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Total Visual Agent Manual

1. Enhancements in Total Visual Agent 2007 These enhancements were made in the prior version of Total Visual Agent Support for Access 2007 and ACCDBs Total Visual Agent 2007 introduces support for Microsoft Access 2007 and the new Access 2007 file format ACCDBs It continues to support all earlier versions of Microsoft Access 1 0 through 2003 and Visual Basic 3 0 through 6 0 Enhanced Total Visual Agent Service The Total Visual Agent Service now supports launching external programs such as macros and custom commands Before using this feature keep in Total Visual Agent Chapter 1 Introduction e 11 mind that launching programs from a Service is potentially dangerous See Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events for details and special considerations Streamlined Database Statistics Form The user interface for viewing Database Statistics is redesigned and streamlined to make it more modern and user friendly Windows Theme Support The Manager has a more modern look with support for Windows themes New User Manual and Help File Total Visual Agent includes a new user manual and online help file to support the new features Visit Our Web Site FMS is constantly developing new and better developer solutions Total Visual Agent is part of our complete line of products designed specifically for the Access developer Please take a moment to visit us online at www fmsinc com to find out about new products and updates Pro
2. Readme A Total Visual Agent Manager ie Update Wizard E User Manual Web Site Launch the Total Visual Agent Service The Service requires Administrator rights if you want to modify its status If you are not logged in as the Administrator right mouse click and select Run as Administrator Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 111 ce Default Programs Bt Desktop Gadget Gallery G Internet Explorer 64 bit f Internet Explorer E3 Windows DVD Maker k9 Windows Fax and Scan is Windows Media Center Windows Media Player of Windows Update a XPS Viewer di Accessories FMS Total Visual Agent 2013 4 Help M Launch Monitor ey Launch Service Readme Run as administrator ea SkyDrive Pro Troubleshoot compatibility Open file location Pin to Taskbar Pin to Start Menu Restore previous versions Send to Cut Copy Delete Rename Properties A Total Visual Agent Manager Launch the Service with Run as Administrator The Service Control Manager displays the following form Current Processing Activity Processing None Database None Action None Next Scheduled Activity Event None Scheduled None Total Visual Agent Service Control Manager The Service Control Manager works with the Windows Service to let you turn the Service on and off and see what it s doing The Current Processing Activity section displays information about
3. Database Password Database Security Settings You can type in the full path to the system workgroup database or browse for it by pressing the button Alternatively if your database is protected with just a database password you only need to enter that If you enter a Database Password for a database that does not have a password assigned and you use Total Visual Agent to compact that database the Database Password is assigned to the compacted database Be sure to enter the correct password for your database 54 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Access 2 0 1 x and Visual Basic 3 0 Security For databases created with earlier versions of Access or VB specify the initialization file INI file containing a reference to the workgroup database Security Settings Source 0 None no security Use Global Default Specify INI File eal INI File CW indowes haqeys ini User ID MP ell Leer Faszsword HEMERE MRE RSEREMEEES Database Password Database Security Settings The initialization file should have a section similar to the following which provides the path to the secured system workgroup database Options SystemDB C Access Apps fagsys mda By default Access 2 0 uses C WINDOWS MSACC20 INI Security Considerations In order to compact secured databases you must provide Total Visual Agent with enough information to open them In addition Total Visual A
4. sssssssssenssssrersssrrerssssrrressreresssreressereresseeee 38 Creating an Event GrOUI acssesicountoassaasvasaedtentwnssinnnelewatiaascassantieosdteaarasanans 38 Event Schedule Cycles een nee tte tee ae Soe nter tr Woe E spate sone pene orid innii 39 Hourly Schedules iss2nsupccnsusynesaesansndadenunenntmeeaasnmesipranteesnesaeiwonsesnamietaesensweees 40 Baly SOE INES sorps ae a 42 Weekly ScheduleS ennnnosenennsseennsssreessssreresssrerssserersssreresssreressereresseee 43 Monthly Schedules ssiruciseinsnjesvenoei rarasira 43 One TMe EVENTS inscinenincsrenesnnaicnaitasraanaunstenaneonteasnaeetonattestearsuneiweainaerens sens 44 Manac me EVENTS saeassenenraasconatenscceasncooniaesanceunaiamoasenaunaoraneuantsanomnarsesceens 44 NOT ODE 22 onacwacinnadcincathanenaatinentdiecaitdine EEr E EER EnD 47 Chapter 5 Adding Items to EVents sscscsccssscscscecsccscsceccccscscesescecs 49 Event item OVE IEW vi accsscessncszeanesasnsnnssnnataaevesieaearieoainaniaasannateeaseastaavonss 50 Adding an Access Jet Database Item ccccsscccssecceseeceseceeeeeeteneeseneess 51 Adding an Access Data Project It M ccsccccsseceeeseeeccenseesaasseesauees 56 Adding a Task Group ltem nsssensssenssserssrerssserssserssserssserssseresseresseresse 58 Adding a Directory Item crcvcaccocesiconsassnamsesentacanonsenentientiassenrsenseasmencorsareess 60 Moving Items to a Different Event snnnoesseenssseeersssseresssreressereresseene 63
