Scheduled tasks for Mac execute commands automatically by letting the user select specific times and dates to have the action executed.
There are different managing options with scheduled tasks such as refreshing, editing, deleting, and viewing logs and results. You can also set an email address to receive email notifications when the tasks run with different details. See E-mail Options to configure these settings.
Keep in mind that for the latest Mac operating system there is an added layer of security when trying to edit the crontab. This step for extra security might not appear in older versions. Users will be prompted to allow editing of crontab every time there are add/edits crontab. If the user doesn't allow it within a minute of being prompted, the action will timeout and the task scheduler will fail. In this case, Aqua Data Studio will have to be restarted if the user wants to see the prompt again. However, for business users, permission can be given permanently to Aqua Data Studio so that they are not prompted every time add/edits crontab are used.
To allow Aqua Data Studio to edit crontab permanently go to:
- System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Full Disk Access
- If Aqua Data Studio is not listed you can add the application by clicking on the + button.
Schedule SQL Tasks can be created by:
- Select Create Scheduled Task from the Tools menu in the Main Application Menu.
- Clicking the Create Scheduled Tasks from the right-click pop-up menu on a database in the Schema Browser.
- Clicking the Create Scheduled Task icon in the Query Analyzer Toolbar.
Creating a SQL Scheduled Task
Select Create Scheduled Task in any of the above-mentioned ways. Choose a server in which to create a SQL Scheduled Task. Select the server, navigate the database and schema objects, and click OK. This will bring up the Create Scheduled Task Dialog.
Note that if you choose to Create Scheduled Task from the Query Analyzer Window, Aqua Data Studio takes the configuration for Server, Database and Query from that window, helping you save time when scheduling a task.The first tab in the Create Scheduled Task Dialog is the General Tab. In this section, specify the Database Connection. The first option is to specify a connection, a database and a Schema where the scheduled task will be run. Then, specify a Name for the task, by default the name is schedule_number, this can be changed to any name you want that contains only ASCII characters. Now, select the Interval for the task, select from the drop-down menu the interval you want (Once, Daily, Weekly, Monthly.) Then, choose the start date and time in the drop-down calendar menu. If the interval you chose is Daily, Weekly, or Monthly you have to choose the repetition frequency of the task. When the interval is Weekly or Monthly the Advanced menu pops up. Click Next to select the Query Tab.
Per cron configuration, the interval will be estimated starting the first of the month and not from the date you are scheduling the task.
- In the Query tab, select an existing SQL file or enter a query for the scheduled task to run. Open an existing script by clicking on the Open Script icon. Run the query, stop it, execute all statements in a single transaction, or reconnect. Be aware that executing the queries may modify data in your database depending on the content of the queries. Click Next to select the Results Tab.
- In the Results Tab, specify where the scheduled task will be saved to. The first option is to determine the folder where the results will be stored. By default, the path is a new folder inside the user's Documents for Aqua Data Studio Repository and Scheduler. Change this path by clicking on the Browse button. Next, choose the format for the results file in the drop-down menu between CSV, XLS, or XLSX. The next section is to set up Date, Time, and Number Formatting according to your needs. At last, is the email section if you want your query results emailed click the checkbox. Click on the Email Settings button to review or edit your email configuration. Then fill in the email you want to send the results to, you can also fill in emails for CC and BCC. The subject of the email will be the scheduled task name > results if you want to change this check the User Defined box and type in the name you want. Finally, you can choose to include a timestamp and its format on the subject. Click Next to select the Status Tab.
- The Status Tab schedules the task, the bar at the top shows the progress in the scheduling, when it finishes the status is displayed as well as the elapsed time. The log shows the procedure for scheduling the task and status. Click Close to leave the Create Scheduled Task Dialog. Find the scheduled tasks in the Manage Scheduled Tasks window.
Advanced Menu
Inside the General Tab in the Create Scheduled Tasks dialog, the advanced menu is available when the interval selected is Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
In the Advanced Task Settings dialog, you can schedule the date for the scheduled task to run..
When the Monthly interval is chosen, the advanced menu pop-up as well, here you can choose a date for the scheduled task including the month and the day the task will run.
For the monthly option the last day of the month is not available, and if you choose any value greater than 30, the task run date will be next year.