Scheduling workbooks in discoverer desktop

Question

I'm trying to figure out how to schedule workbooks to run and export the output to a folder in Discoverer Desktop, I see in many posts that it can be done easily, I just can't figure it out, can anyone help?
I did confirm with my DBA that we do have the DBMS_Job package installed.
When I click on schedule as a user I get the following message:
A workbook cannot be scheduled for the following reason(s) - summary refresh 'job_queue_processes' parameter is 0
I would appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks,
Janet
email: [email protected]

Answer 1

Hi Janet
You do not need to have DBA privilegs to schedule workbooks and any user should be able to do this. Here is an article from my notes:
Setting up Workbook Scheduling
The workbook scheduling feature in Discoverer uses native features in the Oracle DBMS, and is therefore only available when running against the Oracle database. This feature uses the same highly scalable and reliable processing procedures ithin the kernel, since the summary management capability and the setup for both features is similar. These procedures use standard packages in the DBMS called DBMS_JOB.
To enable the processing procedures for workbook scheduling in Discoverer, follow these steps:
A. Grant Schedule Workbook Privilege to the user.
B. Confirm that DBMS_JOBS has been installed.
C. Specify result set storage.
D. Set the time period at which the process kicks in.
These procedures are described in the following sections:
A. Grant Schedule Workbook Privilege to the User
The user must be granted the Schedule Workbooks privilege in the Privileges dialog. Connect to the Administration Edition, and grant the Schedule Workbooks privilege in Tools->Privileges dialog.
B. Confirming that DBMS_JOBS is Installed
1. Log onto SQL*Plus as the Administrator, and execute the following SQL statement:
SQL> select * from all_objects where object_name='DBMS_JOB' and
object_type = 'PACKAGE';
If the statement returns no rows, use SVRMGRL to create the necessary packages.
2. From Windows XP or NT, select Start->Run.
3. Type in one of the following:
SVRMGRL
4. When in the DBA facility, type CONNECT INTERNAL.
5. Execute the following SQL statement:
SQL> start <ORACLE_HOME>/rdbms/admin/dbmsjob.sql;
SQL> start <ORACLE_HOME>/rdbms/admin/prvtjob.plb;
C. Specifying Result Set Storage
When a scheduled workbook is run, the results are stored in database tables
within the database. Result set data created as part of the workbook
scheduling process may be stored in one of two areas:
the user's own schema or a centralized schema.
User's Schema
In order to enable workbook scheduling in the user's own database schema,
the user requires the following database privileges:
Create Procedure
Create Table
Create View
To grant these privileges, do the following:
1. Log onto SQL*Plus or SQLDBA as the Database Administrator.
2. Type the following:
SQL> Grant CREATE PROCEDURE to <USER>;
SQL> Grant CREATE TABLE to <USER>;
SQL> Grant CREATE VIEW to <USER>;
SQL> Grant EXECUTE ANY PROCEDURE to <USER>;
SQL> Grant SELECT on SYS.DBMS_JOB to <USER>;
SQL> Grant EXECUTE on SYS.V$_PARAMETER to <USER>;
where <USER> is the userid of the person who is to be allowed to schedule
workbooks.
These privileges must be granted directly to the user and not to a database
role.
Advantages: A database limit can be specified on the maximum amount of data a
user can store in the database. If the result set is stored under the user's
schema, then you keep control over the maximum amount of space one individual
user can fill with result sets. If the user creates a scheduled workbook that
fills that space, it affects only his/her own scheduled workbook.
Disadvantage: The user is required to have the above privileges in the database.
Repository User's Schema
In order to enable workbook scheduling using a centralized repository user's
schema, the SQL script batchusr.sql must be run in SQL*Plus or SQLDBA as a
database administrator (such as, SYSTEM). This script creates a new user that
is granted the above privileges.
In addition, the administrator of the EUL must change the user so that the
Repository User property is pointing to the repository user's schema just
created. The centralized repository user's schema may be customized by the
database administrator for space management purposes and underlying data access.
NOTE: SELECT ANY TABLE access is given by the script batchusr.sql,
but this may be limited provided the repository user's schema is
granted access to the underlying data that will be accessed for
workbook scheduling.
The repository user created will not be able to directly schedule a workbook
through the User Edition.
Advantages: Each user does not need DML procedures to run scheduled workbooks.
Disadvantages: One user can potentially run a scheduled workbook that fills the
available result set space, preventing other scheduled workbooks from running
until it is cleared.
D. Setting the Start Time for Workbook Processing
The workbook processes run within the database on the server, and are
controlled by parameters in the initialization file of the Oracle DBMS
- the INIT<SID>.ORA file.
To limit the number of processing requests that can run simultaneously:
The parameter job_queue_processes specifies the number of concurrent processes to use to process DBMS_JOB. It controls the number of processing requests that can be handled simultaneously. The default value is zero, which means processing requests will not be created. You should set it to a minimum of 2 or more if you have any other applications that use DBMS_JOB.
You need more than one job queue process, because if one job fails for any reason, it may keep getting re-submitted, and thus, prevent everything else in the queue from being completed. If you want to have 10 simultaneous processing requests handled, then you will need to set this to 10.
The INIT<SID>.ORA parameter job_queue_interval is the time in seconds that controls how often the job processes wake up to process pending jobs. The default is 60, which is quite frequent. What you set this to depends on how frequently you want the process to wake up and serve the requests that have been made. Oracle recommends that you update the 60 seconds default to at least 10 minutes (a value of 600).
NOTE: This parameter also affects summary management.
To enable these parameters:
1. Locate the INIT<SID>.ORA file.
For example, on Personal Oracle7 the INIT<SID>.ORA file is held in
<ORACLE_HOME>\database. Its default name is INITORCL.ORA where ORCL is
the <SID> name.
2. Enter 2 lines into the file. For example:
job_queue_processes = 2
job_queue_interval = 600 (equivalent to 10 minutes)
NOTE: The summary management and workbook scheduling features both use this scheduling capability within the Oracle DBMS. The interval you specify and the number of concurrent requests affect both features.