Configuration: Service Levels: Scheduler
Overview
Use this page to configure and monitor the automatic Service Levels evaluation schedule. Service Levels evaluation checks each configured service against its objectives and records whether they were met. Run manually, that check only happens when someone remembers to trigger it; the Scheduler turns it into a recurring background job so breaches and trends are captured on a consistent cadence instead of depending on manual runs.
The scheduler depends on services and objectives already being configured, and on a SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource being selected and provisioned; without that datasource, automatic evaluation stays blocked. Once it runs, each cycle's results feed the Service Levels dashboard, health view, and violations list, so the rest of the platform reflects service-level status without manual re-checks.
On this page you can turn scheduled evaluation on or off, set how often it runs and how far back each run looks, cap how many services one run processes, trigger an immediate all-service evaluation, and review the status, timing, and service count of the last completed run.
Key concepts
- Service Levels evaluation - The automated check that compares a service's recent data against its Service Levels objectives and records whether they were met. (related: Configuration: Service Levels: Objectives)
- ServiceLevels datasource - The SQL Server or PostgreSQL connection the evaluator reads data from; it must be selected and provisioned before scheduled evaluation can run. (related: Configuration: Datasources)
- Lookback minutes - How far back in time, in minutes, an evaluation run looks when reading data for its checks.
- evaluation cycle - One execution of the scheduler across all configured services, tracked by a start time, completion time, and the number of services processed. (related: Service Levels: Dashboard)
When to use it
- You want Service Levels objectives checked automatically instead of running evaluations by hand.
- You need to tune how often (Interval minutes) and how far back (Lookback minutes) the evaluator reads data.
- You're setting up Service Levels for the first time and need to confirm a datasource is provisioned before turning on automation.
- You're checking whether the scheduler is actually running and when it last completed a cycle.
Before you begin
- A SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource must be selected and provisioned on Configuration: Datasources; the Scheduler blocks automatic evaluation until this exists.
- Service Levels objectives should already be defined on Configuration: Service Levels: Objectives, since these are what each run evaluates.
- Services should be configured and mapped on Configuration: Service Levels: Mappings so the evaluator has something to evaluate per run.
Common workflows
Enable automatic Service Levels evaluation
Persona: Service Levels admin
- Confirm a SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource is selected and provisioned on Configuration: Datasources.
- Expect: The warning banner above the Automatic evaluator panel clears, indicating the datasource prerequisite is satisfied.
- Check the Enable scheduled Service Levels evaluation checkbox.
- Expect: The checkbox becomes checked, so the saved Interval minutes, Lookback minutes, and Max services per run values will take effect once saved.
- Set Interval minutes, Lookback minutes, and Max services per run to the desired cadence, then click Save scheduler.
- Expect: The settings persist; on the next interval, the SCHEDULER status is expected to move off Paused and NEXT RUN to populate with the upcoming run time.
Verify: The SCHEDULER card reads something other than Paused and NEXT RUN shows a run time instead of a dash after saving.
Run an on-demand evaluation (example scenario: Puppis quarter-close burst)
Persona: Load-test or Service Levels operator
- Confirm the ServiceLevels datasource warning banner is not showing, since it disables Run all now.
- Expect: Run all now is available to click instead of showing in its disabled state.
- Click Run all now.
- Expect: An all-service evaluation cycle starts; once it finishes, the Last run panel's Status, Started, and Completed fields populate and Services shows the number of services evaluated.
Verify: The Last run panel no longer shows dashes, and LAST SNAPSHOTS reflects the count of objectives evaluated in that run.
Steps
Step 1
Open the Scheduler page under Configuration: Service Levels.
Expected result: The page loads showing the Automatic evaluator panel with scheduling disabled, a warning that no ServiceLevels datasource is provisioned, and a Last run panel with no history yet: Status, Started, and Completed all show a dash, and Services shows 0.
This is where you review and configure automatic Service Levels evaluation before turning it on.
- SCHEDULER shows Paused with No active cycle beneath it.
- Enable scheduled Service Levels evaluation is unchecked.
- Interval minutes is 15, Lookback minutes is 60, Max services per run is 100.
- A warning banner states a SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource must be provisioned before you can enable automatic evaluation.
Step 2
Click the Refresh button in the page header.
Expected result: The Credentials expiring notice clears from view and the header's Refresh control takes its place; the SCHEDULER, INTERVAL, NEXT RUN, and LAST SNAPSHOTS cards and the Last run panel reload unchanged, still showing Paused, dashes, and 0, since no datasource has been provisioned and no run has occurred.
Refreshing lets you confirm whether the datasource prerequisite has been resolved or an evaluation has started, without reloading the whole page.
- The Refresh button sits in the page header where the Credentials expiring toast previously covered it.
- The warning banner about provisioning a ServiceLevels datasource is still showing, so Run all now stays unavailable.
