Automation
How to schedule a SyteLine report or utility to run automatically (Background Queue)
Applies to: SyteLine 8, 9 and 10. Service checks apply to on-premises installations.
Short answer
Open the report or utility form, set the parameters, then choose Actions > Background instead of Print. This opens the Background Queue form. Pick a Frequency of Daily, Weekly or Monthly, set when it runs, and click OK. The task appears in Active Background Tasks with a status of WAITING until its time comes. If the parameters include a date range, select Increment Date first so the range moves forward with each run. Otherwise every run reports the same period. Only forms that have Background on their Actions menu can be scheduled this way.
Before you start
Three things need to be true for a scheduled task to run on an on-premises system:
- TaskMan is running. It's the Windows service that picks up tasks marked READY and runs them.
- SQL Server Agent is running on the database server. Infor lists it as a requirement for background processing.
- The Infor Framework Event Service is running. If it stops, scheduled tasks sit in WAITING past their time.
If you're not sure, ask whoever looks after the SyteLine servers before you build a schedule that the business will rely on. See SyteLine report stuck in WAITING for how to check each one.
Step by step
- Open the report or utility form and set the parameters exactly as you want them for every run: sites, ranges, sort options and output choices.
- Choose Actions > Background. If Background isn't on the menu, that form can't be scheduled this way.
- Choose a Frequency on the left side of the Background Queue form: - Daily: for a one-off run, choose Occurs once at and enter a date and time. For a repeating run, choose Occurs every, enter an interval (24 hours for once a day), and a starting time. - Weekly: enter how many weeks between runs, the day of the week, and the time. - Monthly: choose either a date in the month (Occurs on day) or a day of the week (Occurs on), then how many months between runs, and the time.
- Click OK.
- Open Active Background Tasks and confirm the task is there with a status of WAITING.
Keep date parameters moving
This is the step people miss. If you schedule an "orders shipped yesterday" report with a fixed date range, every run reports the same day forever.
SyteLine handles this with the Increment Date field, found on report and utility forms that support it:
- Enter the date range for the first run, for example the 1st of this month to the 1st of next month.
- Select Increment Date.
- Choose Actions > Background, set the frequency (Monthly, in this example), and click OK.
Each time the schedule comes round, SyteLine moves the date range forward and runs the report again. A monthly schedule starting with January's range runs February's range the next month, and so on. Check the output of the first two runs to confirm the dates moved the way you expected, especially for daily or weekly schedules.
If a custom report form has date fields but no Increment Date option, the form wasn't built to support scheduling. Adding it is a small development change, usually far cheaper than someone running the report by hand every morning.
Getting the output to the right people
Where the output goes is controlled by Report Options for that report and user:
- Output format: PDF is the default set on the Intranets form. Printer sends it straight to a printer.
- Email notification: the user can be emailed when the report finishes, with or without the report attached.
Set this up and test it with one manual run before you trust the schedule. A scheduled report that silently prints to a printer nobody checks is a common reason why "the report never arrives."
A practical month-end example
Most month-end delays come from heavy reports all being run by hand on the same morning, while users are also posting transactions. A better pattern:
| Report | Schedule | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AR aging | Monthly, first day of the month, early morning | Ready before finance starts, and runs while the system is quiet |
| Inventory valuation | Monthly, first day, after AR aging finishes | Spreads the load instead of stacking it |
| Open orders by customer | Weekly, Monday early morning | Sales sees it at the start of the week |
| Late purchase orders | Daily, early morning | Buyers start the day with a current list |
Schedule heavy reports at least 30 minutes apart, and check that their run times don't overlap. If one report takes a long time, fix that first. See Why your SyteLine report is slow.
Checking that it actually ran
- Active Background Tasks shows the tasks waiting and running. A WAITING task can be deleted from here if you need to change it.
- Background Task History shows every finished task, including failures, with the user who submitted it and any messages it produced.
Check the history after the first run and after the first month. Scheduled work fails silently. Nobody notices a report that didn't arrive until they need it.
FAQ
How do I schedule a report in SyteLine?
Set the report's parameters on its form, choose Actions > Background, pick Daily, Weekly or Monthly on the Background Queue form, set the timing, and click OK.
Why is my scheduled SyteLine report still in WAITING?
If the scheduled time has passed, the service that releases scheduled tasks has usually stopped. Check the Infor Framework Event Service on the server.
Can I schedule any SyteLine form?
Only forms that have the Background command on their Actions menu.
How do I stop a scheduled SyteLine report?
Delete the WAITING task from the Active Background Tasks form.