Adding and Editing External Predecessor Links

External predecessor links create dependencies to jobs or process flows outside the parent process flow.

An external predecessor link connects a job, process flow, or process flow component to an external job, process flow, or process flow component. If you are working with process flows and there is a nested process flow in the parent process flow, you can create an external predecessor link for the nested process flow, but not for components within the nested process flow. In the image below, you could create an external predecessor link for the SIMPLE process flow, but not any of the components within the process flow.

Example Use

External predecessor links can be useful in many situations, including the following: Two application groups in a company have created their own nightly processing process flows. Each group's process flow depends on the successful execution of jobs within the other group's process flow. To keep the process flows in sync, they create external predecessor links to the components in each other's process flows.

Procedure

To add an external predecessor link:

1. Open the Jobs/Process Flows window.
2. Select a job, process flow, or one or more components (Shift+Click, Ctrl+Click) and do one of the following:
   • Select the External option in the components group box.
   • Drag the components into the External Predecessors box.

Applications Manager adds the components to the External Predecessors box.

The predecessor requirement can only be satisfied for the referenced job, process flow, or process flow component. When you add a predecessor link to a process flow component, it is based on that component's lineage. Therefore, a predecessor to TEST_JOB in the SAMPLE_PROCESS_FLOW will not be resolved by:

• TEST_JOB when it is run in a different process flow than SAMPLE_PROCESS_FLOW.
• TEST_JOB when it is run by itself outside of the SAMPLE_PROCESS_FLOW.
• TEST_JOB when it is run in the SAMPLE_PROCESS_FLOW and the SAMPLE _PROCESS_FLOW is nested in SUPER_PROCESS_FLOW.
3. Select the parent component and choose the predecessor link type by doing one of the following:
   • Open the Predecessor menu and select the type of predecessor.
   • Right-click and select the type of predecessor.
   • Press Ctrl+S (to add a Success predecessor).

If you are creating a predecessor link to a process flow, you must select the Complete, Success, Success only when FINISHED or Success since last run type predecessor link. Success and Complete both mean that all of the components in the process flow must finish with any status.

4. Click on the predecessor component in the External Predecessors window.

Applications Manager draws the predecessor link between the two components.

Virtual Workday

Unless the Success since last run predecessor type is selected, external predecessor links are subject to the constraints of the Applications Manager virtual workday. The virtual workday is a point in time each day that limits how far back Applications Manager will search in the Backlog and History. For information on the virtual workday, see Understanding the Virtual Workday.