DMT FAQ

This page lists frequently asked questions about DMT. It is constantly updated, so check it regularly.

 
Install and Launch DMT
 
Group and Job Characteristics
 
Jobs Characteristics
 
Data File Parameters
 
Group and Job Validation
 
Group and Job Run
 
Run Pre-Conditions
 
Pre and Post Processes
 
Log Files
 
Scheduling
 
Miscellaneous
 

Install and Launch DMT

 
How can I get a free Trial license for DMT?
To get your FREE trial license for DMT, just register here and you will get an instant email with your DMT license.
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How can I enter a new license in DMT?
To enter a new license in DMT, follow these simple steps:
  1. Launch DMT client and go to the About Tab.
  2. Click on the "Enter New License" button.
  3. In the form that pops up, enter your new license and click OK
  4. Click on the "Restart Now" button to restart DMT
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Group and Job Characteristics

 
Why are some sections of a group or job (e.g. data file info or scheduling parameters) disabled in the Export or Load Tab?
Depending on the nature of each group or job, some sections are not applicable and therefore disabled (e.g. a job that is part of a schedule group doesn’t have its own scheduling parameters). For the complete list of group and job types and their associated characteristics, please refer to the help files.
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Why do I get an error message saying "The name XYZ is already used…" when renaming a Job?
To avoid confusion, group and job names have to be unique within the same tab (i.e. Load or Export). Sometimes a job name is already used but doesn’t appear to be because it’s part of a collapsed group node. Group or job names can be the same if they are in different tabs (i.e. Load or Export) but to avoid confusion, it’s not recommended.
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Jobs Characteristics

 
Why is the "Error/Warning handling while job is running" section greyed out in the job "Advanced Parameters" form?
If the job is part of a group and in the group’s "Advanced Parameters" form the box "Use these error handling values for all the group’s jobs" is ticked, the "Error/Warning handling while job is running" is greyed out for all the groups job. The value used are the group ones for all the jobs belonging to this group.
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Data File Parameters

 
How do I specify a data file to be Tab separated?
From version 2.0: There is a predefined file format called Tab delimited.

Prior to version 2.0: In the "File Parameters" form, you cannot enter a Tab character directly in the "Columns Separator" field. The workaround is as follow:

  • Open the windows notepad (notepad.exe)
  • Enter a Tab character in notepad (just press the Tab key)
  • Copy the Tab character from notepad (Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + C)
  • Paste the Tab character from the clipboard into the "Columns Separator" field (Ctrl + V)
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Group and Job Validation

 
When I validate an Export Job, why is it declared valid even though some columns in the SQL statement don't exist on the table?
This is because the validation executes the SQL statement without actually returning any data. Column names that don't exist in the table are considered by ODBC to be parameters and thus valid.
To fully validate a complex SQL statement, run it directly against the database.
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Group and Job Run

 
What’s the difference between UI and Scheduler run?
The only difference between UI and Scheduler run is that a UI run can be triggered any time by the user and a Scheduler run is triggered only from the scheduler when the scheduling parameters are met (e.g. every Tuesday at 12).
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Why is the Last Run date of a job within a group prior (or way past) to the Last Run date of the group?
This can happen if a job within a group has been run "manually" from the UI independently from its owning group. This can result in the job’s Last Run date to seem way out of sync compare to the group’s Last Run date.
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An Export Data Group ran successfully even though one of its jobs didn’t run. How is this possible?
This is very likely due to the run preconditions of the job. If you don’t explicitly request it in the Run Pre-Conditions dialog, pre conditions that aren’t met only generate a warning. So even though the job didn’t run it didn’t explicitly fail and the group was able to run with only a warning. If you specify in the Run Pre-Conditions dialog that pre conditions that aren’t met generate an error, the job run would fail and the group wouldn’t run.
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Run Pre-Conditions

 
Can a group or job be run only if another group or job ran OK?
Yes. There is no pre-condition that can do it directly but this can be achieved by using a Post-Process. Follow these simple steps to run job B only if job A ran OK:
  • Use a Post-Process on job A to insert run information (i.e. was the run OK or not) in a data base or a file
  • Use File or DB Query Pre-Conditions on job B to check that job A ran OK
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Pre and Post Processes

 
Are Pre-Processes always run before running a group or job?
Yes. Pre-Processes are always executed before running a group or job whether the run is done via the UI or the scheduler. However if the group/job execution doesn’t start (e.g. if the group/job isn’t valid or its pre-conditions are not met) the Pre-Process isn’t executed.
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Are Post-Processes always run after running a group or job?
No. Post-Processes are executed after running a group or job whether the run is done via the UI or the scheduler except in the following instances:
  • The group/job run didn’t start
  • The group/job run failed or was cancelled
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Log Files

 
Why are the log files so big?
Log files can become very big for several reasons:
  • The same log file is always reused every day as opposed to a new one created every day (see Settings Tab / Logging for log file options)
  • A lot of Errors, Warnings or Log Information might be logged in the file (see Settings Tab / Application Events for logging information). The first 2 Run Information in the list can make the log files grow very large
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Scheduling

 
Why in some instances does a group or job scheduled to run every X hours or days start immediately after starting the scheduler?
This happens with groups or jobs that have not yet run in the scheduler (or have been reset). In that case they start running straight away. The next run will start in X hours or days.
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Why do sometimes groups or jobs seem to not run according to their scheduling parameters?
A possible cause for this behaviour would be that the date and time of the machine running DMT was changed after some groups or jobs have been run. This would confuse the scheduler and could lead to unexpected results as the scheduler use the last run dates, the scheduling parameters and the current system date to determine if a group or job should be run.
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A job is supposed to run monthly on the 1st of the month. Today is the first of the month and the job hasn’t run even though the scheduler was running. Why?
If a job is supposed to run at a specific date at 10:00 and the scheduler is started after this time, the job will not be run until the next time it’s supposed to run. e.g. a job runs monthly on the 1st of the month at 10:00. The scheduler is started on the 1st of March at 10:30. The job will not run today because the scheduler was started after 10:00. The job will next run on April 1st at 10:00 (if the scheduler isn’t stopped).
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Miscellaneous

 
Can I use DMT to convert Data Files from one format to another?
Yes you can. All you need to do is load your data file into a temp table of any database and perform an export into the desired format.
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Is there a limit to the number of rows that DMT can export or load?
No, there is no limit in the licensed version, you can export and load millions of rows.
Bear in mind though that performance is highly dependent on the number of rows handled.
Also there is a limit in the trial version.
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Why every time I launch DMT do I get a Windows message "Do you want to allow the following program from an unknown publisher to make changes to this computer"?
This message can occur in Windows Vista or 7 depending on your User Account Control settings. DMT needs to run in elevated mode (i.e. with high privilege), and the default behaviour on Windows Vista or 7 is to always ask for user confirmation before running such program. You can change your User Account Control settings to make this message disappear.
The "unknown publisher" is because DMT doesn't yet have an identification certificate. S.E.R. Software is currently working with certificate providers to obtain an identification certificate recognized by windows.
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Why is the online help not accessible from DMT?
This can be due to your firewall settings. Check you firewall settings to make sure that internet connections aren't blocked when your browser is launched automatically from DmtClient.exe.
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