5. All available tables appear in the list on the left To select a table double click on it or select it and click the gt button Select all tables in the list by clicking gt gt To remove a table double click on it in the list of selected tables or select it and click the lt button Click lt lt to remove all tables from the list Note that when you select a subset of tables new tables that are added to the database are not included in the archive To handle new tables use the Copy All Local Tables option 74 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Microsoft Access Data Project The Table Data Extract Action does not apply to ADPs since ADPs store table data in a SQL Server database Task Group For a Task Group all tables in each database are copied to the backup location You cannot select specific tables to extract from when using this Action on a Task Group all non system tables are copied Table Data Extract copies the data out of the tables in the databases on this Task Group All tables in each database in the Task Group will be copied Number of database copies 44 V Compress copy Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 TableDataExtract Comments optional Cancel Table Data Extract Settings for a Task Group Directory of Databases For each database in the selected directory that matches the file selection mask the Table Data Extract
6. Compact the Access database to itself or another file name W Compact Onto Original File Compact to File Comments optional Compact Settings for a Database Microsoft Access Data Project Likewise you can compact Access Data Projects their original file or to a separate file Remember that to compact ADPs Total Visual Agent launches Access Make sure that you have Access configured properly see page 28 78 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Compact the Microsoft Access Data Project ADP file to itself or another file name Compact Onto Original File Compact to File Comments optional Test Compact Settings for an Access Data Project Task Group The Compact Action compacts each file in the Task Group onto itself or into the specified directory If you compact the databases into a different directory the new file name is the same as the original The settings apply to each database in the Task Group For each Microsoft Access database on this Task Group compact the database to itself or into the specified directory with its original name W Compact Onto Original File Compact to Directory LU Comments optional Test Cancel Compact Settings for a Task Group Directory of Databases Access Data Projects When you run the Compact Action on a Directory of Databases or ADPs the settings that you specify apply to each file in the directory that matches
7. Maintenance Scheduling for Microsoft Access and Visual Basic 6 0 Total Visual Supports Microsoft Access and Visual Basic 6 0 www fmsinc com License Agreement PLEASE READ THE FMS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT YOU MUST AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT BEFORE YOU CAN INSTALL OR USE THE SOFTWARE IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR THIS OR ANY FMS SOFTWARE PRODUCT YOU MAY NOT INSTALL OR USE THE SOFTWARE YOU SHOULD PROMPTLY RETURN ANY FMS SOFTWARE PRODUCT FOR WHICH YOU ARE UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THE FMS SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR A REFUND OF THE PURCHASE PRICE Ownership of the Software The enclosed software program SOFTWARE and the accompanying written materials are owned by FMS Inc or its suppliers and are protected by United States copyright laws by laws of other nations and by international treaties You must treat the SOFTWARE like any other copyrighted material except that you may make one copy of the SOFTWARE solely for backup or archival purpose and you may transfer the SOFTWARE to a permanent storage device Grant of License The SOFTWARE is available on a per license basis Licenses are granted ona PER INSTALLATION basis For each license one designated person can use the SOFTWARE on one computer at a time Other Limitations Under no circumstances may you attempt to reverse engineer this product The SOFTWARE is licensed as a s
8. gt Database Statistics Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 93 Managed Databases Since a database may be used in more than one Event Group there may be times that you want to see every place a particular database is assigned To view this information open the Managed Databases screen by selecting the Managed Databases from the View menu item or by clicking the ME button on the toolbar 5 c ACME Databases Accounting accdb Ba c ACME Databases Sales accdb 5 c ACME Databases Time and Billing accdb kh C temp Northwind 200701 Northwind 200701 MDB OS P Access northwind accdb Assigned to These Events vent tive Type k ACME Daily Tasks Ye Daily Monthly Accounting Ye Monthly Once One Time Remove View Managed Databases Dialog The top portion of this form lists the databases managed by Total Visual Agent The lower portion lists the Event Groups where the selected database is used Microsoft Access Jet databases are listed on the Access Databases tab and ADPs are listed on the Access Data Projects tab From this screen you can perform maintenance functions without editing each scheduled Event Be aware however that changes you make here affect all places where the database is referenced If you delete a database from this screen for example it is removed from all Event Groups Edit The Edit button takes you to the Database Settings form see page 52 A
9. Database Statistics menu item or press the ab icon from the toolbar see page 100 for more information Details by Event Item Type The Database Statistics action applies only to Event Items that manage Microsoft Access Jet databases When you select the action in the treeview the right side of the main form displays its options Microsoft Access Jet Database For Access Jet Databases you can track Database Statistics for all tables or select a subset of tables To track Statistics for all tables select the Check All Tables option Database Statistics checks the record counts for tables in the selected database You may either check the record counts for all tables in the database or select individual tables F Check All Tables Select Tables Comments optional Cancel Database Statistics Settings for a Database To select a subset of tables click Select Tables Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 85 Select Tables Available Tables Selected Tables Categories Customers Employees Order Details Products Orders Shippers Suppliers ance Select Tables Dialog All available tables appear in the list on the left To select a table double click on it or select it and click the gt button Select all tables by clicking gt gt To remove a table double click on it in the list of selected tables or select it and click the lt
