Skip to main content
Version: OpCon 26.0 (On-Prem)

Null Jobs

Theme: Configure
Who Is It For? Automation Engineer, Business Analyst

What Is It?​

The Null job generates OpCon events and/or sets thresholds without running a job.

  • The Job Type is set to Null. No job-specific details are required
  • A Null job supports all job automation components (frequencies, dependencies, etc.) like any other job
  • A Null job always finishes OK as soon as it starts

Common uses:

  • Keep schedules open
  • Initialize thresholds at a specific point in a schedule
  • Send notifications

Configuration Options​

SettingWhat It DoesDefaultNotes

FAQs​

Q: What does a Null job do?

A Null job generates OpCon events and/or sets thresholds without running any actual task. It always finishes OK as soon as it starts.

Q: Can a Null job have dependencies and frequencies like other jobs?

Yes. A Null job supports all job automation components — frequencies, dependencies, events, and threshold updates — just like any other job type.

Q: When would you use a Null job to keep a schedule open?

If all other jobs in a schedule complete but you want the schedule to remain In Process (for example, to allow events to be added later), a Null job with a dependency on other jobs can be held or delayed to prevent the schedule from closing.

Glossary​

Null Job: A job type that performs no execution on any platform. Null jobs are used to hold dependencies, trigger OpCon events, and keep schedules open after all other jobs complete.

Frequency: A set of rules that defines when a job or schedule is eligible to run, based on calendar rules, day-of-week settings, period offsets, and other timing criteria.

Threshold: A numeric variable stored in the OpCon database used to control job execution. Jobs can be made dependent on threshold values, and OpCon events can update threshold values at runtime.

OpCon Event: A command sent to OpCon that triggers an automated action, such as adding a job to a schedule, updating a property value, sending a notification, or changing a job or schedule status.

Notification: A message sent by the SMA Notify Handler when a Machine, Schedule, or Job changes to a specific status. Notifications can be delivered as emails, text messages, Windows Event Log entries, SNMP traps, or other formats.

Schedule: A named container for jobs in OpCon, built for a specific date to create that day's automation. Schedules define build settings, frequencies, and the jobs that run within them.

Job: The fundamental unit of work in OpCon. A job defines what to run, on which machine, when to start, and what conditions must be met. Job results are tracked and can trigger events and notifications.

OpCon: Continuous' workflow automation platform. The OpCon server includes the database, SAM and Supporting Services (SAM-SS), and graphical user interfaces. agents installed on target platforms run jobs and report results.