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DBMS_SCHEDULER

The DBMS_SCHEDULER package provides a collection of scheduling functions and procedures that are callable from any PL/SQL program.

See Also:

Oracle Database Administrator's Guide for more information regarding how to use DBMS_SCHEDULER

This chapter contains the following topics:

Using DBMS_SCHEDULER

Rules and Limits

Rules and Limits

The following rules apply when using the DBMS_SCHEDULER package:

Only SYS can do anything in SYS schema.
Several of the procedures accept comma-delimited lists of object names. When a list of names is provided, the Scheduler will stop executing the list on the very first object that returns an error. This means that the Scheduler will not perform the task on the objects in the list after the one that caused the error. For example, DBMS_SCHEDULER.STOP_JOB ('job1, job2, job3, sys.jobclass1, sys.jobclass2, sys.jobclass3'); If job3 could not be stopped, then job1 and job2 will be stopped, but the jobs in jobclass1, jobclass2, and jobclass3 will not be stopped.
Performing an action on an object that does not exist returns a PL/SQL exception stating that the object does not exist.

Summary of DBMS_SCHEDULER Subprograms

Table 83-1 DBMS_SCHEDULER Package Subprograms

Subprogram	Description
ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure	Adds a window to an existing window group
CLOSE_WINDOW Procedure	Closes an open Scheduler window prematurely
COPY_JOB Procedure	Copies an existing job
CREATE_JOB Procedures	Creates a job
CREATE_JOB_CLASS Procedure	Creates a job class
CREATE_PROGRAM Procedure	Creates a program
CREATE_SCHEDULE Procedure	Creates a schedule
CREATE_WINDOW Procedures	Creates a window
CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure	Creates a new window group
DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT Procedure	Defines a program argument whose value is of a complex type and must be passed encapsulated in an `AnyData` object
DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT Procedure	Defines a special metadata argument for the program. You can retrieve specific Scheduler metadata through this argument
DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure	Defines a program argument whose value can be passed as a string literal to the program
DISABLE Procedure	Disables a program, job, window, or window group
DROP_JOB Procedure	Drops a job or all jobs in a job class
DROP_JOB_CLASS Procedure	Drops a job class
DROP_PROGRAM Procedure	Drops a program
DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedures	Drops a program argument
DROP_SCHEDULE Procedure	Drops a schedule
DROP_WINDOW Procedure	Drops a window
DROP_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure	Drops a window group
ENABLE Procedure	Enables a program, job, window, or window group
EVALUATE_CALENDAR_STRING Procedure	Evaluates the calendar string and tells you what the next execution date of a job or window will be
GENERATE_JOB_NAME Function	Generates a unique name for a job. This enables you to identify jobs by adding a prefix, so, for example, Sally's jobs would be named `sally1`, `sally2`, and so on
GET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure	Retrieves the value of an attribute of a Scheduler object
GET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure	Retrieves the value of a Scheduler attribute
OPEN_WINDOW Procedure	Opens a window prematurely. The window is opened immediately for the duration
PURGE_LOG Procedure	Purges specific rows from the job and window logs
REMOVE_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure	Removes a window from an existing window group. This fails if the specified window is not a member of the given group
RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedures	Resets the current value assigned to an argument defined with the associated program
RUN_JOB Procedure	Runs a job immediately
SET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure	Changes an attribute of a Scheduler object
SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL Procedure	Changes an attribute of a Scheduler object to `NULL`
SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE Procedures	Sets the value of a job argument encapsulated in an `AnyData` object
SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedures	Sets the value of a job argument
SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure	Sets the value of a Scheduler attribute
STOP_JOB Procedure	Stops a currently running job or all jobs in a job class

ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure

This procedure adds one or more windows to an existing window group.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER (
   group_name              IN VARCHAR2,
   window_list             IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-2 ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`group_name`	The name of the window group.
`window_list`	The name of the window or windows.

Usage Notes

If an already open window is added to a window group, the Scheduler will not pick up jobs that point to this window group until the next window in the window group opens.

Adding a window to a group requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

Note that a window group cannot be a member of another window group.

CLOSE_WINDOW Procedure

This procedure closes an open window prematurely. A closed window means that it is no longer in effect. When a window is closed, the Scheduler will switch the resource plan to the one that was in effect outside the window or in the case of overlapping windows to another window.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CLOSE_WINDOW (
   window_name             IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-3 CLOSE_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`window_name`	The name of the window.

Usage Notes

If you try to close a window that does not exist or is not open, an error is generated.

A job that is running will not stop when the window it is running in closes unless the attribute stop_on_close was set to TRUE for the job. However, the resources allocated to the job may change because the resource plan may change.

When a running job has a window group as its schedule, the job will not be stopped when its window is closed if another window that is also a member of the same window group then becomes active. This is the case even if the job has the attribute stop_on_close set to TRUE.

Closing a window requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

COPY_JOB Procedure

This procedure copies all attributes of an existing job to a new job. The new job is created disabled, while the state of the existing job is unaltered.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.COPY_JOB (
   old_job                IN VARCHAR2,
   new_job                IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-4 COPY_JOB Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`old_job`	The name of the existing job.
`new_job`	The name of the new job.

CREATE_JOB Procedures

This procedure creates a job.

The procedure is overloaded. The different functionality of each form of syntax is presented along with the syntax declaration.

Syntax

Creates a job in a single call without using an existing program or schedule:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
   job_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   job_type             IN VARCHAR2,
   job_action           IN VARCHAR2,
   number_of_arguments  IN PLS_INTEGER              DEFAULT 0,
   start_date           IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   repeat_interval      IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL,
   end_date             IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   job_class            IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT 'DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS',
   enabled              IN BOOLEAN                  DEFAULT FALSE,
   auto_drop            IN BOOLEAN                  DEFAULT TRUE,
   comments             IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL);

Creates a job using a named schedule object and a named program object:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   schedule_name           IN VARCHAR2,
   job_class               IN VARCHAR2              DEFAULT 'DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS',
   enabled                 IN BOOLEAN               DEFAULT FALSE,
   auto_drop               IN BOOLEAN               DEFAULT TRUE,
   comments                IN VARCHAR2              DEFAULT NULL);

Creates a job using a named program object and an inlined schedule:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
   job_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   program_name         IN VARCHAR2,
   start_date           IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   repeat_interval      IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL,
   end_date             IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   job_class            IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT 'DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS',
   enabled              IN BOOLEAN                  DEFAULT FALSE,
   auto_drop            IN BOOLEAN                  DEFAULT TRUE,
   comments             IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL);

Creates a job using a named schedule object and an inlined program or program:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   schedule_name           IN VARCHAR2,
   job_type                IN VARCHAR2,
   job_action              IN VARCHAR2,
   number_of_arguments     IN PLS_INTEGER       DEFAULT 0,
   job_class               IN VARCHAR2          DEFAULT 'DEFAULT_JOB_CLASS',
   enabled                 IN BOOLEAN           DEFAULT FALSE,
   auto_drop               IN BOOLEAN           DEFAULT TRUE,
   comments                IN VARCHAR2          DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-5 CREATE_JOB Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	This attribute specifies the name of the job and uniquely identifies the job. The name has to be unique in the SQL namespace. For example, a job cannot have the same name as a table in a schema. If `job_name` is not specified, an error is generated. If you want to have a name generated by the Scheduler, you can use the `GENERATE_JOB_NAME` procedure to generate a name and then use the output in the `CREATE_JOB` procedure. The `GENERATE_JOB_NAME` procedure call generates a number from a sequence, which is the job name. You can prefix the number with a string. The job name will then be the string with the number from the sequence appended to it. See "GENERATE_JOB_NAME Function" for more information.
`job_type`	This attribute specifies the type of job that you are creating. If it is not specified, an error is generated. The three supported values are: `plsql_block` This specifies that the job is an anonymous PL/SQL block. Job or program arguments are not supported when the job or program type is `plsql_block`. In this case, the number of arguments must be 0. `stored_procedure` This specifies that the job is an external PL/SQL procedure. By reusing PL/SQL's External Procedure feature, this can also be a Java stored procedure or an external C routine. `executable` This specifies that the job is a job external to the database. External jobs are anything that can be executed from the operating system's command line. `Anydata` arguments are not supported with a job or program type of executable.
`job_action`	This attribute specifies the action of the job. The following actions are possible: For a PL/SQL block, the action is to execute PL/SQL code. These blocks must end with a semi-colon. For example, `my_proc();` or `BEGIN my_proc(); END;` or `DECLARE arg pls_integer := 10; BEGIN my_proc2(arg); END;`. Note that the Scheduler wraps `job_action` in its own block and passes the following to PL/SQL for execution: `DECLARE ... BEGIN job_action END;` This is done to declare some internal Scheduler variables. For a stored procedure, the action is the name of the stored procedure. You have to specify the schema if the procedure resides in another schema than the job. PL/SQL functions or procedures with `INOUT` or `OUT` arguments are not supported as `job_action` when the job or program type is `stored_procedure`. For an executable, the action is the name of the external executable, including the full path name and any command-line arguments. If `job_action` is not specified, an error is generated when creating the job.
`number_of_arguments`	This attribute specifies the number of arguments that the job expects. The range is 0-255, with the default being 0.
`program_name`	The name of the program associated with this job.
`start_date`	This attribute specifies the first date on which this job is scheduled to start. If `start_date` and `repeat_interval` are left null, then the job is scheduled to run as soon as the job is enabled. For repeating jobs that use a calendaring expression to specify the repeat interval, `start_date` is used as a reference date. The first time the job will be scheduled to run is the first match of the calendaring expression that is on or after the current date. The Scheduler cannot guarantee that a job will execute on an exact time because the system may be overloaded and thus resources unavailable.
`repeat_interval`	This attribute specifies how often the job should repeat. You can specify the repeat interval by using calendaring or PL/SQL expressions. The expression specified is evaluated to determine the next time the job should run. If `repeat_interval` is not specified, the job will run only once at the specified start date. See Table 83-9 for further information.
`schedule_name`	The name of the schedule, window, or window group associated with this job.
`end_date`	This attribute specifies the date after which the job will expire and will no longer be executed. When `end_date` is reached, the job is disabled. The `STATE` of the job will be set to `COMPLETED`, and the `enabled` flag will be set to `FALSE`. If no value for `end_date` is specified, the job will repeat forever unless `max_runs` or `max_failures` is set, in which case the job stops when either value is reached. The value for `end_date` must be after the value for `start_date`. If it is not, an error is generated when the job is enabled.
`job_class`	This attribute specifies the job class that the job belongs to. If no job class is specified, then the job is assigned to the default class. Note that the owner of a job must have `EXECUTE` privileges on a job class in order to run a job using the resources of that class. If an invalid value for `job_class` is specified, an error is generated.
`comments`	This attribute specifies a comment about the job. By default, this attribute is `NULL`.
`enabled`	This attribute specifies whether the job is created enabled or not. The possible settings are `TRUE` or `FALSE`. By default, this attribute is set to `FALSE` and, therefore, the job is created as disabled. A disabled job means that the metadata about the job has been captured and the job exists as a database object but the Scheduler will ignore it and the job coordinator will not pick the job for processing. In order for the job coordinator to process the job, the job has to be enabled. You can enable a job by setting this argument to `TRUE` or by using the `ENABLE` procedure.
`auto_drop`	This flag specifies whether the job will be automatically dropped once it has been executed for non-repeating jobs or when its status is changed to `COMPLETED` for repeating jobs. The metadata is removed from the database if this flag is set to `TRUE`. If this flag is set to `FALSE`, the jobs are not dropped and their metadata is kept until the job is explicitly dropped and can be queried using the `*_SCHEDULER_JOBS` views. This metadata can be removed from the table using the `DROP_JOB` procedure. By default, jobs are created with `auto_drop` set to `TRUE`.

