Upgrading From SmartBatch32

You must contact OnLine ToolWorks for assistance on upgrading from SmartBatch32.  There are a few items that need to be carefully checked once the migration processes has completed.  These items are outlined below.

The most significant change in SmartBatch 2009 in regards to SmartBatch32 processing is the change in exit codes and search strings.  

Exit Code Processing

An Exit Code Expression is configured in SmartBatch 2009 as opposed to potentially several exit code values in SmartBatch32.  Exit code Expressions are based on regular expressions.  Examine your exit code values and make sure they are properly represented with an Exit Code Expression.  If you did not use any Exit Code Values in SmartBatch32 you do not need to check the Exit Code Expression.  It should be blank in this case.  If you used a single value you will want to make sure that the value is configured starting with a ^ and ending with a $.  For example, if you have the exit code value of 0.  You want the Exit Code Expression to be ^0$, condition of = and match count of 1.  See Operation Properties for more information.

Search String/Keyword Processing

Search Strings have been replaced with the Keyword Expression.  A Keyword Expression is configured in SmartBatch 2009 as opposed to potentially several search string values in SmartBatch32.  Keyword Expressions based on regular expressions.  Examine your search string  values and make sure they are properly represented with a Keyword Expression.  If you did not use any Search String Values in SmartBatch32 you do not need to check the Keyword Expression.  It should be blank in this case.  For example, if you have the search string value of success.  You want the Keyword Expression to be success, condition of = and match count of 1.  See Operation Properties for more information.

Dependencies

In SmartBatch32 it was required to have a Step or Job in order to create a dependency.  In SmartBatch 2009 you can have dependencies on Operations.  So you no longer need to create a Step or a Job just to have a dependency.  You may want to review your configuration to determine if it can be simplified by removing unnecessary Steps or Jobs that exist just for the purpose of carrying the dependency.

SmartBatch32 has a Change in directory dependency type.  This dependency must be converted to a File Watch dependency in SmartBatch 2009.  The Database Migration will not correctly setup the File Watch Dependency type.  It will recognize that a Change in directory dependency needs to be migrated to a File Watch dependency.  However, the folder name, file name and filter options must be specifically entered after the migration on the Dependency Properties window.

Completion of Object dependencies are migrated to Object to Object dependencies.  You will want to examine the Completed within value.  This value indicates that the parent object must have completed within a specified number of minutes for the dependency to be satisfied.  The default value set by the migration is 1440 minutes or 24 hours.

Alpha Numeric Paging

The alpha numeric paging support in SmartBatch32 using the TAP protocol has been removed from SmartBatch 2009.  With the increase use of email and cell phones, pagers have become less important.  Cell phones typically have text messaging and any existing pagers will have email services that will send the email text to the pager.  If you need assistance to determine how to continue with alpha numeric paging, contact your pager service provider to determine their email interface.

SmartAppLets

Several SmartAppLets have been removed from SmartBatch 2009:

SmartEventLog
 SmartRAS
 SmartSearchFile
 SmartShutdown
 SmartStartup

SmartDeleteLog has changed.  If you have an Operation or a Step with two Operations created with the SmartBatch32 Automation Wizard, you should delete these objects.  Run the Wizards from the toolbar and select the Maintain History wizard.  This will create an Operation to run the SmartDeleteHistory SmartApplet.  The @@CompactDb provided previously is no longer needed as this does not apply to an MSDE or SQL Server database.

For other SmartAppLets you will need to check the syntax to make sure it is correct.  Use the Preview Operation capability to test your SmartAppLets and adjust the syntax if needed.

Application Programmatic Interface (API)

SmartBatch32 has a COM programmatic interface using the Sb32ActiveX.dll.  This has been replaced with a .NET programmatic interface.  This can be accessed via COM by creating the COM callable wrappers in Visual Studio.NET.  If you previously wrote code to interface with SmartBatch32 using the Sb32ActiveX.dll, this code will need to be rewritten to use the new programmatic interface.  Refer to the programming SmartBatch 2009 documentation for more detailed information.  Samples are provided for the new programmatic interface.  These samples are installed into the Samples directory where SmartBatch 2009 is installed.