10. Topics in this Chapter gt About Total Visual Agent gt How Total Visual Agent Works gt New Features in This Version gt Visit Our Web Site Total Visual Agent Chapter 1 Introduction e 3 About Total Visual Agent People and computers run on different schedules The best time to perform routine maintenance tasks on your databases compacting repairing and backing them up is when nobody is actively using the databases For most organizations this means the middle of the night or the weekend but nobody wants to stay behind to compact and repair the databases Total Visual Agent solves this problem by automating your most tedious maintenance chores Total Visual Agent works with a combination of Events Items and Actions e Events are your schedules an Event handles everything you need to do at a particular time Create Events to run tasks every X minutes hourly daily weekly monthly or one time e Events consist of any number of Items An item can be a specific database or project a set of databases organized into a Task Group or all of the databases or files in a selected directory e tems have one or more Actions to perform Actions are the tasks that you want to perform on the Item o Compact and repair your database o Create rolling archive versions copies of your databases o Extract data from selected tables and write them into another database while users are in the database o Run macros and comman
11. Total Visual Agent launches your copy of Microsoft Access using the settings provided in the Configuration Options as explained on page 28 If these settings are incorrect Total Visual Agent cannot run the macro When using Total Visual Agent to run a macro please note the following important information e The macro is launched in the version of Microsoft Access specified in Database Settings see page 53 for details o The only exception is databases with a database password These databases are launched with the current version of Access associated with its file extension type e lf you do not specify the name of a macro to execute Total Visual Agent simply launches your copy of Access with the specified database loaded This will launch your database s autoexec macro or startup form if defined e f your database contains an Autoexec macro it executes when Access opens before the specified macro runs Rename the Autoexec macro or make sure it does not interfere with your macro e Total Visual Agent simply launches your database and designated macro and cannot respond to any prompts or other dialogs that appear such as database password prompts or Security Warnings in Access 2003 If Access displays a prompt it remains open and does not complete your Macro Action You should use the SetWarnings macro action to turn off the warning messages when update queries are run e Total Visual Agent cannot determine what your m
12. conventions where means any number of characters and means any single character More than one specification may be added by separating them by semicolons Note that you should not have a space between the semicolon and the second file mask Examples of valid file specifications are MDB ACCDB All files with the MDB or ACCDB extension AB All files beginning with AB with any extension MDB AB All files with MDB extension all files starting with X MDE AB and all files beginning with X and having an MDE extension Exclude Files Matching Mask Of the files satisfying the Include Files Matching Mask you can exclude files matching this mask The formatting of the Exclude specification is identical to the Include specification Leaving this field blank excludes no files Directory Contains This drop down list box determines which file types to manage in the specified directory The valid choices are e Databases MDB ACCDB e Projects ADP e Other Files This setting determines which Actions are valid for the files in the directory and how those Actions are to be performed Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 61 Total Visual Agent cannot determine the actual types of files that are selected based on the settings you choose Be sure to set the Directory Contains and file specification masks so that only the correct files types are selected Click View Matches to v
13. 19 updates 12 upgrading 33 35 W web site 12 Weekly Events 43 Windows 8 17 Windows features 17 18 workgroup database 54 Z zip 68 72 Index e 127
14. A21006 24AM a4 wo o BaD alal ih Close Help Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry Form Object View The Object View of the Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry form displays object count statistics for a database over time As with Snapshot View you can filter by database and by date The lt ALL gt choice for database however is not valid for Object View since you can only view one database at a time Generating Statistical Snapshot Reports Total Visual Agent stores Database Statistics snapshot entries in a table called tbISysStatSnapShot in the Total Visual Agent configuration database named TVAGENT15 MDB This table stores one record for each snapshot that was taken A related table named tblSysStatSnapShotTableDetail stores one row for each table that was checked when the snapshot was taken You may use Microsoft Access or another database reporting tool to create reports based on the Total Visual Agent Database Statistics tables Several Access reports are provided in the database for your use Feel free to modify or copy these reports See 99 for more information about using this database and the included reports 104 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent After scheduling events and actions through the Manager you re ready to let Total Visual Agent perform the work Two components are available for p