Usage Notes

Jobs are created disabled by default, thus you must explicitly enable them so they will become active and scheduled.

To create a job in your own schema, you need to have the CREATE JOB privilege. A user with the CREATE ANY JOB privilege can create a job in any schema.

Associating a job with a particular class or program requires EXECUTE privileges for that class.

CREATE_JOB_CLASS Procedure

This procedure creates a job class. Job classes are created in the SYS schema.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_JOB_CLASS (
   job_class_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   resource_consumer_group   IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   service                   IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   logging_level             IN PLS_INTEGER DEFAULT NULL,
   log_history               IN PLS_INTEGER DEFAULT NULL,
   comments                  IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-6 CREATE_JOB_CLASS Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`job_class_name`	The name of the class being created. A schema other than `SYS` cannot be specified. This attribute specifies the name of the job class and uniquely identifies the job class. The name has to be unique in the SQL namespace. For example, a job class cannot have the same name as a table in a schema.
`resource_consumer_group`	This attribute specifies the resource consumer group this class is associated with. A resource consumer group is a set of synchronous or asynchronous sessions that are grouped together based on their processing needs. A job class has a many-to-one relationship with a resource consumer group. The resource consumer group that the job class associates with will determine the resources that will be allocated to the job class. If the resource consumer group that a job class is associated with is dropped, the job class will then be associated with the default resource consumer group. If no resource consumer group is specified, the job class is associated with the default resource consumer group. If the specified resource consumer group does not exist when creating the job class, an error occurs. If `resource_consumer_group` is specified, you cannot specify a service (it must be `NULL`). Also, if a service is specified, `resource_consumer_group` must be `NULL`.
`service`	This attribute specifies the service the job class belongs to. The service that a job class belongs to specifies that the jobs in this class will have affinity to the particular service specified. In a RAC environment, this means that the jobs in this class will only run on those database instances that are assigned to the specific service. If the service that a job class belongs to is dropped, the job class will then belong to the default service. If no service is specified, the job class will belong to the default service, which means it will have no service affinity and any one of the database instances within the cluster might run the job. If the specified service does not exist when creating the job class, then an error occurs.
`logging_level`	This attribute specifies how much information is logged. The three possible options are: `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_OFF` No logging will be performed for any jobs in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_RUNS` The Scheduler will write detailed information to the job log for all runs of each job in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FULL` In addition to recording every run of a job, the Scheduler will record all operations performed on all jobs in this class. In other words, every time a job is created, enabled, disabled, altered, and so on will be recorded in the log.
`log_history`	This enables you to control the amount of logging the Scheduler performs. To prevent the job log and the window log from growing indiscriminately, the Scheduler has an attribute that specifies how much history (in days) to keep. Once a day, the Scheduler will automatically purge all log entries from both the job log as well as the window log that are older than the specified history. The default is 30 days. You can change the default by using the `SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE` procedure. For example, to change it to 90 days, issue the following statement: `DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE ('log_history','90');` The range of valid values is 1 through 999.
`comments`	This attribute is for an optional comment about the job class. By default, this attribute is `NULL`.

Usage Notes

For users to create jobs that belong to a job class, the job owner must have EXECUTE privileges on the job class. Therefore, after the job class has been created, EXECUTE privileges must be granted on the job class so that users create jobs belonging to that class. You can also grant the EXECUTE privilege to a role.

Creating a job class requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER system privilege.

CREATE_PROGRAM Procedure

This procedure creates a program.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_PROGRAM (
   program_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   program_type             IN VARCHAR2,
   program_action           IN VARCHAR2,
   number_of_arguments      IN PLS_INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
   enabled                  IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
   comments                 IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-7 CREATE_PROGRAM Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	This attribute specifies a unique identifier for the program. The name has to be unique in the SQL namespace. For example, a program cannot have the same name as a table in a schema. If no name is specified, then an error occurs.
`program_type`	This attribute specifies the type of program you are creating. If it is not specified then you will get an error. There are three supported values for `program_type`: `plsql_block`: This specifies that the program is a PL/SQL block. Job or program arguments are not supported when the job or program type is `plsql_block`. In this case, the number of arguments must be 0. `stored_procedure`: This specifies that the program is a stored procedure. It can be a PL/SQL, Java, or a C routine outside the database. PL/SQL functions or procedures with `INOUT` or `OUT` arguments are not supported as `job_action` when the job or program type is `stored_procedure`. `executable`: This specifies that the program is external to the database. External programs implies anything that can be executed from the operating system's command line. `AnyData` arguments are not supported with job or program type executable
`program_action`	This attribute specifies the action of the program. The following actions are possible: For a PL/SQL block, the action is to execute PL/SQL code. These blocks must end with a semi-colon. For example, `my_proc();` or `BEGIN my_proc(); END;` or `DECLARE arg pls_integer := 10; BEGIN my_proc2(arg); END;`. Note that the Scheduler wraps `job_action` in its own block and passes the following to PL/SQL for execution: `DECLARE ... BEGIN job_action END;` This is done to declare some internal Scheduler variables. For a stored procedure, the action is the name of the stored procedure. You have to specify the schema if the procedure resides in another schema than the job. For an executable, the action is the name of the external executable, including the full path name and any command-line arguments. If `program_action` is not specified, an error is generated If it is an anonymous block, special Scheduler metadata may be accessed using the following variable names: `job_name`, `job_owner`, `job_start`, `window_start`, `window_end`. For more information on these, see the information regarding `define_metadata_argument`.
`number_of_arguments`	This attribute specifies the number of arguments the program takes. If this parameter is not specified then the default will be 0. A program can have a maximum of 255 number of arguments. If the `program_type` is `PLSQL_BLOCK`, this field is ignored.
`enabled`	This flag specifies whether the program should be created enabled or not. If the flag is set to `TRUE`, then validity checks will be made and the program will be created `ENABLED` should all the checks be successful. By default, this flag is set to `FALSE`, which means that the program is not created enabled. You can also call the `ENABLE` procedure to enable the program before it can be used.
`comments`	A comment about the program. By default, this attribute is `NULL`.

Usage Notes

To create a program in his own schema, a user needs the CREATE JOB privilege. A user with the CREATE ANY JOB privilege can create a program in any schema. A program is created in a disabled state by default (unless the enabled field is set to TRUE). It cannot be executed by a job until it is enabled.

For other users to use your programs, they must have EXECUTE privileges, therefore once a program has been created, you have to grant EXECUTE privilege on it.

CREATE_SCHEDULE Procedure

This procedure creates a schedule.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_SCHEDULE (
   schedule_name          IN VARCHAR2,
   start_date             IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   repeat_interval        IN VARCHAR2,
   end_date               IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   comments               IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-8 CREATE_SCHEDULE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`schedule_name`	This attribute specifies a unique identifier for the schedule. The name has to be unique in the SQL namespace. For example, a schedule cannot have the same name as a table i a schema. If no name is specified, then an error occurs.
`start_date`	This attribute specifies the first date on which this schedule becomes valid. For a repeating schedule, the value for `start_date` is a reference date. In this case, the start of the schedule is not the `start_date`. It depends on the repeat interval specified. `start_date` is used to determine the first instance of the schedule. If `start_date` is specified in the past and no value for `repeat_interval` is specified, the schedule is invalid. For a repeating job or window, `start_date` can be derived from the `repeat_interval`, if it is not specified.
`repeat_interval`	This attribute specifies how often the schedule should repeat. It is expressed using a calendar expression. See Table 83-9 for further information. PL/SQL expressions are not allowed as repeat intervals for named schedules.
`end_date`	The date after which jobs will not run and windows will not open. A non-repeating schedule that has no `end_date` will be valid forever. `end_date` has to be after the `start_date`. If this is not the case, then an error will be generated when the schedule is created.
`comments`	This attribute specifies an optional comment about the schedule. By default, this attribute is `NULL`.

