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SQL Agent: A Job Scheduler Framework

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8 May 2008GPL33 min read 1.3M   13.6K   305   281
An easy-to-use .NET solution for Job Scheduling with pluggable actions that runs on a Windows Service. Back up your SQL Server Express and much more!
Image 1

Introduction

For my last project, I've been using the latest free version of SQL Server, called SQL Server Express Edition, available here. I immediately noticed that the database scheduler was removed since the previous version. I found it really interesting creating my own SQL Agent. In this article, I'll show you how to create a generic scheduler that runs on a Windows Service. The scheduler will be able to accept pluggable actions that we can develop, later implementing a custom interface.

Background

This article is about Jobs Scheduling. You're required to have basic knowledge of how to run and install a Windows Service that uses Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0. A good knowledge of OOP, Interfaces and Reflection is also required in order to understand pluggable actions.

Install It!

The solution provided with this article is composed of four projects:

  • SQLAgent, a Windows Service that wraps the scheduler
  • SQLAgentUI, a Windows Application to control the service from the System Tray
  • EventScheduler, a Class Library containing all the classes composing the Scheduler and the forms to configure it
  • EventSchedulerAction, a Class Library of pluggable actions for the Scheduler jobs

You can install the service using the attached setup or, alternatively, using the command line as shown below:

SQLAgent.exe -i

Run It!

Start the execution of SQLAgentUI and press the button Run beside the label SQL Server Agent. If you do have problems running the system tray application, please go back to the service installation process. Press the button Configure SQL Server Agent to access the configuration page. The following page is shown:

Image 2

You're now ready to configure your jobs!

Using the Code

The core library of the project is EventScheduler. In fact, the event scheduler allows us to schedule our jobs, configure them with a seamless interface and store the settings through an XML file. All these features are one step away from you. We only need to implement the IActionable interface defined by the library. The following is the implementation of the SQL Backup Job.

VB.NET
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Management
Imports EventScheduler
Public Class MSSQLBackup
Implements IActionable

#Region "Implements IActionable"
    Protected Shared DefaultParameters() As ActionParameter = _
        {New ActionParameter("Server", _
        ".\SQLExpress"), _
        New ActionParameter("Database", ""), _
        New ActionParameter("Backup Folder", _
        "C:\Backup\")}

    Public ReadOnly Property ActionParameters() As _
        EventScheduler.ActionParameter() _
        Implements IActionable.ActionParameters
        Get
            Return MSSQLBackup.DefaultParameters.Clone
        End Get
    End Property

    Public Sub ActionRun(ByVal s As EventScheduler.Schedule) _
        Implements IActionable.ActionRun
        Dim oParameters() As ActionParameter = s.GetActionParameters
        BackupDatabase(oParameters(0).Value, _
            oParameters(1).Value, _
            oParameters(2).Value)
    End Sub

    Public ReadOnly Property ActionText() As String _
        Implements IActionable.ActionText
        Get
            Return "SQL Server Backup"
        End Get
    End Property
#End Region

#Region "Private Methods"
    Protected Sub BackupDatabase(ByVal ServerName As String, _
        ByVal DatabaseName As String, _
        ByVal BackupFolder As String)
        Try
            Dim srv As New Smo.Server(ServerName)
            Dim bkp As New Smo.Backup
            bkp.Action = Smo.BackupActionType.Database
            bkp.Database = DatabaseName

            Dim filePath As String = BackupFolder
            filePath = System.IO.Path.Combine(BackupFolder, _
                DatabaseName & "-" & Now.Year() & _
                "-" & Now.Month.ToString("00") & _
                "-" & Now.Day.ToString("00") & _
                "-" & Now.Hour.ToString("00") & _
                "-" & Now.Minute.ToString("00") & _
                "-" & Now.Second.ToString("00") & _
                ".bak")

            bkp.Devices.AddDevice(filePath, Smo.DeviceType.File)
            bkp.SqlBackup(srv)

            Catch ex As Exception
        End Try
    End Sub
#End Region

End Class

The following is a screenshot of the Jobs Scheduler settings page:

Image 3

Please note that the Event Scheduler retrieves the data necessary to load the action list using the IActionable interface, as well as the parameters list. The action settings interface will look as follows:

Image 4

The XML file will have the following aspect:

XML
<?xml version="1.0"?>
    <ArrayOfSchedule xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
        <Schedule xsi:type="DailySchedule" Name="Daily Backup" 
            Active="false" Interval="0">
            <StartTime>2006-08-30T12:45:30.15625+02:00</StartTime>
            <NextInvokeTime>2006-08-31T12:45:30.15625+02:00
            </NextInvokeTime>
            <LastInvokeTime>2006-08-30T12:45:40.84375+02:00
            </LastInvokeTime>
            <Action>0</Action>
            <ActionParameters>
                <ActionParameter>
                    <Name>Server</Name>
                    <Value xsi:type="xsd:string">.\SQLExpress
                    </Value>
                    <Type>NormalActionParameter</Type>
                </ActionParameter>
                <ActionParameter>
                    <Name>Database</Name>
                    <Value xsi:type="xsd:string">MyDatabase</Value>
                    <Type>NormalActionParameter</Type>
                </ActionParameter>
                <ActionParameter>
                    <Name>Backup Folder</Name>
                    <Value xsi:type="xsd:string">C:\Backup\</Value>
                    <Type>NormalActionParameter</Type>
                </ActionParameter>
            </ActionParameters>
            <WeekDays>
                <boolean>false</boolean>
                <boolean>true</boolean>
                <boolean>true</boolean>
                <boolean>true</boolean>
                <boolean>true</boolean>
                <boolean>true</boolean>
                <boolean>false</boolean>
            </WeekDays>
            <BeginValidTime>2006-08-30T00:00:00+02:00</BeginValidTime>
            <EndValidTime>2006-08-30T00:00:00+02:00</EndValidTime>
        </Schedule>
    </ArrayOfSchedule>

Configure It!

