Varicent Scheduler
One of the often overlooked but more useful features within Varicent is the Scheduler module. As the name implies, Scheduler allows you to automate jobs or entire processes to run at defined intervals. Making the module more robust, is the fact that Varicent allows for the integration of various tools which can also be initiated via Scheduler – such as PGP encryption/decryption, APIs, running of Python and SQL scripts, etc.
Case Study
On a typical day, an incentive comp admin might be required to perform the following tasks:
- Decrypt a file containing transactional data
- Massage the data so that it is in a format that is readily processed
- Import the data to an ICM tool
- Delete the unencrypted file from servers
- Perform data validation and audits
- Calculate incentive based on the newly imported transactions
- Publish the calculated incentive figures to a payroll file
- Encrypt the payroll file, and make available for upstream systems to process
- Perform checks to ensure each task is successful
Once configured, all of the above can be scheduled to run and complete automatically before the start of business. What’s more, Scheduler allows for conditional behavior based on task completion (IE: If any one task fails, an admin can dictate if subsequent tasks should proceed, or if the entire process should stop to allow for troubleshooting).
Finally, alerts can be configured at each step so that only the appropriate parties need to take action. In our example above, if the decryption step fails, Scheduler can be configured to alert the data security team along with the comp admin. Conversely, if the import step fails, Scheduler can be configured to alert the integration team.
In short, Scheduler allows for the automation of both simple and complex repetitive processes, freeing up resources to focus on tasks where critical analysis or manual intervention is required.
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