B is put in HOLD status until the dependency from the instance of JS_A is satisfied.

On Fridays at 2 PM, JS_A.JOB_A is ready and JS_B is put in HOLD status until the dependency is satisfied.

Within an absolute interval

JS_A is a workflow that is scheduled to run daily at 10 a.m and also at 12.30 p.m.

JS_B is another workflow that is scheduled to run daily at 12 p.m.

JS_B has a dependency on an instance of JS_A within the time interval on the same day between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m.

On Wednesdays, JS_A is scheduled to run also at 8 a.m. and JS_B is scheduled to run also at 7 a.m.

The workflows are defined as follows:

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_A
ON RUNCYCLE RULE1 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=WE"
(AT 0800)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY"
(AT 1000)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY"
(AT 1230)
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_A
END

SCHEDULE WS_AGT_1#JS_B
ON RUNCYCLE RULE3 "FREQ=WEEKLY;BYDAY=WE"
(AT 0700)
ON RUNCYCLE RULE2 "FREQ=DAILY;"
(AT 1200)
FOLLOWS WS_AGT_1#JS_A.@ FROM 0600 TO 1500
:
WS_AGT_1#JOB_B

END

On Wednesdays, all the instances of JS_A and JS_B are scheduled to run.

On Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. JS_A starts running. The workflow JS_B that is scheduled to run at 7 a.m. remains in HOLD status until all the dependencies of JS_A are satisfied.

On Wednesdays at 10 a.m., JS_A is READY. The example highlights that the instance of JS_B scheduled at 12 p.m. depends on the workflow JS_A scheduled at 10 a.m. due to the closest preceding rule. JS_B remains in HOLD status until the dependency is satisfied.

On Wednesdays at 12 AM, the dependency from JS_A is satisfied and JS_B is put in READY status.