Generate schedules

You can run the Schedule Generator from the Schedule Planner or as a batch process.

Note: If your system has employee group filtering enabled, the Generate Schedule option is not applicable and does not display in the Schedule Planner.

From the Schedule Planner

  1. Select View By > Employee, Schedule Group, or Employment Terms.
  2. Click Tap Select Timeframe .
  3. Click Tap Select Hyperfind to select locations.

    Depending on your configuration, select a location using one of the following methods:

    • Select from the default list of locations and jobs (this list is based on the current job) or search by Location, Job, or both. You can also select Browse Entire List to view the various levels of the business structure.
    • Use the arrows to select the various levels of the business structure. To move back, use the left arrow . You can also enter all or part of the desired business structure name in the Search box, then click tap Search .
    • Select locations and jobs from the drop-down lists.
  4. Lock shifts or days that you do not want the Schedule Generator to change.
  5. To make sure that the schedule is updated, click tap Save or Refresh .
  6. To generate a schedule:
    1. Depending on how your system is configured, either click tap Generate Schedule or click tap Engines > Generate Schedule.
    2. Select a Start Date and End Date.
    3. Select a Strategy. The available strategies depend on the configuration of your system.

      Generate Open Shifts Only

      • Generates open shifts
      • Does not assign any shifts to employees.
      • Can assign breaks

      Generate Open Shifts and Assign Breaks

      • Generates open shifts
      • Assigns breaks

      Generate Employee Shifts Only

      • Generates and assigns shifts directly to employees
      • Does not create open shifts

      Assign Open Shifts Only

      • Assigns all available, open shifts to employees
      • Does not create open shifts or employee shifts

      Generate and Assign Shifts

      • Generates open shifts and employee shifts
      • Assigns any previously existing open shifts to employees

      Optimize Shift Contents

      • Optimizes job assignments within shifts
      • Does not change employees or shift start or end times

    4. If the Schedule Period assigned to you has been configured as an extended Schedule Period, the following option displays: The Schedule Period assigned to you extends the period by one day. The Start Date of the currently loaded period may have previously been generated and will be excluded from this generation. To include the Start Date, clear this option.

      This option is selected by default, meaning that the Start Date of the loaded period will not be included when you generate the schedule. If you want the Start Date included when the schedule is generated, deselect this option.

      If you change the default Start Date to another day in the Schedule Period, no shifts are generated on the default Start Date whether or not this option is selected.

      Note: You must have the appropriate access privileges to use this option.
    5. Click Tap Start. Wait for the process to finish.
    6. Click Tap Close.
    7. Click Tap Save .
  7. To run the Priority Scheduling Engine (PSE) to assign open shifts:
    1. Click Tap Engines , then select Run Priority Scheduling Engine.
    2. In the Run Priority Scheduling Engine panel, select a Start Date and End Date. The start and end dates default to the days of the selected timeframe.

    3. Select a Procedure Set. The available procedure sets are those that are assigned to the location profile associated with the selected location.

    4. Click Tap Start. A message displays that the schedule is generating.

      To stop the process while it is still running, click tap Stop.

      To cancel the process, click tap Cancel.

    5. When the process is completed, click tap Apply. The shifts that have been assigned to the employees based on the selected procedure set are displayed in the schedule.
    6. Review the schedule, then click tap Save to save the changes or click Refresh to discard the changes.

As a batch process

The purpose of batch processing is to reduce processing time. Schedule long-running and resource-intensive tasks at times that do not degrade system performance, or balance tasks among as many servers as are available.

For full details, refer to the Batch Processing for Scheduling help topic.

  1. Configure batch tasks:

    1. From the Main Menu, select Administration > Application Setup > Common Setup > Batch Processing.
    2. Select the Batch Tasks tab.
    3. Create, edit, or activate a batch task.
    4. Enter a Name.
    5. In Sequence Number, enter the order to process the task. If blank, the tasks are processed in the order they are entered.
    6. Select the Action Type.
    7. Click Select Action (magnifying glass) in the Action Name column.
    8. Select Schedule Generator Settings.
    9. Optionally, enter Parameter Strings.
    10. To add more tasks, click Insert a New Row.
    11. Click Save and Return.

  2. Configure batch events:

    1. Select Administration > Application Setup > Common Setup > Batch Processing.
    2. Select the Batch Events tab.
    3. Create, edit, or activate a batch event.
    4. Enter a Name.
    5. Add batch tasks:
      • Select the tasks from Available. Click the right arrow.
      • The batch tasks run in order from top to bottom of the Selected list. To order batch tasks in a logical sequence, select the tasks and click the up or down arrows.
    6. Click Save and Return.

  3. Schedule batch events:

    1. To consolidate labor correctly, do the following:
      • Select Administration > Application Setup > System Configuration > System Settings > Batch Service tab.

      • Configure the following parameters:

        site.BatchService.numberOfCPU

        Enter 1.

        If 0, no events run.

        site.BatchService.maximumUtilizationPercentage

        Enter 100 to run events at night when no other processes run on the server.

        If other processes run at the same time, change the setting, for example, to 50.

    2. Select Administration > Application Setup > Common Setup > Batch Processing > Batch Events tab.
    3. Select the batch event.
    4. Select Schedule.
    5. For notification when the event runs, do one of the following:
      • Select a printer.
      • Select email. Enter an email address in Event Output.
    6. In Event Schedule, do the following:
      • Schedule Type— Frequency to run the batch event. Select Monthly, Weekly, Daily, Hourly, Once, or Now.
      • Start Date, End Date, and Time— Duration of the batch event schedule. Select Forever to run the batch event indefinitely.
    7. Click Save.