Field reference
| Field | Purpose | Format / Validation | Required | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable scheduled Service Levels evaluation | Turns the automatic scheduler on or off. Checked, the evaluator runs on the configured Interval minutes until you uncheck it; unchecked (the default), no automatic runs occur and you must evaluate manually with Run all now. | checkbox | No | unchecked |
| Interval minutes | Sets how often, in minutes, the scheduler runs an evaluation cycle. A lower value evaluates services more frequently, surfacing objective breaches sooner but adding more load on the ServiceLevels datasource; a higher value reduces load but delays detection. | number (minutes) | No | 15 |
| Lookback minutes | Sets how far back, in minutes, each evaluation run reads data when checking objectives. A wider lookback catches slower-building trends but costs more per run; a narrower lookback is cheaper but can miss violations that build up gradually between runs. | number (minutes) | No | 60 |
| Max services per run | Caps how many services a single evaluation cycle processes. A lower cap spreads evaluation of a large service list across more cycles and reduces per-run load; a higher cap evaluates more services in one pass but increases the time and load of each run. | number (count) | No | 100 |
Column reference
| Column | What it shows | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| SCHEDULER | Shows whether the automatic scheduler is currently active. | Paused means automatic evaluation is not currently running, consistent with the Enable checkbox being unchecked or the datasource prerequisite being unmet; no other value was observed in this session. |
| INTERVAL | Mirrors the saved Interval minutes value, with the Lookback minutes value shown as subtext. | Use it as a quick confirmation of the currently saved cadence without opening the Automatic evaluator panel. |
| NEXT RUN | Shows when the next scheduled evaluation cycle is due. | A dash means no run is currently scheduled, either because scheduling is disabled or because the datasource prerequisite hasn't been met. |
| LAST SNAPSHOTS | Shows how many objective snapshots the most recent evaluation produced. | 0 means no evaluation cycle has produced results yet; after a run completes, this reflects the number of objective snapshots recorded. |
| Status (Last run) | Shows the outcome of the most recently completed evaluation cycle. | A dash means no cycle has run yet; once one completes, this reflects its result. |
| Started (Last run) | Shows the timestamp the last evaluation cycle began. | A dash means no cycle has started yet. |
| Completed (Last run) | Shows the timestamp the last evaluation cycle finished. | A dash means no cycle has finished yet. |
| Services (Last run) | Shows how many services were evaluated in the last cycle. | 0 means no services have been evaluated yet; once a run completes, this reflects how many services were processed, up to the Max services per run cap. |
Controls reference
Save scheduler
Persists the Enable checkbox and the Interval minutes, Lookback minutes, and Max services per run values.
When to use: After changing any scheduler setting.
Side effects: Mutating: writes the new scheduler configuration; it takes effect starting with the next evaluation cycle.
Run all now
Triggers an immediate evaluation cycle across all configured services, outside the normal interval.
Side effects: Mutating: starts an evaluation run and updates the Last run panel and LAST SNAPSHOTS once it completes; disabled while the ServiceLevels datasource prerequisite is unmet.
Refresh
Reloads the page's status data: the SCHEDULER, INTERVAL, NEXT RUN, and LAST SNAPSHOTS cards and the Last run panel.
When to use: To check whether a run has started or completed, or whether a blocking condition like a missing datasource has been resolved, without leaving the page.
Side effects: Read-only: does not change any scheduler setting.
Close
Dismisses the Credentials expiring notice.
When to use: Once you've acknowledged the warning or already reissued the referenced token.
Side effects: Read-only: hides the toast for the current session only; it does not reissue the token or change any scheduler setting.
Verify the result
When the scheduler is configured correctly, the SCHEDULER card shows a status other than Paused and the INTERVAL card reflects the Interval minutes value you saved, with Lookback minutes shown as subtext. NEXT RUN displays the time of the next scheduled run instead of a dash, and after the first cycle completes, the Last run panel shows a Status, Started time, Completed time, and a nonzero Services count. If SCHEDULER still reads Paused after saving, or the warning about provisioning a ServiceLevels datasource is still visible, the schedule has not actually started: check that a SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource is selected and provisioned on Configuration: Datasources first.
Troubleshooting
- Symptom: The warning banner about provisioning a ServiceLevels datasource stays visible after you select one. Fix: Confirm the datasource was actually saved on Configuration: Datasources and click Refresh on this page to reload the prerequisite check.
- Symptom: Run all now can't be clicked. Fix: The missing-datasource warning disables it; provision a SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource, then refresh the page.
- Symptom: SCHEDULER stays on Paused and NEXT RUN keeps showing a dash after clicking Save scheduler. Fix: Confirm the Enable scheduled Service Levels evaluation checkbox was actually checked before saving; saving Interval, Lookback, or Max services per run alone does not turn the scheduler on.
- Symptom: The Last run panel keeps showing dashes and Services stays at 0. Fix: No evaluation cycle has executed yet; click Run all now (once enabled) or wait for the configured Interval minutes to elapse after enabling the scheduler.
- Symptom: The Credentials expiring notice keeps reappearing after you close it. Fix: Reissue the expiring token under Configuration: Credential Profiles; the Close icon only dismisses the toast for the current session.
Related articles
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Datasources - provisioning the SQL Server or PostgreSQL ServiceLevels datasource is required before the scheduler can run
- Prerequisite: Configuration: Service Levels: Objectives - objectives are what each scheduled evaluation run checks
- Next step: Service Levels: Dashboard - view the results of scheduled evaluation cycles
- Next step: Service Levels: Violations - see objective breaches surfaced by scheduled runs
- See also: Configuration: Credential Profiles - reissue the expiring token named in the Scheduler page's credential warning