SQL Server Agent

DataSelf sometimes uses the SQL Server Agent for job scheduling.

Lastest Knowledge Base Pages on SQL Server Agent

• How to Set Up a SQL Server Agent Job
• How to Run a PowerShell Script from SQL Server Agent Scheduler
  • Logging Jobs with Start-Transcript

---

 

Key words: schedule job, job Scheduling, task scheduler

See also:

• Accessing SQL Server Agent from client's own copy of Windows
• Running a SQL Server Agent Job on Demand

• MS SQL Server Jobs for DataSelf

NOTES:

• The scheduler does NOT have a easy to access, built-in logging function that shows exactly what happened in a job. This is unfortunate but we don't have a easy work-around or a generic solution for capturing the actions of the scheduler or the output of programs run in scheduled jobs. Jobs, scripts, bat files, etc and programs need to include their own method for generating log files.

Trouble Shooting

The User Running the SQL Server Agent Determines Access Rights

The SQL Server Agent program is sqlservr.exe. You can look up what user is running the agent with Window's Task Manager.

1. Open Window's Task Manager.
2. Find the row with "sqlservr.exe" in the Image Name.
3. The name of the user running "sqlservr.exe" is found in the User Name column.

"Excel cannot access the file" Error

"Excel cannot access the file" error message from SQL Server Agent Job History

The error message includes the phrases:

Excel cannot access the file
There are several possible reasons:  The file name or path does not exist.  The file is being used by another program.   The workbook you are trying to save has the same name as a currently open workbook.  Process Exit Code 0.  The step succeeded.

Possible Solution:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlserverfaq/archive/2010/04/30/unable-to-open-excel-files-using-a-cscript-in-sql-server-jobs.aspx
This solution was recommended to us by a client (thank you!). One of us suspects that the client did some creative "reading between the lines" to make complete sense of the resolution described.