Syntax for repeat_interval

Calendaring Syntax

The calendaring syntax is as follows:

repeat_interval = frequency_clause
  [";" interval_clause] [";" bymonth_clause] [";" byweekno_clause] 
  [";" byyearday_clause] [";" bymonthday_clause] [";" byday_clause] 
  [";" byhour_clause] [";" byminute_clause] [";" bysecond_clause]

frequency_clause = "FREQ" "=" frequency
   frequency = "YEARLY" | "MONTHLY" | "WEEKLY" | "DAILY" | 
   "HOURLY" | "MINUTELY" | "SECONDLY"
interval_clause = "INTERVAL" "=" intervalnum
   intervalnum = 1 through 99
bymonth_clause = "BYMONTH" "=" monthlist
   monthlist = monthday ( "," monthday) *
   month = numeric_month | char_month
   numeric_month = 1 | 2 | 3 ...  12
   char_month = "JAN" | "FEB" | "MAR" | "APR" | "MAY" | "JUN" |
   "JUL" | "AUG" | "SEP" | "OCT" | "NOV" | "DEC"
byweekno_clause = "BYWEEKNO" "=" weeknumber_list
   weeknumber_list = weekday ( "," weeknumber)*
   week = [minus] weekno
   minus = "-"
   weekno = 1 through 53
byyearday_clause = "BYYEARDAY" "=" yearday_list
   yearday_list = yearday ( "," yearday)*
   yearday = [minus] yeardaynum
   yeardaynum = 1 through 366
bymonthday_clause = "BYMONTHDAY" "=" monthday_list
   monthday_list = monthday ( "," monthday) *
   monthday = [minus] monthdaynum
   monthdaynum = 1 through 31
byday_clause = "BYDAY" "=" byday_list
   byday_list = byday ( "," byday)*
   byday = [weekdaynum] day
   weekdaynum = [minus] daynum
   daynum = 1 through 53 /* if frequency is yearly */
   daynum = 1 through 5  /* if frequency is monthly */
   day = "MON" | "TUE" | "WED" | "THU" | "FRI" | "SAT" | "SUN"
byhour_clause = "BYHOUR" "=" hour_list
   hour_list = hour ( "," hour)*
   hour = 0 through 23
byminute_clause = "BYMINUTE" "=" minute_list
   minute_list = minute ( "," minute)*
   minute = 0 through 59
bysecond_clause = "BYSECOND" "=" second_list
   second_list = second ( "," second)*
   second = 0 through 59

In calendaring syntax, * means 0 or more.

Table 83-9 Values for repeat_interval

Name	Description
`freq`	This specifies the type of recurrence. It must be specified. The possible values are YEARLY, MONTHLY, WEEKLY, DAILY, HOURLY, MINUTELY, and SECONDLY.
`interval`	This specifies a positive integer representing how often the recurrence repeats. The default is 1, which means every second for secondly, every day for daily, and so on. The maximum value is 999.
`bymonth`	This specifies which month or months you want the job to execute in. You can use numbers such as 1 for January and 3 for March, as well as three-letter abbreviations such as FEB for February and JUL for July.
`byweekno`	This specifies the week of the year as a number. It follows ISO-8601, which defines the week as starting with Monday and ending with Sunday; and the first week of a year as the first week, which is mostly within the Gregorian year. That last definition is equivalent to the following two variants: the week that contains the first Thursday of the Gregorian year; and the week containing January 4th. The ISO-8601 week numbers are integers from 1 to 52 or 53; parts of week 1 may be in the previous calendar year; parts of week 52 may be in the following calendar year; and if a year has a week 53, parts of it must be in the following calendar year. As an example, in the year 1998 the ISO week 1 began on Monday December 29th, 1997; and the last ISO week (week 53) ended on Sunday January 3rd, 1999. So December 29th, 1997, is in the ISO week 1998-01; and January 1st, 1999, is in the ISO week 1998-53. `byweekno` is only valid for YEARLY. Examples of invalid specifications are `"FREQ=YEARLY; BYWEEKNO=1; BYMONTH=12"` and `"FREQ=YEARLY;BYWEEKNO=53;BYMONTH=1"`.
`byyearday`	This specifies the day of the year as a number. Valid values are 1 to 366. An example is 69, which is March 10 (31 for January, 28 for February, and 10 for March). 69 evaluates to March 10 for non-leap years and March 9 in leap years. -2 will always evaluate to December 30th independent of whether it is a leap year.
`bymonthday`	This specifies the day of the month as a number. Valid values are 1 to 31. An example is 10, which means the 10th day of the selected month. You can use the minus sign (-) to count backward from the last day, so, for example, `BYMONTHDAY=-1` means the last day of the month and `BYMONTHDAY=-2` means the next to last day of the month.
`byday`	This specifies the day of the week from Monday to Sunday in the form MON, TUE, and so on. Using numbers, you can specify the 26th Friday of the year, if using a YEARLY frequency, or the 4th THU of the month, using a MONTHLY frequency. Using the minus sign, you can say the second to last Friday of the month. For example, `-1 FRI` is the last Friday of the month.
`byhour`	This specifies the hour on which the job is to run. Valid values are 0 to 23. As an example, 10 means 10AM.
`byminute`	This specifies the minute on which the job is to run. Valid values are 0 to 59. As an example, 45 means 45 minutes past the chosen hour.
`bysecond`	This specifies the second on which the job is to run. Valid values are 0 to 59. As an example, 30 means 30 seconds past the chosen minute.

Usage Notes

This procedure requires the CREATE JOB privilege to create a schedule in one's own schema or the CREATE ANY JOB privilege to create a schedule in someone else's schema by specifying schema.schedule_name. Once a schedule has been created, it can be used by other users. The schedule is created with access to PUBLIC. Therefore, there is no need to explicitly grant access to the schedule.

repeat_interval

When using a calendaring expression, consider the following rules:

The calendar string must start with the frequency clause. All other clauses are optional and can be put in any order.
All clauses are separated by a semi-colon and each clause can be present at most once.
Spaces are allowed between syntax elements and the strings are case insensitive.
The list of values for a specific BY clause do not need to be ordered.
When not enough BY clauses are present to determine what the next date is, this information is retrieved from the start date. For example, "FREQ=YEARLY" with a start date of 02/15/2003 becomes "FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=FEB; BYMONTHDAY=15", which means every year on the 15th of February.

"FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=JAN,JUL" with start date 01/21/2003 becomes "FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=JAN,JUL;BYMONTHDAY=21", which means every year on January 21 and July 21.
The byweekno clause is only allowed if the frequency is YEARLY. It cannot be used with other frequencies. When it is present, it will return all days in that week number. If you want to limit it to specific days within the week, you have to add a BYDAY clause. For example, "FREQ=YEARLY;BYWEEKNO=2" with a start date of 01/01/2003 will return:
```
01/06/2003, 01/07/2003, 01/08/2003, 01/09/2003, 01/10/2003, 01/11/2003, 
01/12/2003, 01/05/2004, 01/06/2004, 01/07/2004, .... and so on.
```
Note that when the byweekno clause is used, it is possible that the dates returned are from a year other than the current year. For example, if returning dates for the year 2004 and the calendar string is "FREQ=YEARLY;BYWEEKNO=1,53" for the specified week numbers in 2004, it will return the dates:
```
12/29/03, 12/30/03, 12/31/03, 01/01/04, 01/02/04, 01/03/04, 01/04/04, 
12/27/04, 12/28/04, 12/29/04, 12/30/04, 12/31/04, 01/01/05, 01/02/05
```
For those BY clauses that do not have a consistent range of values, you can count backward by putting a "-" in front of the numeric value. For example, specifying BYMONTHDAY=31 will not give you the last day of every month, because not every month has 31 days. Instead, BYMONTHDAY=-1 will give you the last day of the month.

This is not supported for BY clauses that are fixed in size. In other words, bymonth, byhour, byminute, and bysecond are not supported.
The basic values for the byday clause are the days of the week. When the frequency is YEARLY, or MONTHLY, you are allowed to specify a positive or negative number in front of each day of the week. In the case of YEARLY, BYDAY=40MON, indicates the 40th Monday of the year. In the case of MONTHLY, BYDAY=-2SAT, indicates the second to last Saturday of the month.

Note that positive or negative numbers in front of the weekdays are not supported for other frequencies and that in the case of yearly, the number ranges from -53 ... -1, 1 ... 53, whereas for the monthly frequency it is limited to -5 ... -1, 1... 5.

If no number is present in front of the weekday it specifies, every occurrence of that weekday in the specified frequency.
The first day of the week is Monday.
The calendaring syntax does not allow you to specify a time zone. Instead the scheduler retrieves the time zone from the start_date argument. If jobs must follow daylight savings adjustments you must make sure that you specify a region name for the time zone of the start_date. For example specifying the start_date time zone as 'US/Eastern' in New York will make sure that daylight saving adjustments are automatically applied. If instead the time zone of the start_date is set to an absolute offset, such as '-5:00', daylight savings adjustments are not followed and your job execution will be off by an hour half of the year.
When start_date is NULL, the scheduler will determine the time zone for the repeat interval as follows:
1. It will check whether the session time zone is a region name. The session time zone can be set by either:
  - - issuing an ALTER SESSION statement, for example:
```
SQL> ALTER SESSION SET time_zone = 'Asia/Shanghai';
```
  - - or by setting the ORA_SDTZ environment variable.
2. If the session time zone is an absolute offset instead of a region name, the scheduler will use the value of the DEFAULT_TIMEZONE scheduler attribute. For more information see the SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure.
3. If the DEFAULT_TIMEZONE attribute is NULL, the scheduler will use the time zone of systimestamp when the job or window is enabled.

CREATE_WINDOW Procedures

This procedure creates a Scheduler window consisting of a recurring time window and an associated resource plan.

The procedure is overloaded. The different functionality of each form of syntax is presented along with the syntax declaration.

