Docs/Modules/Scheduled Jobs

Scheduled Jobs

Review SQL Server Agent jobs, recent failures, schedules, Database Mail issues, and read-only remediation evidence on demand.

Overview

Scheduled Jobs is an interactive, read-only review surface for SQL Server Agent jobs. It helps you inspect job status, recent runs, step-level failures, alert-oriented failure groupings, and Database Mail-related issues without executing jobs or changing SQL Agent configuration.

This module is the operational companion to performance analysis pages such as Dashboard and Query Statistics. It is designed for current-session failure review and handoff preparation rather than continuous collection, centralized alerting, or job control. Automatic refresh works only while this screen is open and visible.

What You Can Do
  • List SQL Agent jobs for the active instance.
  • Spot failed, disabled, never-run, overdue, or long-running jobs.
  • Inspect steps, recent execution history, and grouped failures.
  • Open Database Mail diagnostics for mail-related failures.
  • Export evidence and copy read-only remediation SQL.
Main Screen Areas
  1. Top toolbar
  2. Left jobs list panel
  3. Right details and alert panel
Screen 1

Jobs Table and Selected Job Drawer

The main Scheduled Jobs screen combines the jobs table, filter strip, auto-refresh controls, and the selected job drawer in a single operator-focused layout. This is the core place for spotting failed or disabled jobs, checking schedules, and reading summary evidence for the selected SQL Agent job.

Data Sources and Refresh Model
Main Job Data
  • msdb.dbo.sysjobs
  • msdb.dbo.sysjobactivity
  • msdb.dbo.sysjobhistory
  • msdb.dbo.sysjobsteps, schedules, categories, and proxies
Mail Diagnostics
  • sys.configurations
  • msdb.dbo.sysmail_profile
  • msdb.dbo.sysmail_principalprofile
  • msdb.dbo.sysmail_event_log
Refresh Behavior
  • Supports manual refresh and optional auto-refresh.
  • Refresh runs only when the view is initialized and visible.
  • Auto-refresh stops when hidden, paused, or set to Off.
  • Successful refresh updates the last refresh timestamp.
Permission Fallback
  • The module prefers live activity data from sysjobactivity.
  • If access is limited, it falls back to reduced summary behavior.
  • Basic job data still loads, but running-job visibility may be incomplete.
Toolbar, Filters, and Job List
Top Toolbar
  • Last refresh timestamp
  • Refresh interval: 10s, 30s, 60s, or Off
  • Pause Auto Refresh / Resume Auto Refresh
  • Manual Refresh
Primary Filters
  • Category
  • Needs Attention
  • Only failures with a 24h or 7d failure window
  • Only disabled
  • Only long running (>30m)
Status Chips
  • All
  • Running
  • Failed
  • Succeeded
  • Disabled
  • Never run
Job Table
  • Shows job, status, category, last run, durations, success rate, owner, proxy context, schedule, next run, and enabled state.
  • Search filters the current dataset client-side across multiple fields.
  • The view tries to preserve the previous selection when filters change.
Tab Structure and Job Drawer
Top-Level Tabs
  1. Job Details
  2. Alert Inbox

The selected row drives the Job Details drawer and the failure inbox context.

Alert Inbox Tabs
  1. Running
  2. Failed
  3. Mail Health
Job Details Summary
  • Shows status, enabled state, owner, proxy, category, schedule, and next run.
  • Includes last run, last duration, 7-day average duration, success rate, and outcome code.
  • Displays the last outcome message in a read-only text area with copy support.
Steps and History
  • Steps shows subsystem, command preview, and the latest failed-step context when available.
  • History shows recent job-outcome rows plus 24h and 7d summary labels.
  • Step errors can be copied or searched in external Microsoft Learn content.

The best companion references are Dashboard for instance-level signals and Security Audit when job failures intersect with mail, proxy, or permission posture.

Alert Inbox and Failure Triage
Running
  • Lists currently executing jobs with start time, elapsed time, current step, and estimated end.
  • Estimated end depends on historical averages and may be blank.
  • The tab is informational only and does not expose stop actions.
Failed
  • Groups recent failed step executions from the last 24 hours.
  • Groups by job, step, and normalized error message.
  • Shows root-cause summaries, grouped failures, full error text, and operator actions.
Root-Cause Heuristics
  • Database Mail failure
  • Proxy permission
  • Timeout
  • Login failed
  • Other
Operator Actions
  • Open job details and jump back to the selected job.
  • Copy error, export recent evidence, and show related msdb references.
  • Copy a read-only remediation SQL helper script.
  • Open docs/KB and generate an incident note for escalation.
Mail Health, Exports, and Limits
Mail Health
  • Focuses on Database Mail-related failures with read-only quick checks.
  • Can show whether Database Mail XPs are enabled, profile counts, default profile state, and recent mail events.
  • Supports copying the current quick-check panel for escalation or manual validation.
Export Behavior
  • The module exports CSV and JSON failure evidence from the Failed inbox.
  • The current asset set does not include a sample HTML export file for public download.
  • If HTML report assets are added later, this docs page can expose them directly.
Operator Notes
  • The module is read-only and does not run, stop, or edit jobs.
  • Only failures is based on the latest failed outcome, not full historical matching.
  • Root-cause labels and mail classifications are heuristic and may require manual confirmation.
  • Estimated end and live running visibility can degrade when runtime evidence is limited.
Detailed Control Reference
Buttons
  • Pause Auto Refresh / Resume Auto Refresh
  • Refresh
  • Copy
  • Search in KB
  • Open job details
  • Copy error
  • Export 20 CSV
  • Export 20 JSON
  • Show msdb refs
  • Copy remediation SQL
  • Open docs/KB
  • Generate incident note
  • Copy checks
Checkboxes
  • Needs Attention
  • Only failures
  • Only disabled
  • Only long running (>30m)
Comboboxes
  • Refresh interval
  • Category
  • Failure window
Typical Workflow
  1. Refresh the screen and review the jobs list.
  2. Narrow the list with status chips, category, or quick filters.
  3. Select a job and inspect its summary, steps, and history.
  4. Open Alert Inbox > Failed for repeated step failures.
  5. Use remediation SQL, incident notes, or exports for deeper triage.
  6. Check Mail Health when the failure looks Database Mail-related.
Related References

Scheduled Jobs correlates well with Dashboard for instance-level pressure signals, Query Statistics for workload regressions that overlap with job windows, and Security Audit when failures involve mail, proxy, login, or permission posture.