Object Types

Processes in Automic Automation are combinations of individual steps that are linked to each other. An object represents one of these steps. Objects are entities that work together to form coherent automated sequences. As a developer and object designer, you create, edit and work with them in the Process Assembly perspective. Objects that are executing or have been executed are called tasks and they are visible in the Process Monitoring perspective, where you can access their history and monitors.

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Functional Classification of Objects

There are many types of objects. From a functional perspective, objects can be classified in the following groups:

Orchestrate Object Execution

The following objects orchestrate the execution of other objects.

Workflows (JOBP)

Workflows compile single tasks for combined execution. See Workflows (JOBP).

Sync (SYNC)

Sync objects synchronize the execution of other objects based on conditions and actions. See Sync (SYNC).

Queue (QUEUE)

Queue objects define the maximum number of tasks that can be executed simultaneously and determine the task priorities. See Queue (QUEUE).

Agent Group (HOSTG)

Agent groups combine Agents of the same platform to enable the execution of other objects. See Agent Groups (HOSTG).

Job Group (JOBG)

Job Groups are containers for Jobs. Job Groups manage the execution of the Jobs that they contain. See Job Group (JOBG).

Automate Object Execution

The following objects automate the execution of other objects based on time or event conditions.

Schedule (JSCH)

Schedule objects automate the regular execution of the objects that they contain. See Schedules (JSCH).

Event (EVNT)

Event objects monitor conditions and trigger actions depending on whether those conditions are satisfied or not. See Events (EVNT).

Period (PERIOD)

Period objects contain the parameters necessary for executing objects using the Execute Recurring option. See Period (PERIOD).

Job Operations

The following objects perform various job and job-related operations.

Job (JOBS)

Job objects are units of work that are Agent-specific. A Job executes commands on computers or in enterprise business solutions. See Jobs (JOBS).

File Transfer (JOBF)

File Transfer objects exchange files between systems and system platforms. See File Transfers (JOBF).

Include (JOBI)

Include objects contain processing instructions for shared use across objects. See Includes (JOBI).

Script (SCRI)

Script objects contain internal processing instructions that are executed in the Automation Engine and not in external systems. See Scripts (SCRI).

Filter (FILTER)

Filter objects let you search for strings in text files. See Filter (FILTER).

Process Configuration

The following objects add configuration options and parameters to other objects.

VARA (VARA)

VARA objects are placeholders for values that you use in executable objects. VARA objects retrieve the values dynamically from specific sources. See User-Defined VARA Objects.

PromptSet (PRPT)

PromptSet objects are interactive forms that read values during object activation. See PromptSets (PRPT).

Connection to External Systems

The following objects provide the para meters and functionality that are necessary for connecting to external systems and to execute commands on those systems.

Login (LOGIN)

Agent (HOST)

Agent objects are programs that run on the target systems: they start the execution of tasks on those systems, monitor those executions and make reporting possible. See Agents (HOST).

Connection (CONN)

Connection objects store the parameters that allow the communication between Automic Automation Engine and external systems. See Connection (CONN).

Monitor

The following objects monitor the execution and outcome of other objects and provide additional functionality for those objects.

Service Level Objective (SLO)

Service Level Objective objects are tools that support Service Level Agreements (SLAs) by monitoring services according to the criteria defined in the SLA. They trigger actions depending on whether those criteria are fulfilled/not fulfilled. See Service Level Objective (SLO).

Remote Task Manager (JOBQ)

Remote Task Manager objects monitor external operations and let you interact with them. See Remote Task Manager (JOBQ).

Date/Time Designation

The following objects designate dates for object execution and define the time zone in which the operations take place.

Calendar (CALE)

Calendar objects are containers of Calendar Events. Calendar Events are sets of rules that designate dates on which executable objects should be executed/not executed. See Calendars (CALE).

Time Zone (TZ)

Time Zone objects record values for the calculation of local times. See Time Zone (TZ).

Administration and Organization

The following objects serve to manage, organize and administer objects, processes, privileges, and so forth.

Client (CLNT)

Client objects are self-contained environments for the execution of tasks in a system. See Clients.

Folder (FOLD)

Folder objects let you organize objects. Folders are objects as well, rights can be assigned to them. See Folders (FOLD).

Client Agent Assignment (HSTA)

Client Agent Assignment objects assign Agent rights to individual or to all Clients. See Assigning Clients to Agents.

Dashboard (DASH)

Dashboard objects provide freely definable views of objects, tasks, execution data, and so on. See Dashboard Object (DASH).

User (USER)

User objects contain the users' login settings, assignment to User Groups, access rights, and so on. See Users (USER).

User Group (USERG)

User Group objects contain User objects to let you assign them identical authorizations. See User Groups (USRG).

Server

Server objects are the graphical representations of server processes. See Processes and Utilization.

Storage (STORE)

Storage objects provide central file storage for binary data. See Storage (STORE).

Style Sheet (XSL)

XSL Objects provide the code that is necessary to modify the layout of long and complex reports. See Style Sheet (XSL).

Communication

The following objects communicate with the users, contain relevant information or allow the proper conversion of characters for communication with the Automation Engine.

Notification (CALL)

Notification objects send customized messages and requests to Users, User Groups. See Notification (CALL).

Documentation (DOCU)

Documentation objects let you provide detailed cross-object information that pertains to the Client you are logged into. See Documentation (DOCU).

Code (CODE)

Code objects define complete sets of characters that allow character conversion for communication with the Automation Engine.

Technical Classification of Objects

From a technical perspective, objects can be classified in four groups:

Executable

Executable objects are objects that you can process manually or that are processed through control mechanisms of parent objects. When executed they go through various execution stages. For more information, see Execution Stages.

Examples of executable objects: Jobs, Events, Schedules, Workflows, File Transfers, and so on.
Active

Active objects can be modified automatically when they are being processed by an executable object but they are not executable objects themselves.

Examples of active objects: Calendars, VARAs, Queue objects, and so on.
Passive

Passive objects are static. You can define their properties, however, they cannot be modified by executable objects.

Examples of passive objects: Includes, PromptSets, Filter, Code, and so on.
System

System objects serve to administrate your system.

Examples of system objects: Agents, Agent Groups, Users, Time Zones, Login, Connection, and so on

Other

The following extra objects are available for the following object types:

Call API (API)
Container for an Agent Group (C_HOSTG)
Child task of SAP, PeopleSoft or RemoteTaskManager (JOBD)
Report (REPORT)
Access to external reports (EXTREPORT)

Education

The Enterprise Software Academy provides a wide range of free online trainings. If you have not already done so, register at Enterprise Software Academy to start profiting from our education offer.

You can find the list of courses available for Automic products here: Automic Course Catalog.

The following course(s) are associated with this topic:

Automic Automation Introduction to Objects

For more information, see Free Online Courses.