ThreadJobs, Queued Flows and Work Queues in Decisions

denhan

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to get some clarity on the term "Queue" as it’s used in various contexts. Specifically, I’m a bit confused about the differences between Queued ThreadJobs, Queued Flows, and Work Queue. I’ve seen these terms pop up in different areas, but I’m not entirely clear on what each one represents. I’d also love to know if there’s a way to get a consolidated view to manage or monitor these queues more effectively.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that some flow steps specify "Work Queue" while others just say "Queue." Are these referring to the same underlying system, or do they have distinct functions within the flow steps? Any clarification on these terms and how they operate across different flow steps would be very helpful.

Additionally, I’m running several async flows that occasionally need to “hold” and wait for updates (such as an external API response or manual input) before moving forward. To ensure scalability, I'd like advice on best practices for managing these flows, especially as usage increases.

Lastly, is there a way to gain visibility on what the job server is currently working on and get real-time status updates on my async flows? Knowing the progress or status would help me troubleshoot and optimize flow performance.

Thanks in advance for any guidance or insights!

taylor

Queued ThreadJobs, Queued Flows, and Work Queue

1. Queued ThreadJobs:
   • A Thread Job is a task that runs in the background without interfering with the user's workflow. It uses a separate thread within the same process, allowing multiple Thread Jobs to run simultaneously. Thread Jobs are managed by the ThreadJobService and are executed in a specified order within a ThreadJobQueue. They are not shared across clusters and are executed on the server where they are started.
   • Thread Jobs
2. Queued Flows:
   • Queued Flows refer to flows that are placed in a queue to be executed. This can be managed through various flow steps that allow for asynchronous execution, such as the "Run Flows for List" step, which can execute flows across multiple queues.
   • Run Flows for List Step
3. Work Queue:
   • Work Queues are used to distribute tasks across multiple queues, allowing for load balancing and efficient task management. They are part of the Decisions platform's system folders, where tasks can be queued and processed by Decisions servers.
   • Work Queues

Real-Time Status and Monitoring

• Flow Management Dashboard - This dashboard provides statistics and data related to flows in the Decisions environment, helping you monitor and manage flow execution.
• Event Viewer - The Event Viewer in Decisions provides a report of all active Thread Job pools and their corresponding queued jobs. It allows you to view, run, or clear jobs within each Thread Queue.