Considering ERT in Queue Objects

As a developer and object designer, or as an administrator user, you define the Queue objects in which your executable objects will be processed. This page describes the Consider ERT option in the Queue object definition.

If you activate this option, the system checks whether the task limit of future exceptions would be exceeded before it executes a task assigned to the Queue object. This check takes into account the Estimated Runtime (ERT) of the following tasks in the Queue:

  • Tasks that will start in the future
  • Tasks that are already active at start time

A task does not start if the ERT check predicts that the Queue limits (max. slots) will be exceeded.

If the maximum number of parallel running tasks has already been reached or exceeded at an object start time, the state of the task changes to a waiting condition (Waiting for queue slot).

The following examples explain this check in more detail.

Example 1

The following diagrams show the number of tasks in a time line. The green lines depict the active tasks in the Queue. The beginning of a line indicates the tasks start time. The length of the green line corresponds to the task Estimated Runtime (ERT).

The blue line depicts the task limit (maximum slot) as defined in the Queue. The maximum available queue slots are reduced from 20 to 10 due to an exception that occurs from 02:00 am to 04:00 am.

An object assigned to the Queue object is processed at 1:00 am (red line). At this point in time, the Queue object already includes 10 active tasks.

The image is a timeline depicting task activity in a queue, illustrating the "Consider ERT" option. The x-axis represents time, and the y-axis represents the number of tasks. Green lines show the active tasks in the queue, with the length of each line indicating the task's Estimated Runtime (ERT). At 1:00 am, there are 10 active tasks. A blue line represents the task limit (maximum slots) defined for the queue. The maximum available queue slots decrease from 20 to 10 between 2:00 am and 4:00 am due to an exception. A red dashed line represents an object assigned to the queue that is processed at 1:00 am. An ERT check at 1:00 am shows that the task would still be active when the exception occurs at 2:00 am. The ERT calculation indicates that only 5 tasks will still be active at 2:00 am; thus, the task can start. The image demonstrates how the system checks if the task limit of future exceptions would be exceeded before executing a task, considering the ERT of tasks that will start in the future and tasks that are already active.

An ERT check of the object to be started shows that the task would still be active at the time the exception applies (2:00 am). Thus, the system determines the number of parallel running tasks that would still be active at this point in time. The ERT calculation of the active tasks in the Queue indicates that only 5 tasks will still be active at 2:00 am. Thus, the task can start.

The image is a timeline depicting task management in a queue, illustrating the "Consider ERT" (Estimated Run Time) feature. The x-axis represents time, and the y-axis represents the number of tasks. Blue Line: Indicates the task limit (maximum slots) defined in the queue. The task limit is initially set to 20, but an exception reduces it to 10 between 2:00 am and 4:00 am. Green Lines: Represent active tasks in the queue. The start of each line indicates the task's start time, and the length corresponds to its ERT. Red Line: Represents a new object assigned to the queue, starting at 1:00 am. The red line is labeled "6 tasks running in parallel", which represents the number of tasks that would run in parallel if the object is activated at 1:00 am. ERT Check: An ERT check at 1:00 am assesses whether starting the new object (red line) would exceed the queue limits, considering the exception between 2:00 am and 4:00 am. In this example, the task can start because the ERT calculation of the active tasks in the Queue indicates that only 6 tasks will still be active at 2:00 am, which does not exceed the maximum available queue slots after the exception.

Example 2

Example 2 is similar to example 1. The green lines depict the active tasks of a Queue object. The blue line shows the course of the task limit.

An object assigned to the Queue object is activated at 1:00 am (red line). An ERT check of all active tasks shows that no queue slots will be available at the exception time (2:00). Executing a new object would exceed the maximum number of tasks running parallel that is allowed according to the Queue object definition. Thus, the task cannot start.

The image is a timeline depicting task management in a queue, focusing on how the "Consider ERT" (Estimated Run Time) option affects task execution in relation to queue limits and exceptions. The graph shows the number of tasks over time, with the x-axis representing time and the y-axis representing the number of tasks. Green lines represent active tasks in the queue, with the length of each line corresponding to the task's ERT. The beginning of a green line marks the task's start time. A red dashed line represents an object assigned to the queue that is processed at 1:00 AM. The ERT check determines if this new task can start without exceeding queue limits, especially during the exception period. The image illustrates a scenario where the system checks if the task limit of future exceptions would be exceeded before executing a task. The ERT calculation of active tasks determines how many tasks will still be active at 2:00 AM. In this specific example, the number of active tasks at 2:00 AM is low enough that the new task (red dashed line) is allowed to start.

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