Syntax

Creates a window using a named schedule object:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW (
   window_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   resource_plan           IN VARCHAR2,
   schedule_name           IN VARCHAR2,
   duration                IN INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND,
   window_priority         IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT 'LOW',
   comments                IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL);

Creates a window using an inlined schedule:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW (
   window_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   resource_plan           IN VARCHAR2,
   start_date              IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   repeat_interval         IN VARCHAR2,
   end_date                IN TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE DEFAULT NULL,
   duration                IN INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND,
   window_priority         IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT 'LOW',
   comments                IN VARCHAR2                 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-10 CREATE_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`window_name`	This attribute uniquely identifies the window, and is of the form `[SYS.]name`. The name has to be unique in the SQL namespace, thus no other database object should have the same name.
`resource_plan`	This attribute specifies the resource plan. When creating a window, a resource plan enables you to specify how resources will be allocated among the various job classes during this window by associating a resource plan with it. When the window opens, the system switches to the specified resource plan. When the window closes, the system switches to the appropriate resource plan. In most cases, this is the resource plan that was in effect before the window opened, but it can also be the resource plan of yet another window. Besides using windows to automatically switch resource plans, you can also manually activate a plan by using the `ALTER SYSTEM` `SET` `RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN` statement. For certain emergency scenarios, you do not want the Scheduler to switch resource plans. When the preceding statement is used with the `force` option, the Scheduler will not be allowed to switch resource plans. It will still attempt to do so, but a runtime error will be written to the window log. Only one resource plan can be associated with a window. If no resource plan is associated with the window during its creation, the resource plan that is in effect when the window opens will stay in effect for the duration of the window. If the window is open and the resource plan is dropped, then the resource allocation for the duration of the window is not affected. A runtime error will occur when a window is about to open and the resource plan associated with this window has been dropped.
`start_date`	This attribute specifies the first date on which this window is scheduled to open. If the value for `start_date` specified is in the past or is not specified, the window opens as soon as it is created. For repeating windows that use a calendaring expression to specify the repeat interval, the value for `start_date` is a reference date. The first time the window opens depends on the repeat interval specified and the value for `start_date`.
`duration`	This attribute specifies how long the window will be open for. For example, 'interval '5' hour' for five hours. There is no default value for this attribute. Therefore, if none is specified when creating the window, an error occurs. The duration is of type interval day to seconds and ranges from one minute to 99 days.
`schedule_name`	The name of the schedule associated with the window.
`repeat_interval`	This attribute specifies how often the window should repeat. It is expressed using the Scheduler's calendaring syntax. A PL/SQL expression cannot be used to specify the repeat interval for a window. The expression specified is evaluated to determine the next time the window should open. If no repeat_interval is specified, the window will open only once at the specified start date.
`end_date`	This attribute specifies the date after which the window will no longer open. When the value for `end_date` is reached, the window is disabled. In the `*_SCHEDULER_WINDOWS` views, the enabled flag of the window will be set to `FALSE`. A non-repeating window that has no value for end_date opens only once for the duration of the window. For a repeating window, if no `end_date` is specified then the window will keep repeating forever. The `end_date` has to be after the start_date. If this is not the case, then an error is generated when the window is created.
`window_priority`	This attribute is only relevant when two windows overlap. Because only one window can be in effect at one time, the window priority will be used to determine which window will be opened. The two possible values for this attribute are high and low. A high priority window has precedence over a low priority window, which implies that the low priority window does not open if it overlaps with a high priority window. By default, a window is created with a priority of low.
`comments`	This attribute specifies an optional comment about the window. By default, this attribute is `NULL`.

Usage Notes

Creating a window requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Windows always reside in the SYS schema.

CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure

This procedure creates a new window group.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP (
   group_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   window_list           IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   comments              IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-11 CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

group_name

The name of the window group.

window_list

A list of the windows assigned to the window group. If a window that does not exist is specified then, an error is generated and the window group is not created.

Windows can also be added using the ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER procedure. A window group cannot be a member of another window group. Can be NULL.

comments

A comment about the window group.

Usage Notes

Creating a window group requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Window groups reside in the SYS schema. Window groups, like windows, are created with access to PUBLIC, therefore, no privileges are required to access window groups.

A window group cannot contain another window group

DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT Procedure

This procedure defines a program argument whose value is of a complex type and must be encapsulated within an AnyData object.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT (
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   argument_type           IN VARCHAR2,
   default_value           IN SYS.ANYDATA,
   out_argument            IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-12 DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	The name of the program to be altered. A program with this name must exist.
`argument_name`	The name of the argument being set. It is optional, but must be unique if it is specified, so no other argument must exist with this name for this program if it is non-`NULL`.
`argument_position`	This specifies the position of the argument when it is being passed to the executable, and is required. Argument numbers go from one up to the `number_of_arguments` specified for the program. This must be unique, so it will replace any argument already defined at this position.
`argument_type`	The type of argument being defined. This is not verified or used by the Scheduler. It is only used by the user of the program when deciding what value to assign to the argument.
`default_value`	The default value to be assigned to the argument encapsulated within an `AnyData` object. This is optional.
`out_argument`	This parameter is reserved for future use. It must be set to `FALSE`.

Usage Notes

Defining a program argument requires that you be the owner of the program or have ALTER privileges on that program. You can also define a program argument if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT Procedure

This procedure defines a special metadata argument for the program. You can retrieve specific Scheduler metadata through this argument. You cannot set values for jobs using this argument. Valid metadata attributes are: job_name, job_owner, job_start, window_start, and window_end.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT (
  program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
  metadata_attribute      IN VARCHAR2,
  argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
  argument_name           IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-13 DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	The name of the program to be altered.
`metadata_attribute`	The metadata to be retrieved.
`argument_position`	Specifies the position of the argument when it is being passed to the executable, and is required. This cannot be greater than the `number_of_arguments` specified for the program. This must be unique, so it will replace any argument already defined at this position.
`argument_name`	The name of the argument being set. It is optional. This must be unique if it is specified, so no other argument must exist with this name for this program if it is non-`NULL`.

Usage Notes

DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure

This procedure defines program arguments. This does not affect whether a program is enabled or not. Defining a program argument can be used to assign a default value or a name to the argument.

This procedure is overloaded. The different functionality of each form of syntax is presented along with the syntax declaration.

Syntax

Defines a program argument with a default value:

PROCEDURE define_program_argument(
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   argument_type           IN VARCHAR2,
   out_argument            IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Defines a program argument without a default value:

PROCEDURE define_anydata_argument(
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT NULL,
   argument_type           IN VARCHAR2,
   default_value           IN SYS.ANYDATA,
   out_argument            IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-14 DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	The name of the program to be altered. A program with this name must exist.
`argument_name`	The name of the argument being set. It is optional, but must be unique if it is specified, so no other argument must exist with this name for this program if it is non-`NULL`.
`argument_position`	This specifies the position of the argument when it is being passed to the executable, and is required. Argument numbers go from one up to the `number_of_arguments` specified for the program. This must be unique so it will replace any argument already defined at this position.
`argument_type`	The type of argument being defined. This is not verified or used by the Scheduler. It is only used by the user of the program when deciding what value to assign to the argument.
`default_value`	The default value to be assigned to the argument if none is specified by the job.
`out_argument`	This parameter is reserved for future use. It must be set to `FALSE`.

Usage Notes

All program arguments from 1 to the number_of_arguments value must be defined before a program can be enabled.

DISABLE Procedure

This procedure disables a program, job, window, or window group.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DISABLE (
   name              IN VARCHAR2,
   force             IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-15 DISABLE Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`name`	The name of the object being disabled. Can be a comma-delimited list. If a job class name is specified, then all the jobs in the job class are disabled. The job class is not disabled. If a window group name is specified, then the window group will be disabled, but the windows that are members of the window group, will not be disabled.
`force`	Whether to ignore dependencies. See preceding notes for more information.

name

The name of the object being disabled. Can be a comma-delimited list.

If a job class name is specified, then all the jobs in the job class are disabled. The job class is not disabled.

If a window group name is specified, then the window group will be disabled, but the windows that are members of the window group, will not be disabled.

force

Whether to ignore dependencies. See preceding notes for more information.

Usage Notes

Disabling an object that is already disabled does not generate an error. Because the DISABLE procedure is used for several Scheduler objects, when disabling windows and window groups, they must be preceded by SYS.

The purpose of the force option is to point out dependencies. No dependent objects are altered.

To run DISABLE for a window or window group, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Otherwise, you must be the owner of the object being disabled or have ALTER privileges on that object or have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

Job

Disabling a job means that, although the metadata of the job is there, it should not run and the job coordinator will not pick up these jobs for processing. When a job is disabled, its state in the job queue is changed to disabled.

If force is set to FALSE and the job is currently running, an error is returned.

If force is set to TRUE, the job is disabled, but the currently running instance is allowed to finish.

Program

When a program is disabled, the status is changed to disabled. A disabled program implies that, although the metadata is still there, jobs that point to this program cannot run.

If force is set to FALSE, the program must be unreferenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, those jobs that point to the program will not be disabled, however, they will fail at runtime because their program will not be valid.

Running jobs that point to the program are not affected by the DISABLE call, and are allowed to continue

Any argument that pertains to the program will not be affected when the program is disabled.

Window

This means that the window will not open, however, the metadata of the window is still there, so it can be reenabled.

If force is set to FALSE, the window must not be open or referenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, disabling a window that is open will succeed but the window will not be closed. It will prevent the window from opening in the future until it is re-enabled.

When the window is disabled, those jobs that have the window as their schedule will not be disabled.

Window Group

When a window group is disabled, jobs, other than a running job, that has the window group as its schedule will not run even if the member windows open. However, if the job had one of the window group members as its schedule, it would still run.

The metadata of the window group is still there, so it can be reenabled. Note that the members of the window group will still open.

If force is set to FALSE, the window group must not have any members that are open or referenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE:

The window group is disabled and the open window will be not closed or disabled. It will be allowed to continue to its end.
The window group is disabled but those jobs that have the window group as their schedule will not be disabled.

DROP_JOB Procedure

This procedure drops a job or all jobs in a job class. It results in the job being removed from the job queue, its metadata being removed, and no longer being visible in the *_SCHEDULER_JOBS views. Therefore, no more runs of the job will be executed. Dropping a job also drops all argument values set for that job.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-16 DROP_JOB Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of a job or job class. Can be a comma-delimited list. For a job class, the `SYS` schema should be specified. If the name of a job class is specified, the jobs that belong to that job class are dropped, but the job class itself is not dropped.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, and an instance of the job is running at the time of the call, the call results in an error. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, the Scheduler attempts to first stop (issues the `STOP_JOB` call) the running job instance and then drop the job.

job_name

The name of a job or job class. Can be a comma-delimited list. For a job class, the SYS schema should be specified.