15. Compress archived files Number of archived copies Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Comments optional Cancel Archive Options for an Access Data Project When you run the Archive Action on a Task group the settings apply to each database or project in the Task Group Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 69 Archive Settings for an Access Database Project Task Group Archive Database copies the selected Microsoft Access Jet databases MDB files on this Task Group to a new location on your hard disk with optional data compression ZIP format You may keep up to 99 versions of the same database in a selected directory All objects including tables forms queries reports etc are saved Compress archived files Number of archived copies 30 Save Archives in Directory c Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Comments optional Archive Options for a Task Group Directory of Databases Access Data Projects When you Archive Directory of Databases or ADPs the settings that you specify apply to each file in the directory that matches your selection mask as explained on page 61 Archive Database copies the Microsoft Access Jet databases MDB files found in the selected directory which match the selection file specification to a new location on your hard disk with optional data compression ZIP format You may keep up to 99 versions of the same databases in a selected directory All ob
16. FMS web site contains extensive resources to help you use our The FMS web site contains extensive resources to help you use our products better Resources include product updates frequently asked questions FAQs forums information on new versions betas and other resources Home Page The FMS home page is located at www fmsinc com News and important announcements are posted here Support Site The main support page is located at http support fmsinc com From this page you can quickly locate the other support resources Product Updates FMS takes product quality very seriously When bugs are reported and we can fix them we make the updates available on our web site If you are encountering problems with our product make sure you are using the latest version 120 e Chapter 9 Product Support Total Visual Agent Frequently Asked Questions FAQs Common questions and additional information beyond what is in the manual is often available from our FAQs Microsoft Patches Our support site also includes links to Microsoft patches that are related to our products Make sure you re using the latest versions by checking here or visiting the Microsoft site Technical Support Options FMS is committed to providing professional support for all of our products We offer free access to our online FAQs and forums Bug reports feature requests suggestions and general pre sales questions related to our products are always
17. If you update the schedule through Total Visual Agent Manager but do not shut down and restart Total Visual Agent Monitor it is not aware of any changes you made To have the Monitor recheck the latest schedule information prior to executing the next Event press the Refresh button The Monitor immediately re checks the Event Schedule and resets the Next Scheduled Activity settings Running the Monitor Normally you do not need to do anything while Total Visual Agent Monitor is running in the background You can minimize it so its form does not take up screen space or hide it altogether by clicking the Hide Monitor button or right clicking the System Tray icon and choosing Hide Monitor see page 97 for details Total Visual Agent can perform its processing in the background without disturbing any other activities in the foreground If you are using a machine with a slow processor or limited memory however we suggest running Total Visual Agent on a dedicated machine that is not used for other tasks Shutting Down the Monitor To stop the Monitor and suspend Event processing close the Monitor form Remember to restart the Monitor prior to the next scheduled Event When you restart the Monitor any Events that were skipped are logged as errors and new Events are scheduled If the Monitor form is hidden you will need to show it prior to shutting it down To show the Monitor right click the icon in the System Tray and sel
18. NET TODS ciorcornanriierak renerne a nEaN en 63 Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items ccscsssecscsceccccscscececcees 65 PICTON OVEIVIEW ccaccccwssmcsusancaannimannctenaennstmatcanesesipiensiwaninasteasarestenaseantanrenes 66 Archive Database Action ccacccrscsaecessantonsalsnteasssavadsbsandeanisesteameAcadocanbapass 67 vi e Table of Contents Total Visual Agent Table Beye gen des a ae ol 9 eani aera neem a mtaee Peter ne rey ee Menai o 71 Compact Database ACTION siisiscisssinsssisdeinesenddievangawessiecivsssviadedsiinnsdanseoiiandasieyson 76 Custom Command ACTION sicssactosssaesescisrasanctnmasensasncciaernnsisnnmnenenererinaannas 80 Database Statistics ACTION ccccsseecccccssseeceeceeseeecesaeeeecesseeneceessaaeeeeees 84 Execute Named Macro ACTION csccscstessmicneiatsuntedniouenanehionranaavkinedeanneiaienvins 87 Testing a Scheduled Action snes desvscsiceean sanrdudvacaddatuseiydeansangaeasineendebvdtindavainea 89 Chapter 7 Other Management Features sccscscsssccscscecsccscscececcees 93 Managed Database cc visscscsnisscacenderonsesseorsesnasevadeodssusdnnisayecevennossemnennssunses 94 Monitor and Service Status vicicasdcvnseicnsipnrsossaadnalaidsanehoraiatacniianahneeiwbeleeds 95 ACHIV AIS tOIy LOB oenar AEE 97 Database Statistics eecaperesaassinceseantnesnnarupneneranenieattacanentsamnainimeceenenmene 100 Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events ccsscscscscsccscsceccecscececcecs 105 Running