SQLAgent and SQLAgentUI are configured to run with the default SQL Server Express instance. Anyway, it's possible to configure it for named instances of SQL Server. The configuration mainly stands on two files:

  • SQLAgent.exe.config
  • SQLAgentUI.exe.config

Extend It!

The pluggable actions for the Event Scheduler actually define a framework for our Windows Services. This makes the application really extensible! I've included in this release:

  • SQL Server Database Backup using SMO
  • SQL Server Database Shrink using SMO
  • Execution of an SQL command
  • Send Email (when used as a PostAction, a [RESULTSET]tag can be included into the message text)
  • Send SMS using Esendex Web Service (when used as a PostAction, a [RESULTSET]tag can be included into the message text)

Please contribute to this project by sending your actions!!!

Final Notes

I hope that you find this article useful. If you find this article stupid, annoying or incorrect, express this fact by rating the article as you see fit. In the end, you're very welcome at any moment to freely contribute to this project by suggesting improvements, or by submitting code or other materials.

Credits

  • Thanks to Gonzalo Brusella for the reflection implementation
  • Thanks to Lukasz Swiatkowski for the cool glass button
  • Thanks to Nick Wälti for his beautiful gradient panel
  • Thanks to Sriram Chitturi for his article on events scheduling

References

History

  • 30th August, 2006 – First submission
  • 6th April 2007, – Project updated
  • 10th August, 2007 – Project updated
  • 4th September, 2007 - Project updated
  • 18th September, 2007 - Project updated
  • 6th May, 2008 - Project updated

License

This article, along with any associated source code and files, is licensed under The GNU General Public License (GPLv3)


Written By
Software Developer (Senior)
Italy Italy
I am 40 years old and I've been working with C++, Visual Basic .NET, C# and ASP.NET. I have a large experience in Industrial Automation solutions, but I've worked also as Web developer and DBA. I like to share knowledge and projects with other people.

Comments and Discussions

 
Questiondna2.forms?? Pin
paulwoll10-Sep-08 9:49
paulwoll10-Sep-08 9:49 
AnswerRe: dna2.forms?? Pin
Danilo Corallo10-Sep-08 20:36
Danilo Corallo10-Sep-08 20:36 
GeneralRe: dna2.forms?? Pin
KazMaxLtd25-Dec-09 12:11
KazMaxLtd25-Dec-09 12:11 
GeneralRestore capability Pin
jj85583-Sep-08 8:42
jj85583-Sep-08 8:42 
GeneralProject Build Side Note Pin
Sluggish16-Aug-08 5:59
Sluggish16-Aug-08 5:59 
QuestionHow to Backup to a network share Pin
Member 237398326-May-08 21:18
Member 237398326-May-08 21:18 
AnswerRe: How to Backup to a network share Pin
rsriram2226-Jun-08 4:28
rsriram2226-Jun-08 4:28 
AnswerRe: How to Backup to a network share Pin
Member 23739837-Jul-08 22:34
Member 23739837-Jul-08 22:34 
No, I mean the actual SQL Server service. The SQL Agent of this article runs under local account.
AnswerRe: How to Backup to a network share Pin
Member 237398321-Jul-08 2:20
Member 237398321-Jul-08 2:20 
GeneralWindow Not Showing Pin
Member 237398319-May-08 0:14
Member 237398319-May-08 0:14 
NewsRe: Window Not Showing Pin
Danilo Corallo19-May-08 0:41
Danilo Corallo19-May-08 0:41 
GeneralGreat Project! Pin
Nelson Kosta Souto12-May-08 22:49
professionalNelson Kosta Souto12-May-08 22:49 
AnswerRe: Great Project! Pin
Danilo Corallo19-May-08 0:43
Danilo Corallo19-May-08 0:43 
QuestionNo progress with the update? Pin
corefour5-May-08 0:30
corefour5-May-08 0:30 
AnswerRe: No progress with the update? Pin
Danilo Corallo5-May-08 3:36
Danilo Corallo5-May-08 3:36 
GeneralRe: No progress with the update? Pin
corefour5-May-08 4:13
corefour5-May-08 4:13 
NewsUpdate sent to CP! Pin
Danilo Corallo6-May-08 10:16
Danilo Corallo6-May-08 10:16 
GeneralWatch out for this software, it knocked over a windows 2003 server Pin
corefour9-Apr-08 14:47
corefour9-Apr-08 14:47 
NewsRe: Watch out for this software, it knocked over a windows 2003 server Pin
Danilo Corallo15-Apr-08 22:25
Danilo Corallo15-Apr-08 22:25 
GeneralRe: Watch out for this software, it knocked over a windows 2003 server Pin
corefour16-Apr-08 13:59
corefour16-Apr-08 13:59 
GeneralGUI never shows in W2K3 [modified] Pin
seb cerazy31-Mar-08 0:45
seb cerazy31-Mar-08 0:45 
GeneralRe: GUI never shows in W2K3 Pin
Danilo Corallo15-Apr-08 22:29
Danilo Corallo15-Apr-08 22:29 
GeneralRe: GUI never shows in W2K3 Pin
seb cerazy17-Apr-08 22:53
seb cerazy17-Apr-08 22:53 
AnswerRe: GUI never shows in W2K3 Pin
Noffie17-Apr-08 6:51
Noffie17-Apr-08 6:51 
GeneralRe: GUI never shows in W2K3 Pin
seb cerazy17-Apr-08 22:49
seb cerazy17-Apr-08 22:49 

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