If the name of a job class is specified, the jobs that belong to that job class are dropped, but the job class itself is not dropped.

force

If force is set to FALSE, and an instance of the job is running at the time of the call, the call results in an error.

If force is set to TRUE, the Scheduler attempts to first stop (issues the STOP_JOB call) the running job instance and then drop the job.

DROP_JOB_CLASS Procedure

This procedure drops a job class. Dropping a job class means that all the metadata about the job class is removed from the database.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_JOB_CLASS (
   job_class_name          IN VARCHAR2,
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-17 vDROP_JOB_CLASS Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`job_class_name`	The name of the job class. Can be a comma-delimited list.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, a class must be unreferenced by any jobs to be dropped otherwise an error will occur. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, jobs belonging to the class are disabled and their class is set to the default class. Only if this is successful will the class be dropped. Running jobs that belong to the job class are not affected.

job_class_name

The name of the job class. Can be a comma-delimited list.

force

If force is set to FALSE, a class must be unreferenced by any jobs to be dropped otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, jobs belonging to the class are disabled and their class is set to the default class. Only if this is successful will the class be dropped.

Running jobs that belong to the job class are not affected.

Usage Notes

Dropping a class requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER system privilege.

DROP_JOB requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also drop a job if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

DROP_PROGRAM Procedure

This procedure drops a program. Any arguments that pertain to the program are also dropped when the program is dropped.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM (
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-18 DROP_PROGRAM Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	The name of the program to be dropped. Can be a comma-delimited list.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, the program must be unreferenced by any job otherwise an error will occur. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, all jobs referencing the program are disabled before dropping the program. Running jobs that point to the program are not affected by the `DROP_PROGRAM` call, and are allowed to continue.

program_name

The name of the program to be dropped. Can be a comma-delimited list.

force

If force is set to FALSE, the program must be unreferenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, all jobs referencing the program are disabled before dropping the program.

Running jobs that point to the program are not affected by the DROP_PROGRAM call, and are allowed to continue.

Usage Notes

Dropping a program requires that you be the owner of the program or have ALTER privileges on that program. You can also drop a program if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedures

This procedure drops a program argument. An argument can be specified by either name (if one has been given) or position.

The procedure is overloaded. The different functionality of each form of syntax is presented along with the syntax declaration.

Syntax

Drops a program argument either by position:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT (
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER);

Drops a program argument either by name:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT (
   program_name            IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-19 DROP_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`program_name`	The name of the program to be altered. A program with this name must exist.
`argument_name`	The name of the argument being dropped.
`argument_position`	The position of the argument to be dropped.

Usage Notes

Dropping a program argument requires that you be the owner of the program or have ALTER privileges on that program. You can also define a program argument if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

DROP_SCHEDULE Procedure

This procedure drops a schedule.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_SCHEDULE (
   schedule_name    IN VARCHAR2,
   force            IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-20 DROP_SCHEDULE Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`schedule_name`	The name of the schedule. Can be a comma-delimited list.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, the schedule must be unreferenced by any job or window otherwise an error will occur. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, any jobs or windows that use this schedule will be disabled before the schedule is dropped Running jobs and open windows that point to the schedule are not affected.

schedule_name

The name of the schedule. Can be a comma-delimited list.

force

If force is set to FALSE, the schedule must be unreferenced by any job or window otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, any jobs or windows that use this schedule will be disabled before the schedule is dropped

Running jobs and open windows that point to the schedule are not affected.

Usage Notes

You must be the owner of the schedule being dropped or have ALTER privileges for the schedule or the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

DROP_WINDOW Procedure

This procedure drops a window. All metadata about the window is removed from the database. All references to the window are removed from window groups.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_WINDOW (
   window_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-21 DROP_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`window_name`	The name of the window. Can be a comma-delimited list.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, the window must be not be open or referenced by any job otherwise an error will occur. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, the window will be dropped and those jobs that have the window as their schedule will be disabled. However, jobs that have a window group of which the dropped window was a member as their schedule will not be disabled. If the window is open then, the Scheduler attempts to first close the window and then drop it. When the window is closed, normal close window rules apply. Running jobs that have the window as their schedule will be allowed to continue, unless the `stop_on_window_close` flag was set to `TRUE` for the job. If this is the case, the job will be stopped when the window is dropped.

window_name

The name of the window. Can be a comma-delimited list.

force

If force is set to FALSE, the window must be not be open or referenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, the window will be dropped and those jobs that have the window as their schedule will be disabled. However, jobs that have a window group of which the dropped window was a member as their schedule will not be disabled. If the window is open then, the Scheduler attempts to first close the window and then drop it. When the window is closed, normal close window rules apply.

Running jobs that have the window as their schedule will be allowed to continue, unless the stop_on_window_close flag was set to TRUE for the job. If this is the case, the job will be stopped when the window is dropped.

Usage Notes

Dropping a window requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

DROP_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure

This procedure drops a window group but not the windows that are members of this window group.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.DROP_WINDOW_GROUP (
   group_name              IN VARCHAR2
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-22 DROP_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

group_name

The name of the window group.

force

If force is set to FALSE, the window group must be unreferenced by any job otherwise an error will occur.

If force is set to TRUE, the window group will be dropped and those jobs that have the window group as their schedule will be disabled. Running jobs that have the window group as their schedule are allowed to continue, even if the stop_on_window_close flag was set to TRUE when for the job.

If a member of the window group that is being dropped is open, the window group can still be dropped.

Usage Notes

If you want to drop all the windows that are members of this group but not the window group itself, you can use the DROP_WINDOW procedure and provide name of the window group to the call.

To drop a window group, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

ENABLE Procedure

This procedure enables a program, job, window, or window group. When an object is enabled, the enabled flag is set to TRUE. By default, jobs and programs are created disabled and windows and window groups are created enabled.

Validity checks are performed before enabling an object. If the check fails, the object is not enabled, and an appropriate error is returned. This procedure does not return an error if the object was already enabled.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.ENABLE (
   name              IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-23 ENABLE Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`name`	The name of the Scheduler object being enabled. Can be a comma-delimited list. If a job class name is specified, then all the jobs in the job class are enabled. If a window group name is specified, then the window group will be enabled, but the windows that are members of the window group, will not be enabled.

name

The name of the Scheduler object being enabled. Can be a comma-delimited list.

If a job class name is specified, then all the jobs in the job class are enabled.

If a window group name is specified, then the window group will be enabled, but the windows that are members of the window group, will not be enabled.

Usage Notes

Because the ENABLE procedure is used for several Scheduler objects, when enabling windows or window groups, they must be preceded by SYS.

To run ENABLE for a window or window group, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Otherwise, you must be the owner of the object being enabled or have ALTER privileges on that object or have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

EVALUATE_CALENDAR_STRING Procedure

You can define repeat intervals of jobs, windows or schedules using the Scheduler's calendar syntax. This procedure evaluates the calendar string and tells you what the next execution date of a job or window will be. This is very useful for testing the correct definition of the calendar string without having to actually schedule the job or window.

This procedure can also be used to get multiple steps of the repeat interval by passing the next_run_date returned by one invocation as the return_date_after argument of the next invocation of this procedure.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.EVALUATE_CALENDAR_STRING (
   calendar_string    IN  VARCHAR2,
   start_date         IN  TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
   return_date_after  IN  TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE,
   next_run_date      OUT TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE);

Parameters

Table 83-24 EVALUATE_CALENDAR_STRING Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`calendar_string`	The calendar string to be evaluated.
`start_date`	The date after which the repeat interval becomes valid. It can also be used to fill in specific items that are missing from the calendar string. Can optionally be `NULL`.
`return_date_after`	With the `start_date` and the calendar string, the Scheduler has sufficient information to determine all valid execution dates. By setting this argument, the Scheduler knows which one of all possible matches to return. When a `NULL` value is passed for this argument, the Scheduler automatically fills in `systimestamp` as its value.
`next_run_date`	The first timestamp that matches the calendar string and start date that occurs after the value passed in for the `return_date_after` argument.

Examples

The following code fragment can be used to determine the next five dates a job will run given a specific calendar string.

SET SERVEROUTPUT ON;
ALTER SESSION set NLS_DATE_FORMAT = 'DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI:SS';

Session altered.

DECLARE
start_date        TIMESTAMP;
return_date_after TIMESTAMP;
next_run_date     TIMESTAMP;
BEGIN
start_date :=
  to_timestamp_tz('01-JAN-2003 10:00:00','DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI:SS');
return_date_after := start_date;
FOR i IN 1..5 LOOP
  DBMS_SCHEDULER.EVALUATE_CALENDAR_STRING(  
    'FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=9;BYMINUTE=30;BYDAY=MON,TUE,WED,THU,FRI',
    start_date, return_date_after, next_run_date);
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('next_run_date: ' || next_run_date);
return_date_after := next_run_date;
END LOOP;
END;
/

next_run_date: 02-JAN-03 09.30.00.000000 AM
next_run_date: 03-JAN-03 09.30.00.000000 AM
next_run_date: 06-JAN-03 09.30.00.000000 AM
next_run_date: 07-JAN-03 09.30.00.000000 AM
next_run_date: 08-JAN-03 09.30.00.000000 AM

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

GENERATE_JOB_NAME Function

This function returns a unique name for a job. The name will be of the form {prefix}N where N is a number from a sequence. If no prefix is specified, the generated name will, by default, be JOB$_1, JOB$_2, JOB$_3, and so on. If 'SCOTT' is specified as the prefix, the name will be SCOTT1, SCOTT2, and so on.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.GENERATE_JOB_NAME (
   prefix        IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT 'JOB$_') RETURN VARCHAR2;

Parameters

Table 83-25 GENERATE_JOB_NAME Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`prefix`	The name of the prefix being returned.