19. Scheduled Events scicciccccousianossidnctecaanterateessaaaaneoimannianaieuneieaness 106 Using the Total Visual Agent Monitor ccccccssesceceseseeseeeseesaneeess 106 Using the Total Visual Agent Service ccccccsssseccecesseececeaeseeeeeeaaeeees 110 Chapter 9 Product SUpport sesessesessesessssessssessssessssesssseossseossseoesee 119 SUPPO ROSOUTCOS sariini O ence 120 Web Site SUPPOTT nerrsirssrineivsirriearisndiesniioricinisniscisrdauseirdbeiosakirsisari niorir 120 Technical Support OPTIONS sernai Era enaA nanru 121 Contacting Technical Support essssssssessssesssseessserssrerssrressrerssreesseeesse 123 ao EEE AAN E A A TAE T AE E A E TE 125 Total Visual Agent Table of Contents e vii Welcome to Total Visual Agent Thank you for selecting Total Visual Agent This is the seventh major version of the product since its debut with Access 2 0 in 1996 Total Visual Agent is developed by FMS the world s leading developer of products for Microsoft Access and Visual Basic In addition to Total Visual Agent we offer a wide range of products for Microsoft Access and VB developers administrators and users e Total Access Analyzer database documentation e Total Access Admin database maintenance control e Total Access Components ActiveX controls e Total Access Detective difference detector e Total Access Emailer email blaster e Total Access Memo rich text format memo fields e Total Access
20. Speller spell checker e Total Access Statistics statistical analysis program e Total Access Startup version launcher e Total Visual Agent maintenance and scheduling e Total Visual CodeTools code builders and managers e Total Visual SourceBook code library e Total Zip Code Database city and state lookup lists e EzUpData share your data reports and files over the internet Visit our web site www fmsinc com for more information We also offer Sentinel Visualizer an advanced data visualization program that identifies relationships among people places and events through link charts geospatial mapping timelines social network analysis etc Visit our Advanced Systems Group at www fmsasg com for details Please make sure you sign up for our free email newsletter This guarantees that you will be contacted in the event of news upgrades and beta invitations Once again thank you for selecting Total Visual Agent Luke Chung President Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent offers a practical and professional solution to ensure that your Access Jet databases perform optimally and are administered properly Simply schedule it to perform all your database chores repair compact backup extract data run macros collect statistics run custom commands and you never have to worry about them again This chapter introduces the product and explains how it can help you manage and maintain your databases automatically
21. Take the steps necessary to correct the problem and repeat the test Testing Multiple Actions A new feature added in Total Visual Agent 2013 is the ability to test all the actions for an Event or item in the event database task group or directory Testing All Actions in an Event From the treeview select an event right mouse click and choose Test All Event Actions from the popup menu 90 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Scheduled Events si aa ACME Daily Tasks EMME C ACME Dat Add Event cele C ACME Dati Duplicate Event C ACME Date Rename Event F2 B2 Achive Task G iiite Event el 2 Hourly Data Back ce Monthly Accoun Test All Event Actions All Event Actions a P Once Disable Event Z Weekly Schedull Add Access Database Add Access Data Project Add Task Group Add Directory Menu Selection to Test All Event Actions A prompt appears to confirm the test Total Visual Agent gt Do you want to test all the actions for this event Note that during this we test any specified pausing between actions is ignored ne Confirmation for Testing All Actions for an Event Press Yes to run the test During the testing of all the actions in an event any time specified for pausing during a Custom Command or Execute Macro action are ignored This allows the test to run more quickly If you prefer to test the event with all the pauses change the
22. Total Visual Agent works This chapter describes how to set up and manage the schedules that determine when Total Visual Agent performs its Actions Topics in this Chapter Event Schedule Overview Creating an Event Event Schedule Cycles Hourly Schedules Daily Schedules Weekly Schedules Monthly Schedules One Time Events Managing Events Vv VV VV VV WV WV Y Next Steps Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events 37 Event Schedule Overview Event Schedules are configured using the Total Visual Agent Manager Schedules are organized into a hierarchy of Events Items and Actions e Events are your schedules an Event handles everything you need to do at a particular time Events run tasks every X minutes hourly daily weekly monthly or one time See page 39 for details e Events contain Items An item can be a specific database project a set of databases organized into a Task Group or all databases or files in a selected directory See Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events for details e For each Item in an Event one or more Actions can be performed Actions include Archive Database Table Data Extract Compact Database Custom Command Database Statistics and Execute Named Macro See Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items for details For instance to archive several databases at 2 00 A M each day create one Event and schedule it to run at 2 00 A M If your requirements change you can easily reschedule t
