Managing the Monthly Availability Dataset

The Monthly Availability dataset stores the scheduling information for all resources in the correct format, enabling the processing of large volumes of resource scheduling data. Monthly Availability dataset data is used to calculate schedule availability, which can be viewed in the Resourcing tab of resource requests.

Tip:

To ensure you have the latest utilization data, we recommend that you run the utilization engine job before running this process.

Creating the Monthly Availability Dataset

To create a dataset required for calculating scheduled matched availability:

  1. On the PSA Administration page, click Asynchronous Processes | Create Allocation Datasets. The Create Allocation Datasets window displays.
  2. Select the destination app for the dataset. For data security purposes, we recommend you select your PS Cloud Core Analytics app.
  3. Click Create.

If the process fails, the availability dataset update log and its associated records are deleted, and the scheduling process stops. An error log is created, and you receive an email containing the ID of the asynchronous Apex jobs that failed. Using the link in the email, you can view the asynchronous job record, review, and correct errors, and restart the process. You will also receive an email if an unexpected error occurs during the creation of the datasets.

Resetting the Monthly Availability Dataset

When the Monthly Availability dataset is created, you might want to reset the dataset from the Create Allocation Datasets window if:

  • The dataset pushed to Analytics is corrupted.
  • Subsequent scheduled pushes fail beyond the limit.
  • The dataset goes out of sync.

Resetting the dataset deletes the schedule, the availability dataset update logs, and local records, including local monthly availability and monthly over allocation records and their logs. Additionally, it overrides the fields in the monthly availability dataset created during the initialization process.

To reset the dataset created:

  1. On the PSA Administration page, click Asynchronous Processes | Create Allocation Datasets. The Create Allocation Datasets window displays.
  2. Click Reset.

When the datasets are reset, all records related to the previous version are deleted, and a new version is created, which includes all updates to resource schedules since the last push.

Scheduling the Monthly Availability Dataset

Once the Monthly Availability dataset is created, a scheduled job pushes updated resource schedule data to the dataset every 30 minutes, and an Availability Dataset Update Log is created for the scheduled job. For more information, see Availability Dataset Update Log Fields.

Note:

To avoid an increase in the volume of monthly availability records, obsolete records are deleted after being synchronized with Analytics.

When scheduling the dataset, if the records are less than 50, all monthly availability records are pushed to Analytics. If there are no monthly availability records found, the existing scheduled process is skipped, and the next job is scheduled after 30 minutes.

If the scheduling process fails, you will receive an email notification if the following errors occur:

  • The relevant Utilization custom settings fields are not selected.
  • The maximum number of records pushed to Analytics exceeds 50.
  • There is an error scheduling the dataset.
  • The maximum number of active scheduled jobs exceeds 100 when synchronizing the dataset.
  • An unexpected error occurs while executing the callables.
Note:

Scheduled updates to the dataset are pushed to the app that the dataset was created in.

Syncing the Monthly Over Allocation Dataset

Monthly over allocation data identifies the hours by which a resource's scheduled work exceeds their available hours in a month. Synchronizing this data with Analytics alongside the Monthly Availability dataset helps you identify and manage scheduling conflicts.

To synchronize monthly over allocation data, select the Enable Over Allocation Dataset custom setting field in Utilization Settings. For more information, see Utilization Settings.

When this setting is selected, the Monthly Over Allocation dataset is created during the same process as the Monthly Availability dataset, and the scheduled job pushes updates for both datasets. Local monthly over allocation records are kept up to date with each scheduled push. If the setting is not selected, only the Monthly Availability dataset is synchronized.

If the Monthly Availability dataset is already set up and you select the Enable Over Allocation Dataset setting later, the Monthly Over Allocation dataset cannot be synchronized automatically. The Over Allocation Status field on the Availability Dataset Update Log remains blank, and you receive an email. To synchronize the monthly over allocation data, delete the Monthly Availability dataset and all Availability Dataset Update Log records, then create the datasets again.

Note:

If you deselect the Enable Over Allocation Dataset setting after the Monthly Over Allocation dataset is created, the dataset is no longer updated but remains in Analytics. To remove it, delete it in Analytics Studio.

Each Availability Dataset Update Log records the outcome of both pushes. The Availability Status field tracks the push for the Monthly Availability dataset, the Over Allocation Status field tracks the push for the Monthly Over Allocation dataset, and the Combined Status field reflects the overall status across both. For more information, see Availability Dataset Update Log Fields.