Usage Notes

If the prefix is explicitly set to NULL, the name will be just the sequence number. In order to successfully use such numeric names, they must be surrounded by double quotes throughout the DBMS_SCHEDULER calls. A prefix cannot be longer than 18 characters and cannot end with a digit.

Note that, even though the GENERATE_JOB_NAME function will never return the same job name twice, there is a small chance that the returned name happens to match an already existing database object.

GET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure

This procedure retrieves the value of an attribute of a Scheduler object. It is overloaded to output values of the following types: VARCHAR2, TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE, BOOLEAN, PLS_INTEGER, and INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.GET_ATTRIBUTE (
   name           IN VARCHAR2,
   attribute      IN VARCHAR2,
   value          OUT [VARCHAR2, TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE, 
       PLS_INTEGER, BOOLEAN, INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND]);

Parameters

Table 83-26 GET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`name`	The name of the object.
`attribute`	The attribute being retrieved.
`value`	The existing value of the attribute.

Usage Notes

To run GET_ATTRIBUTE for a job class, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege or have EXECUTE privileges on the class. For a schedule, window, or a window group, no privileges are necessary. Otherwise, you must be the owner of the object or have ALTER or EXECUTE privileges on that object or have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

GET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure

This procedure retrieves the value of a Scheduler attribute. The attributes you can retrieve are max_job_slave_processes, log_history, and current_open_window. The Scheduler attribute current_open_window can only be retrieved (it can never be set) and it will contain the name of the currently active window, if any.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.GET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE (
   attribute      IN VARCHAR2,
   value          OUT VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-27 GET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`attribute`	The name of the Scheduler attribute.
`value`	The existing value of the attribute.

Usage Notes

To run GET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

OPEN_WINDOW Procedure

This procedure opens a window independent of its schedule. This window will open and the resource plan associated with it, will take effect immediately for the duration specified or for the normal duration of the window if no duration is given. Only an enabled window can be manually opened.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.OPEN_WINDOW (
   window_name             IN VARCHAR2,
   duration                IN INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND,
   force                   IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-28 OPEN_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

window_name

The name of the window.

duration

The duration of the window. It is of type interval day to second. If it is not specified, then the window will be opened for the regular duration as specified in the window metadata.

force

If force is set to FALSE, opening an already open window, will generate an error.

If force is set to TRUE:

You can open a window that is already open. The window stays open for the duration specified in the call, from the time the OPEN_WINDOW command was issued. Consider an example to illustrate this. window1 was created with a duration of four hours. It has how been open for two hours. If at this point you reopen window1 using the OPEN_WINDOW call and do not specify a duration, then window1 will be open for another four hours because it was created with that duration. If you specified a duration of 30 minutes, the window will close in 30 minutes.

The Scheduler automatically closes any window that is open at that time, even if it has a higher priority. For the duration of this manually opened window, the Scheduler does not open any other scheduled windows even if they have a higher priority.

Usage Notes

If there are jobs running when the window opens, the resources allocated to them might change due to the switch in resource plan.

Opening a window manually has no impact on regular scheduled runs of the window. The next open time of the window is not updated, and will be as determined by the regular scheduled opening.

When a window that was manually opened closes, the rules about overlapping windows are applied to determine which other window should be opened at that time if any at all.

A window can fail to open if the resource plan has been manually switched using the ALTER SYSTEM statement with the force option.

Opening a window requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege for that window.

PURGE_LOG Procedure

By default, the Scheduler automatically purges all rows in the job log and window log that are older than 30 days. The PURGE_LOG procedure is used to purge additional rows from the job and window log.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG (
   log_history             IN PLS_INTEGER  DEFAULT 0,
   which_log               IN VARCHAR2     DEFAULT 'JOB_AND_WINDOW_LOG',
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2     DEFAULT NULL);

Parameters

Table 83-29 PURGE_LOG Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`log_history`	This specifies how much history (in days) to keep. The valid range is 0 - 999. If set to 0, no history is kept.
`which_log`	This specifies which type of log. Valid values for `which_log` are `job_log`, `window_log`, and `job_and_window_log`.
`job_name`	This specifies which job-specific entries must be purged from the jog log. This can be a comma-delimited list of job names and job classes. Whenever `job_name` has a value other than `NULL`, the `which_log` argument implicitly includes the job log.

Examples

The following will completely purge all rows from both the job log and the window log:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG();

The following will purge all rows from the window log that are older than 5 days:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.PURGE_LOG(5, 'window_log');

The following will purge all rows from the window log that are older than 1 day and all rows from the job log that are related to jobs in jobclass1 and are older than 1 day:

DBMS_SCHEDULER>PURGE_LOG(1, 'job_and_window_log', 'sys.jobclass1');

REMOVE_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure

This procedure removes one or more windows from an existing window group.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.REMOVE_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER (
   group_name              IN VARCHAR2,
   window_list             IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-30 REMOVE_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`group_name`	The name of the window group.
`window_list`	The name of the window or windows.

Usage Notes

If any of the windows specified is either invalid, does not exist, or is not a member of the given group, the call fails. Removing a window from a group requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

Dropping an open window from a window group has no impact on running jobs that has the window as its schedule since the jobs would only be stopped when a window closes.

RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedures

This procedure resets (clears) the value previously set to an argument for a job.

RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE is overloaded.

Syntax

Clears a previously set job argument value by argument position:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER);

Clears a previously set job argument value by argument name:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-31 RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of the job being queried.
`argument_position`	The position of the program argument being altered.
`argument_name`	The name of the program argument being altered.

Usage Notes

If the corresponding program argument has no default value, the job will be disabled. Resetting a program argument of a job belonging to another user requires ALTER privileges on that job. Arguments can be specified by position or by name.

RESET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also set a job argument value if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

RUN_JOB Procedure

This procedure runs a job immediately.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.RUN_JOB (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   use_current_session     IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE);

Parameters

Table 83-32 RUN_JOB Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of the job being run.
`use_current_session`	This specifies whether the job run should occur in the same session as the one that the procedure was invoked from. When `use_current_session` is set to `TRUE`: -You can test a job and see any possible errors on the command line. -`run_count`, `last_start_date`, `last_run_duration`, and `failure_count` are not updated. `-RUN_JOB` can be run in parallel with a regularly scheduled job run. When `use_current_session` is set to `FALSE`: -You need to check the job log to find error information. -`run_count`, `last_start_date`, `last_run_duration`, and `failure_count` are updated. -`RUN_JOB` fails if a regularly scheduled job is running.

job_name

The name of the job being run.

use_current_session

This specifies whether the job run should occur in the same session as the one that the procedure was invoked from.

When use_current_session is set to TRUE:

-You can test a job and see any possible errors on the command line.

-run_count, last_start_date, last_run_duration, and failure_count are not updated.

-RUN_JOB can be run in parallel with a regularly scheduled job run.

When use_current_session is set to FALSE:

-You need to check the job log to find error information.

-run_count, last_start_date, last_run_duration, and failure_count are updated.

-RUN_JOB fails if a regularly scheduled job is running.

Usage Notes

A job must be enabled for RUN_JOB to run. The job can be run in two different modes. One is in the current user session. In this case, the call to RUN_JOB will block until it has completed the job. Any errors that occur during the execution of the job will be returned as errors to the RUN_JOB procedure. The other option is to run the job immediately like a regular job. In this case, RUN_JOB returns immediately and the job will be picked up by the coordinator and passed on to a job slave for execution. The scheduler views and logs must be queried for the outcome of the job.

Multiple user sessions can use RUN_JOB in their sessions simultaneously when use_current_session is set to TRUE.

RUN_JOB requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also run a job if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

SET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure

This procedure changes an attribute of a Scheduler object. It is overloaded to accept values of the following types: VARCHAR2, TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE, BOOLEAN, PLS_INTEGER, and INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND. To set an attribute to NULL, the SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL procedure should be used. What attributes can be set depends on the object being altered. With the exception of the object name, all object attributes can be changed.

SET_ATTRIBUTE is overloaded.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE (
   name           IN VARCHAR2,
   attribute      IN VARCHAR2,
   value          IN [VARCHAR2, TIMESTAMP WITH TIMEZONE, 
        PLS_INTEGER, BOOLEAN, INTERVAL DAY TO SECOND]);

Parameters

Table 83-33 SET_ATTRIBUTE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`name`	The name of the object.
`attribute`	See Table 83-34, Table 83-35, Table 83-36, Table 83-37, Table 83-38, and Table 83-38.
`value`	The new value being set for the attribute. This cannot be `NULL`. To set an attribute value to `NULL`, use the `SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL` procedure.

Usage Notes

If an object is altered and it was in the enabled state, the Scheduler will first disable it, make the change and then re-enable it. If any errors are encountered during the enable process, the object is not re-enabled and an error is generated.

If an object is altered and it was in the disabled, it will remain disabled after it is altered.

To run SET_ATTRIBUTE for a window, window group, or job class, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Otherwise, you must be the owner of the object being altered or have ALTER privileges on that object or have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

Job

If there is a running instance of the job when the SET_ATTRIBUTE call is made, it is not affected by the call. The change is only seen in future runs of the job.

If any of the schedule attributes of a job are altered while the job is running, the time of the next job run will be scheduled using the new schedule attributes. Schedule attributes of a job include schedule_name, start_date, end_date, and repeat_interval.

If any of the program attributes of a job are altered while the job is running, the new program attributes will take effect the next time the job runs. Program attributes of a job include program_name, job_action, job_type, and number_of_arguments. This is also the case for job argument values that have been set.

Granting ALTER on a job will let a user alter all attributes of that job except its program attributes (program_name, job_type, job_action, program_action, and number_of_arguments) and will not allow a user to use a PL/SQL expression to specify the schedule for a job.

We recommend you not to alter a job that was automatically created for you by the database. Jobs that were created by the database have the column SYSTEM set to TRUE in several views.

Program

If any currently running jobs use the program that is altered, they will continue to run with the program definition prior to the alter. The job will run with the new program definition the next time the job executes.