23. WV Saturday V Sunday Hourly Event Once Per Hour Options The Event begins and ends at the specified number of minutes after the hour You can optionally limit the event to certain hours of the day by specifying beginning and ending hours or limit the days of the week by un checking the days that you do want to run the event If you do not specify a beginning time processing begins at midnight If you do not specify an ending time the latest processing can begin is midnight Leave both times blank to create a continuous hourly schedule Time Periods that Span Midnight You can specify a period of time that spans midnight e g 9 PM to 3 AM If a day is excluded the event will not start at that beginning time However if the next day is included it will launch at midnight it does not wait until 9PM the next day Similarly an event that starts at 9 PM but goes into a day that is excluded will stop at midnight Running Events Every X Minutes Selecting Every X Minutes displays this screen Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events e 41 Hourly Settings Mode Every X Minutes Every 10 ww minutes Between the hours of 12 00 00 AM and 11 59 00 PM Select the days for the schedule Monday W Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday v Sunday Hourly Event Every X Minutes Options Select how often to run the Event by choosing the number of minutes from the dropdown combo box or enterin
24. action copies all tables to the backup location It is not possible to select specific tables when using this Action on a Directory Item all non system tables are copied Table Data Extract copies the data out of the tables in the databases in the selected directory All tables in each database in the directory will be copied Number of database copies 7 Compress copy Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 TableDataExtract Comments optional Table Data Extract Settings for a Directory of Databases Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 75 Directory of Access Data Projects The Table Data Extract Action does not apply to directories of ADPs since ADPs store table data in a SQL Server database Directory of Other Files The Table Data Extract Action does not apply to directories of other files Compact Database Action Microsoft Access Jet databases require routine maintenance to ensure reliability integrity and efficiency When you compact a database Total Visual Agent invokes the Microsoft Jet Engine to e Consolidate and organize data pages recovering space used by deleted or renamed objects e Update table and index statistics so the query optimizer can choose the most efficient query plan e Physically re order the rows in the table in the order of the chosen clustered index on the table e Reset the next available number for AutoNumber or identity fields
25. allow you to select specific tables to extract Task Groups and Directories extract data from all tables The Table Data Extract Action is not available for ADPs Microsoft Access Jet Database Like the Archive Action Table Data Extract lets you select the location of the Archive the number of Archived copies and optionally compress the file as explained on page 67 Additionally you can specify whether to archive all tables or selected tables To extract the data from all the tables in the selected database select Copy All Local Tables Total Visual Agent copies all local Access tables except system tables Note that attached or linked tables are not copied Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 73 Table Data Extract copies the data out of the tables in the selected database You may either copy data for all tables in the database or you may select individual tables Copy Selected Copy All Local Tables Select Tables Number of database copies 7 Compress copy Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 TableDataExtract Comments optional My Comments Test Table Data Extract Settings for a Database To select a subset of tables to back up click Select Tables button Select Tables Available Tables Selected Tables Categories Customers Employees Order Details Products Orders Shippers Suppliers cance Select Tables Dialog
26. files and folders you may need to specify a specific user account Allow Service to Interact with Desktop If you choose Local System Account you have the option to Allow service to interact with Desktop This option lets the Service provide a user interface to the user who is logged on when the service is started This includes any prompts or dialogs that may be shown when Total Visual Agent launches external programs Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 115 Remember that using the Total Visual Agent Service to launch external programs is potentially dangerous see page 110 Additionally the Allow service to interact with Desktop option is only useful if a user is logged on to Windows and available to respond to prompts It is not useful when the Service is running unattended or with no user logged on Recovery Tab The Recovery tab provides options for how the Service behaves if it fails Yous Vosual Agen B13 Sosvice ropotio Local Compute General Log On Recovery Dependencies Select the computer s response ff this service fails Help me set up recovery actions Second failure Subsequent failures Take No Action v Reset fail count after 0 days Restart service after 1 Enable actions for stops with errors Run program Append fail count to end of command line i tee Stoo Total Visual Agent Service Recovery Properties If t
27. name of the Project ADP file FILE Full path and name of the File in a directory of other files When Total Visual Agent finds the string MDB ADP or FILE in the custom command line it substitutes in the full path of the current database or file For example for the database Northwind ACCDB in the c msoffice samples directory the following Custom Command string xcopy MDB c access backup Is executed as xcopy c MSOffice Samples Northwind ACCDB c access backup If the replaceable parameter refers to a database or file whose name contains spaces you might want to consider enclosing the parameter name in double quote characters MSpaint FILE Some internal DOS commands such as DIR COPY RENAME require that you start a separate copy of the command shell processor In this case the command line string would be command com c DIR Pausing after Execution Total Visual Agent cannot determine when your command ends By default Total Visual Agent executes the command and then proceeds immediately to the next Action You may however instruct Total Visual Agent to pause for one or more minutes before performing the next task This can be important if you launch several memory intensive custom commands Enter the number of minutes to pause in this text box Pause 0 Minutes After Execution Details by Event Item Type When you select the Custom Command Action in the treeview the rig
