Check Schedule and Job Status

Theme: Configure
Who Is It For? System Administrator, Automation Engineer

What Is It?

SMAChkStat.exe compares schedule and job statuses in OpCon against a logical expression, then returns a pass or fail exit code. This enables branching to different jobs or OpCon events based on current status.

Rules

• Returns exit code 33001 if the status does not match the expression; returns 0 if it does
• Schedule name: maximum 40 characters
• Job name: maximum 128 characters

Syntax

smachkstat.exe ScheduleDate ScheduleName "ComparisonExpression" [JobName]

Parameters

• SMAChkStat.exe: Program executable, installed in <Target Directory>\OpConxps\Utilities\
• ScheduleDate: Date on which the schedule was built. Accepts any valid date format matching the regional settings of the user running the utility. Enclose in double quotes if the date contains a space (e.g., "[[$SCHEDULE DATE]]")
• ScheduleName: Schedule name as defined in the database. The schedule must exist for the specified date and contain at least one job. Enclose in double quotes if the name contains a space. Case-sensitive if the database uses binary sort order
• ComparisonExpression: Logical expression evaluated against the job or schedule status. Must be enclosed in double quotes. See Sample Expressions. Status keywords are case-sensitive; see Job Status Keywords and Schedule Status Keywords
• JobName (Optional): Name of the job to check. If provided, the utility checks job status using Job Status Keywords. If omitted, it checks schedule status using Schedule Status Keywords. Enclose in double quotes if the name contains spaces. Do not include square brackets. Case-sensitive if the database uses binary sort order

Relational Operators

Order of Operations	Operator	Description
1	( )	Groups expressions
2	!	Logical NOT
3	&	Logical AND
4	|	Logical OR

Job Status Keywords

Keyword	Job Status
ON_HOLD	On Hold
RELEASED	Qualifying
WAITING	Waiting for Dependency or Resource
RUNNING	Running
CANCELED	Cancelled
FINNED_OK	Finished OK or Marked Finished OK
FAILED	Failed or Marked Failed
MISSED	Missed Start Time

Schedule Status Keywords

Keyword	Schedule Status
ON_HOLD	On Hold
RELEASED	Waiting for Start Time
RUNNING	In Process
FINISHED	Completed

Sample Expressions

Expression	Meaning
"ON_HOLD | MISSED"	ON HOLD OR MISSED
"!(RUNNING)"	NOT RUNNING
"!(RUNNING) & ! (CANCELED)"	NOT RUNNING AND NOT CANCELLED
"!(WAITING) | CANCELED"	NOT WAITING OR CANCELLED

Logging

note

The Output Directory was configured during installation. For more information, refer to File Locations in the Concepts online help.

• The log file SMACheckStat_<date-time stamp>.log resides in <Output Directory>\SAM\Log\
• Archived log files reside in <Output Directory>\SAM\Log\Archive\. Folder names use the format yyyy_mm_dd (Weekday), where the weekday reflects the regional settings of the user running the utility
• The SAM retains 10 days of archived logs by default and does not purge folders that contain non-archived files. To change the retention period, refer to Maximum number of days archived SAM logs should be kept

Exit Codes

Exit Code	Exit Description
0	Criterion is true.
33001	No matching records found. The criterion is false. Verify the schedule name, job name, and job status parameters.
33002	Command-line syntax error. Parsing error.
33003	Database connection information, Usercode, or Password is incorrect, or the SMAODBCConfiguration.dat file is missing.
33004	Unknown.

Configuration Options

Setting	What It Does	Default	Notes
SMAChkStat.exe	Program executable, installed in \OpConxps\Utilities\	—	Must be enclosed in double quotes. See Sample Expressions. Status
ScheduleDate	Date on which the schedule was built.	—	Must be enclosed in double quotes. See Sample Expressions. Status
ScheduleName	Schedule name as defined in the database.	—	Must be enclosed in double quotes. See Sample Expressions. Status
ComparisonExpression	Logical expression evaluated against the job or schedule status.	—	Must be enclosed in double quotes. See Sample Expressions. Status

Operations

Monitoring

• SMAChkStat.exe returns exit code 0 when the comparison expression matches the current schedule or job status, and 33001 when it does not — use these codes to branch downstream jobs or events.
• Status keywords (ON_HOLD, RUNNING, FINNED_OK, FINISHED, etc.) are case-sensitive and must match exactly as documented.

Common Tasks

• Omit the JobName parameter to check schedule-level status; supply JobName to check job-level status within the specified schedule.
• Use compound expressions (e.g., "!(RUNNING) & !(CANCELED)") to check for multiple status conditions in a single call.

Alerts and Log Files

• Log files are written to <Output Directory>\SAM\Log\ and named SMACheckStat_<date-time stamp>.log.
• Archived logs reside in <Output Directory>\SAM\Log\Archive\ using the folder format yyyy_mm_dd (Weekday); the SAM retains 10 days of archived logs by default.
• Exit code 33003 indicates a missing or misconfigured SMAODBCConfiguration.dat file; regenerate it with the SMA Connection Configuration utility.

Exception Handling

Exit code 33001: No matching records found — The comparison expression is false because the schedule or job was not found for the specified date, or the status did not match — Verify the schedule name, schedule date, and job name are correct; confirm the schedule exists for the specified date and contains at least one job; note that schedule names are case-sensitive when the database uses binary sort order.

Exit code 33002: Command-line syntax error — The arguments could not be parsed, typically due to missing quotes around the schedule name or job name, or a missing required parameter — Ensure the ComparisonExpression is enclosed in double quotes, and enclose any schedule or job names that contain spaces in double quotes; verify all required parameters are present.

Exit code 33003: Database connection information is incorrect or SMAODBCConfiguration.dat file is missing — The utility cannot establish a connection to the OpCon database — Verify the SMAODBCConfiguration.dat file exists in the <Target Directory>\OpConxps\Utilities\ directory and contains valid server, database, and authentication settings; regenerate the file with the SMA Connection Configuration utility if needed.

FAQs

Q: What is the difference between checking a schedule status and checking a job status with SMAChkStat.exe?

If a JobName is provided on the command line, the utility evaluates the job status using job status keywords. If JobName is omitted, it evaluates the schedule status using schedule status keywords.

Q: What exit code does SMAChkStat.exe return when the status does not match the expression?

It returns exit code 33001 when the status does not match. It returns 0 when the comparison expression is true, enabling downstream jobs or events to branch based on the result.

Q: Are status keywords in SMAChkStat.exe case-sensitive?

Yes. Status keywords such as ON_HOLD, RUNNING, and FINNED_OK are case-sensitive and must be entered exactly as documented.

Glossary

SAM (Schedule Activity Monitor): The logical processor for OpCon workflow automation. SAM monitors schedule and job start times, dependencies, and user commands to determine job execution timing, and processes OpCon events.

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.

OpConxps: The standard installation directory name for OpCon program files, configuration files, and output data on Windows machines.

Resource: A numeric variable in OpCon representing a finite pool. Jobs can be configured to require a set number of resource units to run, limiting concurrent executions and preventing resource contention.

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.