Schedule

If a schedule is altered, the change will not affect running jobs and open windows that use this schedule. The change will only be in effect the next time the jobs runs or the window opens.

Job Class

With the exception of the default job class, all job classes can be altered. To alter a job class, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

When a job class is altered, running jobs that belong to the class are not affected. The change only takes effect for jobs that have not started running yet.

Window

When a window is altered, it does not affect an active window. The changes only take effect the next time the window opens.

To change resource plans, you must first set the RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN initialization parameter in the init.ora file or issue an ALTER SYSTEM SET RESOURCE_MANAGER_PLAN = my_plan statement before the window opens.

Job Attribute Values

Table 83-34 lists job attribute values.

Table 83-34 Job Attribute Values

Name	Description
`logging_level`	This attribute specifies how much information is logged. The three possible options are: `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_OFF` No logging will be performed for any jobs in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_RUNS` The Scheduler will write detailed information to the job log for all runs of each job in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FULL` In addition to recording every run of a job, the Scheduler will record all operations performed on all jobs in this class. In other words, every time a job is created, enabled, disabled, altered, and so on will be recorded in the log.
`restartable`	This attribute specifies whether a job can be restarted in case of failure. By default, jobs are restartable and this attribute is set to `TRUE`. Setting this to `TRUE` means that if a job fails while running, it will be restarted from the beginning point of the job. Note that setting this attribute to `TRUE` might lead to data inconsistencies in some situations, for example, if data is committed within a job. Retries on errors are not counted as regular runs. The run count or failure count is not incremented until the job succeeds or has failed all its six retries. The restartable attribute is used by the Scheduler to determine whether to retry the job not only on regular application errors, but after a database malfunction as well. The Scheduler will retry the job a maximum of six times. The first time, it will wait for one second and multiply this wait time with a factor of 10 each time thereafter. Both the run count and failure count are incremented by 1 if the job has failed all its six retries. If the job immediately succeeds, or it succeeds on one of its retries, run count is incremented by 1. The Scheduler will stop retrying a job when: -one of the retries succeeds -all of its six retries have failed -the next retry would occur after the next regularly scheduled run of the job The Scheduler no longer retries the job if the next scheduled retry is past the next regularly scheduled run for repeating jobs.
`max_failures`	This attribute specifies the number of times a job can fail on consecutive scheduled runs before it is automatically disabled. Once a job is disabled, it is no longer executed and its `STATE` is set to `BROKEN` in the `*_SCHEDULER_JOB` views. `max_failures` can be an integer between 1 to 1,000,000. By default, it is set to `NULL`, which indicates that new instances of the job will be started regardless of how many previous instances have failed.
`max_runs`	This attribute specifies the maximum number of consecutive scheduled runs of the job. Once `max_runs` is reached, the job is disabled and its state is changed to `COMPLETED`. `max_runs` can be an integer between 1 and 1,000,000. By default, it is set to `NULL`, which means that it will repeat forever or until `end_date` or `max_failures` is reached.
`job_weight`	This attribute is for expert users of parallel technology only. If your job will be using parallel technology, you can set the value of this attribute to the degree of parallelism of your SQL inside the job. `job_weight` has a range of 1-100, with 1 being the default
`instance_stickiness`	This attribute should only be used for a database running in RAC mode. By default, it is set to `TRUE`. If you set `instance_stickiness` to `TRUE`, jobs start running on the instance with the lightest load and the Scheduler thereafter attempts to run on the instance that it last ran on. If that instance is either down or so overloaded that it will not start new jobs for a significant period of time, another instance will run the job. If the interval between runs is large, `instance_stickiness` will be ignored an the job will be handled as if it were a non-sticky job. If `instance_stickiness` is set to `FALSE`, each instance of the job runs on the first instance available. For non-RAC environments, this attribute is not useful because there is only one instance.
`stop_on_window_close`	This attribute only applies if the schedule of a job is a window or a window group. Setting this attribute to `TRUE` implies that the job should be stopped once the associated window is closed. The job is stopped using the `stop_job` procedure with force set to `FALSE`. By default, `stop_on_window_close` is set to `FALSE`. Therefore, if you do not set this attribute, the job will be allowed to continue after the window closes. Note that, although the job is allowed to continue, its resource allocation will probably change because closing a window generally also implies a change in resource plans.
`job_priority`	This attribute specifies the priority of this job relative to other jobs in the same class as this job. If multiple jobs within a class are scheduled to be executed at the same time, the job priority determines the order in which jobs from that class are picked up for execution by the job coordinator. It can be a value from 1 through 5, with 1 being the first to be picked up for job execution. If no job priority is specified when creating a job, the default priority of 3 is assigned to it.
`schedule_limit`	In heavily loaded systems, jobs are not always started at their scheduled time. This attribute enables you to have the Scheduler not start a job at all if the delay in starting the job is larger than the interval specified. It can be a value of 1 minute to 99 days. For example, if a job was supposed to start at noon and the schedule limit is set to 60 minutes, the job will not be run if it has not started to run by 1PM. If `schedule_limit` is not specified, the job is executed at some later date as soon as there are resources available to run it. By default, this attribute is set to null, which indicates that the job can be run at any time after its scheduled time. A scheduled job run that is skipped because of this attribute does not count against the number of runs and failures of the job. An entry in the job log will be made to reflect the skipped run.
`program_name`	The name of a program object to use with this job. If this is set, `job_action`, `job_type` and `number_of_arguments` should be `NULL`.
`job_action`	This is a string specifying the action. The possible values are: `PLSQL_BLOCK`: a PLSQL anonymous block `STORED_PROCEDURE`: name of the database stored procedure (C, Java or PL/SQL), optionally qualified with a schema and/or package name). `EXECUTABLE`: Name of an executable of shell script including the full path name and any command-line flags to it. If this is set, `program_name` should be `NULL`.
`job_type`	The type of this job. Can be any of: `PLSQL_BLOCK`, `STORED_PROCEDURE`, and `EXECUTABLE`. If this is set, `program_name` should be `NULL`.
`number_of_arguments`	The number of arguments if the program is inlined. If this is set, `program_name` should be `NULL`.
`schedule_name`	The name of a schedule or window or window group to use as the schedule for this job. If this is set, `end_date`, `start_date` and `repeat_interval` should all be `NULL`.
`repeat_interval`	Either a PL/SQL function returning the next date on which to run, or calendar syntax expression. If this is set, `schedule_name` should be `NULL`.
`start_date`	The original date on which this job started or will be scheduled to start. If this is set, `schedule_name` should be `NULL`.
`end_date`	The date after which the job will no longer run. It will be dropped if `auto_drop` is set or disabled with the state changed to `COMPLETED` if it is. If this is set, `schedule_name` should be `NULL`.
`job_class`	The class this job is associated with.
`comments`	An optional comment.
`auto_drop`	Whether the job should be dropped after having completed.

Program Attribute Values

Table 83-35 lists program attribute values.

Table 83-35 Program Attribute Values

Name	Description
`program_action`	This is a string specifying the action. The possible values are: `PLSQL_BLOCK`: a PLSQL anonymous block `STORED_PROCEDURE`: name of the database stored procedure (C, Java or PL/SQL), optionally qualified with a schema and/or package name). `EXECUTABLE`: Full path name including the name of the operating system executable or shell script.
`program_type`	The type of program. This must be one of the following supported program types: `PLSQL_BLOCK`, `STORED_PROCEDURE`, and `EXECUTABLE`.
`number_of_arguments`	The number of arguments of the program that can be set by any job using it, these arguments must be defined before the program can be enabled.
`comments`	An optional comment. This can describe what the program does, or give usage details.

Job Class Values

Table 83-36 lists job class attribute values.

Table 83-36 Job Class Attribute Values

Name	Description
`resource_consumer_group`	The resource consumer group a class is associated with. If `resource_consumer_group` is set, service must be `NULL`.
`service`	The service the job class belongs to. The default is `NULL`, which implies the default service. This should be the name of the service database object and not the service name as defined in `tnsnames.ora`. If service is set, `resource_consumer_group` must be `NULL`.
`logging_level`	This attribute specifies how much information is logged. The three possible options are: `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_OFF` No logging will be performed for any jobs in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_RUNS` The Scheduler will write detailed information to the job log for all runs of each job in this class. `DBMS_SCHEDULER.LOGGING_FULL` In addition to recording every run of a job, the Scheduler will record all operations performed on all jobs in this class. In other words, every time a job is created, enabled, disabled, altered, and so on will be recorded in the log.
`log_history`	This enables you to control the amount of logging the Scheduler performs. To prevent the job log and the window log from growing indiscriminately, the Scheduler has an attribute that specifies how much history (in days) to keep. Once a day, the Scheduler will automatically purge all log entries from both the job log as well as the window log that are older than the specified history. The default is 30 days. You can change the default by using the `SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE` procedure. For example, to change it to 90 days, issue the following statement: `DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE ('log_history','90');` The range of valid values is 1 through 999.
`comments`	An optional comment about the class.

Window Attribute Values

Table 83-37 lists window attribute values.

Table 83-37 Window Attribute Values

Name	Description
`resource_plan`	The resource plan to be associated with a window. When the window opens, the system will switch to using this resource plan. When the window closes, the original resource plan will be restored. If a resource plan has been made active with the `force` option, no resource plan switch will occur.
`window_priority`	The priority of the window. Must be one of `LOW` (default) or `HIGH`.
`duration`	The duration of the window.
`schedule_name`	The name of a schedule to use with this window. If this is set, `start_date`, `end_date`, and `repeat_interval` must all be `NULL`.
`repeat_interval`	A string using the calendar syntax. PL/SQL date functions are not allowed. If this is set, `schedule_name` must be `NULL`.
`start_date`	The next date on which this window is scheduled to open. If this is set, `schedule_name` must be `NULL`.
`end_date`	The date after which the window will no longer open. If this is set, `schedule_name` must be `NULL`.
`comments`	An optional comment about the window.

