Using negative run cycles

A normal run cycle specifies the day on which an application occurrence should be generated, relative to the dates of a period. Suppose you have an application INVENTORY, which runs on the first day of each month. You might not want INVENTORY to run every calendar month, for example, because an inventory is not taken in December. You can specify this by creating a negative run cycle for the application INVENTORY. A negative run cycle specifies the days that you do not want an application to run, even though the application normal run cycle has specified these days as run days.

Negative run cycles are types E and X, as opposed to normal run cycles, which are types R and N. When the long-term planning process finds a run cycle of type E or X, it generates a negative occurrence. To stop an occurrence generated by a run cycle of type R or N, the input arrival times on the normal and negative run cycles must be identical.

Figure 1. Negative run cycles
EQQAMRPL ------------------------ RUN CYCLES ---------------------  ROW 1 OF 5
Command ===>                                                  Scroll ===> PAGE

Enter/Change data in the rows, and/or enter any of the following
row commands:
I(nn) - Insert, R(nn),RR(nn) - Repeat, D(nn),DD - Delete
S - Specify run days/rules

Application            : WEEKLYJOB        Weekly processing
     Name of                                In       Out of
Row  period/rule Input Deadline       F day effect   Effect
cmd  Text        HH.MM day HH.MM Type rule  YY/
MM/DD YY/MM/DD Variable table
'' WEEKFRI     21.00 01  04.00 R    1     97/01/01 71/12/31 JOBCARD________
     Run on Friday, or day before if free_____________

'' LASTDAY     21.00 01  04.00 E    1     97/01/01 71/12/31 ________________
     But not if that is also the last proc day of month
Negative run cycles shows a common example of negative run cycles. In this example, an application that normally runs weekly, on Friday, is not required if Friday is also the last work day of the month. The regular rule specifies:
Only first FRIDAY in the WEEK
and the exception or negative rule specifies:
Only LAST WORK DAY in the MONTH.
The selected keywords are shown in capitals; the other words in the rules are implied or defaulted.