28. of the database depends on the version of Total Visual Agent TVAGENT10 MDB Total Visual Agent 2002 version 10 TVAGENT9 MDB Total Visual Agent 2000 version 9 TAAGNT32 MDB Total Access Agent 8 0 or 1 0 32 bit version To start the import process select File Import Manager Settings from the Total Visual Agent Manager Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 33 View Schedule Tools Help Import Manager Settings Ctrl I Exit Ctril Q This form appears Import Previous Settings If you are upgrading from a previous version of Total Visual Agent or from a Total Visual Agent settings database in a different location you can import the event actions into the current installation Import From If your import manages a database already defined in your existing settings your existing database definition is used If your import defines the same database more than once the additional definitions are imported If your imported databases was assigned to an older version of Access it is assigned to your latest installed version of Access If a Scheduled Event name exists the imported event is given a unique name and not merged into your existing event All imported events are Inactive Note The historic activity logs and snapshots are not imported Cancel Import Previous Settings Dialog Locate the file to import and click Import After a final confirmation message the settin
29. of the Access Versions installed on your computer This information is necessary for running Macros and managing Access Data Projects ADP s Access Version Location of Microsoft Access 2013 C Program Files Microsoft Office Office15 msaccess exe Access 2010 Access 2007 Access 2003 Microsoft Access Workgroup security file if any Access 2002 5 _ Access 2000 C Users User AppData Roaming Microsoft Access System mdw Access 97 Access 95 Access 2 0 User ID Password Options Form Microsoft Access Locations tab After pressing OK this prompt reminds you that you can change the settings under the Tools Options menu Using the Total Visual Agent Manager The Total Visual Agent Manager appears Egan Oop Scheduled Events SEE C ACME Databases Account a ene Daily Settings gb Database Statistics E FA Table Data Extract M C ACME Databases ACME W 4 Lh Execute Macro Ending no laterthan 41 59 00 PM L Custom Command yy Compact Select the days when you want the schedule to be performed El Achive Task Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Vl Friday Saturday Sunday Start at 8 00 00 PM E C ACME Databases Acco c ACME Databases Time E _4 Archive Database Ele C ACME Databases gt ow at Compact Comments optional Times Next Scheduled 3 5 8 00 00 PM No Later Than 3 5 11 59 00 PM Last Begun Last Completed Event Group ACME D
30. or 9 AM to 5 PM Now you can specify a period that runs over midnight such as 10 PM to 2 AM Between 9g n minutes after the hour Between the hours of 10 00 00 PM and 2 00 00 AM Select the days for the schedule W Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday v Sunday Directory Processed with Managed Databases When you select a directory all databases within it are processed with the same workgroup settings and password Now if any databases in the folder are already defined in your list of databases they are processed with those database settings This allows you to manage databases with different security settings and passwords in your directory Data Extract Tables are Keyed For the Data Extract feature the tables created in the database have indexes similar to your original tables Other properties such as the database tabbed document display are also replicated in the new database Certain properties such as a table or fields validation rule are not copied because that may prevent the ability to save your data since data in your table may violate your current validation rules Run Macros for Database Password Protected Databases A macro can now run on databases with a database password not a workgroup system file with user name and password Previously these databases would require a user to enter the password which prevented unattended automation Wait for a Fractional Minute For running C
31. single question related to one of our products The Per Incident period is from start to finish report of the incident to resolution for a single incident If you anticipate multiple questions for a single product we recommend purchasing the Premium Subscription Standard Subscription Our Standard Subscription comes with every product purchased for no additional cost The standard subscription comes with access to our FAQs and forums and responses to bug reports and feature requests for that version Please note that the person requesting support must also be the registered user of the product Registration is required and will be requested by our Technical Support professionals Contacting Technical Support If the troubleshooting suggestions and other support resources fail to resolve your problem please contact our technical support department We are very interested in making sure you are satisfied with our product Registering Your Software Please register your copy of Total Visual Agent at http www fmsinc com register You must be registered to receive technical support Registration also entitles you to free product updates notifications information about upcoming products and beta invitations You can even receive free email notification of our latest news Contact Us The best way to contact us is to submit a ticket on our support site http support fmsinc com Please provide detailed information about the pr