Program Window Group Values

Table 83-38 lists program window group values.

Table 83-38 Window Group Attribute Values

Name	Description
`comments`	An optional comment about the window group.

Schedule Attribute Values

Table 83-39 lists schedule attribute values.

Table 83-39 Schedule Attribute Values

Name	Description
`repeat_interval`	An expression using the calendar syntax.
`comments`	An optional comment.
`end_date`	The cutoff date after which the schedule will not specify any dates.
`start_date`	The start or reference date used by the calendar syntax.

SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL Procedure

This procedure sets an attribute of a Scheduler object to NULL. What attributes can be set depends on the object being altered. If the object is enabled, it will be disabled before being altered and be reenabled afterward. If the object cannot be re-enabled, an error is generated and the object will be left in a disabled state.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL (
   name              IN VARCHAR2,
   attribute         IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-40 SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`name`	The name of the object.
`attribute`	The attribute being changed.

Usage Notes

To run SET_ATTRIBUTE_NULL for a window, window group, or job class, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege. Otherwise, you must be the owner of the object being altered or have ALTER privileges on that object or have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE Procedures

This procedure sets a value to an argument of the associated program for a job, encapsulated in an AnyData object. It overrides any default value set for the program argument. This does not affect whether the job is enabled or not. NULL is a valid assignment for a program argument. Arguments can be specified by position or by name. No type checking of the argument is done at any time by the Scheduler.

SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE is overloaded.

Syntax

Sets a program argument by its position.

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
   argument_value          IN SYS.ANYDATA);

Sets a program argument by its name.

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_value          IN SYS.ANYDATA);

Parameters

Table 83-41 SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of the job to be altered.
`argument_name`	The name of the program argument being set.
`argument_position`	The position of the program argument being set.
`argument_value`	The new value to be assigned to the program argument, encapsulated in an `AnyData` object.

Usage Notes

SET_JOB_ANYDATA_VALUE requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also set a job argument value if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedures

This procedure sets a value to an argument of the associated program for a job. It overrides any default value set for the program argument. This does not affect whether a job is enabled or not. NULL is a valid assignment for a program argument. Arguments can be specified by position or by name. No type checking of the argument is done at any time by the Scheduler.

SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE is overloaded.

Syntax

Sets an argument value by position:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_position       IN PLS_INTEGER,
   argument_value          IN VARCHAR2);

Sets an argument value by name:

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE (
   job_name                IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_name           IN VARCHAR2,
   argument_value          IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-42 SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE Procedure Parameters

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of the job to be altered.
`argument_name`	The name of the program argument being set.
`argument_position`	The position of the program argument being set.
`argument_value`	The new value to be set for the program argument. To set a non-`VARCHAR` value, use the `SET_JOB_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT_VALUE` procedure.

Usage Notes

SET_JOB_ARGUMENT_VALUE requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also set a job argument value if you have the CREATE ANY JOB privilege.

SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure

This procedure sets the value of a Scheduler attribute. This takes effect immediately but the resulting changes may not be seen immediately. The attributes you can set are default_timezone, max_job_slave_processes and log history.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE (
   attribute      IN VARCHAR2,
   value          IN VARCHAR2);

Parameters

Table 83-43 SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`attribute`	The name of the Scheduler attribute. Possible values are: `default_timezone:` It is very important that this attribute is set. Whenever a repeat_interval is specified without setting the start_date, the scheduler needs to know which time zone it must apply to the repeat interval syntax. For example, if the repeat interval is specified as "FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=22" the job will repeat every day at 10pm, but 10pm in which time zone? If no `start_date` is specified the scheduler will pick up the time zone from this `default_timezone` attribute. If you want your job or window to follow daylight savings adjustments, you must set this attribute to the proper region name. For instance, if your database resides in Paris, you would set this to '`Europe`/`Warsaw`'. Daylight saving adjustments will not be followed if you specify an absolute offset, for instance '-8:00' would only be correct for half of the year in San Francisco. If no value is specified for this attribute, the scheduler uses the time zone of `systimestamp` when the job or window is enabled. This is always an absolute offset and will not follow daylight savings adjustments. `log_history:` This enables you to control the amount of logging the Scheduler performs. `max_job_slave_processes:` This enables you to set a maximum number of slave processes for a particular system configuration and load. The default value is `NULL`, and the valid range is 1-999. Even though the Scheduler automatically determines what the optimum number of slave processes is for a given system configuration and load, you still might want to set a fixed limit on the Scheduler. If this is the case, you can set this attribute. Although the number set by `max_job_slave_processes` is a real maximum, it does not mean the Scheduler will start the specified number of slaves. For example, even though this attribute is set to 10, the Scheduler might still determine that is should not start more than 3 slave processes. However, if it wants to start 15, but it is set to 10, it will not start more than 10.
`value`	The new value of the attribute.

attribute

The name of the Scheduler attribute. Possible values are:

default_timezone: It is very important that this attribute is set. Whenever a repeat_interval is specified without setting the start_date, the scheduler needs to know which time zone it must apply to the repeat interval syntax. For example, if the repeat interval is specified as
```
"FREQ=DAILY;BYHOUR=22"
```
the job will repeat every day at 10pm, but 10pm in which time zone? If no start_date is specified the scheduler will pick up the time zone from this default_timezone attribute. If you want your job or window to follow daylight savings adjustments, you must set this attribute to the proper region name. For instance, if your database resides in Paris, you would set this to 'Europe/Warsaw'.

Daylight saving adjustments will not be followed if you specify an absolute offset, for instance '-8:00' would only be correct for half of the year in San Francisco. If no value is specified for this attribute, the scheduler uses the time zone of systimestamp when the job or window is enabled. This is always an absolute offset and will not follow daylight savings adjustments.
log_history: This enables you to control the amount of logging the Scheduler performs.
max_job_slave_processes: This enables you to set a maximum number of slave processes for a particular system configuration and load. The default value is NULL, and the valid range is 1-999.

Even though the Scheduler automatically determines what the optimum number of slave processes is for a given system configuration and load, you still might want to set a fixed limit on the Scheduler. If this is the case, you can set this attribute.

Although the number set by max_job_slave_processes is a real maximum, it does not mean the Scheduler will start the specified number of slaves. For example, even though this attribute is set to 10, the Scheduler might still determine that is should not start more than 3 slave processes. However, if it wants to start 15, but it is set to 10, it will not start more than 10.

value

The new value of the attribute.

Usage Notes

To run SET_SCHEDULER_ATTRIBUTE, you must have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

STOP_JOB Procedure

This procedure stops currently running jobs or all jobs in a job class. Any instance of the job will be stopped. After stopping the job, the state of a one-time job will be set to SUCCEEDED whereas the state of a repeating job will be set to SCHEDULED or COMPLETED depending on whether the next run of the job is scheduled.

Syntax

DBMS_SCHEDULER.STOP_JOB (
   job_name         IN VARCHAR2
   force            IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE);

Parameters

Table 83-44 STOP_JOB Procedure Parameters

Parameter Description

Parameter	Description
`job_name`	The name of the job or job class. Can be a comma-delimited list. For a job class, the `SYS` schema should be specified. If the name of a job class is specified, the jobs that belong to that job class are stopped. The job class is not affected by this call.
`force`	If `force` is set to `FALSE`, the Scheduler tries to gracefully stop the job using an interrupt mechanism. This method gives control back to the slave process, which can update the status of the job in the job queue to stopped. If this fails, an error is returned. If `force` is set to `TRUE`, the Scheduler will immediately terminate the job slave. Oracle recommends that `STOP_JOB` with force set to `TRUE` be used only after a `STOP_JOB` with `force` set to `FALSE` has failed. Use of the `force` option requires the `MANAGE` `SCHEDULER` system privilege. Setting `force` to `TRUE` is not supported for jobs of type executable.

job_name

The name of the job or job class. Can be a comma-delimited list. For a job class, the SYS schema should be specified.

If the name of a job class is specified, the jobs that belong to that job class are stopped. The job class is not affected by this call.

force

If force is set to FALSE, the Scheduler tries to gracefully stop the job using an interrupt mechanism. This method gives control back to the slave process, which can update the status of the job in the job queue to stopped. If this fails, an error is returned.

If force is set to TRUE, the Scheduler will immediately terminate the job slave. Oracle recommends that STOP_JOB with force set to TRUE be used only after a STOP_JOB with force set to FALSE has failed.

Use of the force option requires the MANAGE SCHEDULER system privilege.

Setting force to TRUE is not supported for jobs of type executable.

Usage Notes

STOP_JOB without the force option requires that you be the owner of the job or have ALTER privileges on that job. You can also stop a job if you have the CREATE ANY JOB or MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

STOP_JOB with the force option requires that have the MANAGE SCHEDULER privilege.

83 DBMS_SCHEDULER

Using DBMS_SCHEDULER

Rules and Limits

Summary of DBMS_SCHEDULER Subprograms

Table 83-1 DBMS_SCHEDULER Package Subprograms

ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-2 ADD_WINDOW_GROUP_MEMBER Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

CLOSE_WINDOW Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-3 CLOSE_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

COPY_JOB Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-4 COPY_JOB Procedure Parameters

CREATE_JOB Procedures

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-5 CREATE_JOB Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

CREATE_JOB_CLASS Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-6 CREATE_JOB_CLASS Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

CREATE_PROGRAM Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-7 CREATE_PROGRAM Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

CREATE_SCHEDULE Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-8 CREATE_SCHEDULE Procedure Parameters

Syntax for repeat_interval

Calendaring Syntax

Table 83-9 Values for repeat_interval

Usage Notes

repeat_interval

CREATE_WINDOW Procedures

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-10 CREATE_WINDOW Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-11 CREATE_WINDOW_GROUP Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-12 DEFINE_ANYDATA_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-13 DEFINE_METADATA_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-14 DEFINE_PROGRAM_ARGUMENT Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

DISABLE Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

Table 83-15 DISABLE Procedure Parameters

Usage Notes

Job

Program

Window

Window Group

DROP_JOB Procedure

Syntax

Parameters

83
DBMS_SCHEDULER