32. so the next available number is one higher than the current highest value in the table e Repair the database if structural inconsistencies are found Unfortunately you cannot compact and repair a database while it is in use since performing these Actions requires exclusive access to the database Scheduling Total Visual Agent Events during off hours lets you perform these maintenance chores when users are not likely to have the database open Total Visual Agent invokes the Jet Engine s built in repair function If the database becomes corrupt to the extent that the Jet Engine is unable to repair it Total Visual Agent cannot repair it either Additionally Total Visual Agent cannot tell you whether corruption was repaired since the Microsoft Jet Engine does not provide that information With the Compact Action you can either compact to a different file name directory or compact to the same file name If you choose to compact the database to a different file name you are essentially creating an optimized copy of the database leaving the original database untouched If the database specified in the Compact To Name field of the Compact Repair Database Settings box already exists it is overwritten 76 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent If you choose to compact the database onto the original file name Total Visual Agent performs the following steps Attempts to obtain exclusive access to
33. the Service s current activity When the Service processes an Event this section displays the Item and Action that is being processed 112 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent The Next Scheduled Activity section displays the name and time of the next Event that the Service is scheduled to perform If the Service is not currently running the fields show as Idle The buttons along the bottom of the form allow you to control the Service Refresh The Service rechecks schedule information when it first starts and when it completes processing for an Event If you update the schedule while the Service is running press the Refresh button to recheck the latest schedule information See page 109 for more information Start Starts or resumes the Service allowing it to process scheduled Events Stop Stops the Service and prevents it from processing scheduled Events When you restart the Service any Events that were skipped are logged as errors and new Events are scheduled Pause Temporarily suspends processing Help Opens context sensitive help about the Service Control Manager Managing the Service through MMC Services The Total Visual Agent Service is a standard Windows Service and like other services can be managed through Microsoft Management Console MMC Services MMC includes more advanced management options than the Service Control manager and should be used if you are familiar wit
34. the Start Monitor or Start Service button to start the appropriate component and the traffic light icon changes to green and reads Monitor Running or Service Running Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 95 A Total Visual Agent Status Monitor Running Service Stopped Monitor and Service Dialog Monitor Running When the Monitor is launched the Monitor form appears You may be prompted to install the NET Framework if you didn t do so during the installation process See Installing the NET Framework on page 17 for more information If events are enabled and scheduled the Monitor Status form shows the currently processed event and the next event i Total Visual Agent 2013 Monitor Current Processing Activity Processing None Database None Action None Next Scheduled Activity Event None Scheduled None Monitor Status The Monitor is a separate program from the Manager and can remain running even if you close exit the Total Visual Agent manager You can also start it from the Total Visual Agent Windows menu via Launch Monitor 96 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Total Visual Agent J FMS d Total Visual Agent 2013 E Help y Launch Service E Readme Total Visual Agent Manager FMS Update Wizard TE User Manual _ Web Site Windows Menu for Total Visual Agent Launch Monitor Note that both components should not be running at the same time Only one of
35. using the Databases Statistics Action See page 100 for details Schedule Menu Schedule Tools Help f Add Event Ctri E Copy Event Rename Event F2 Delete Event Disable Event Add Access Database to Event Add Access Data Project to Event Add Task Group to Event Add Directory to Event Add Database to Task Group Delete Database from Event Delete Task Group from Event Delete Directory from Event Delete Database from Task Group Add Action gt Delete Action Del Move Action Up Ctri U Move Action Down Ctri D Move to Another Event Schedule Menu Schedule Total Visual Agent Events Items and Actions Schedule menu items are also available from the Treeview right click menu See Chapter 4 Scheduling Events for details Tools Menu Teak Hep Options Ctri O Add Monitor Shortcut to Startup Menu Compact Settings Database Tools Menu gt Options Set the program options to define Access locations and workgroup settings SMTP email configuration etc See page 28 for details Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 25 Add Monitor Shortcut to Startup Menu Easily add a shortcut to your startup menu so the Monitor which runs your scheduled events is always restarted with your machine Compact Settings Database Compact the program s database which contains the activity log file and database statistics Help Help Total Visual Agent Help F1 Check
36. while processing a Scheduled Event it automatically logs the error into the History Log File see page 97 Total Visual Agent can also email a designated recipient using SMTP Use the Error Alert Mail Settings tab to configure mail settings 30 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Confiquration Options mE Microsoft Access Locations Default File Locations Error Alert Mail Settings Other Program Settings V Mail Alert Upon Error From Me Example com SMTP Mail Server Port MySMTP 25 To You Example com Y Ce SMTP Authentication Use SSL Supplementary Message Text optional User Name Additional info Password Submit Test Message Configuration Options Error Alert Mail Settings To send email error alerts check Mail Alert Upon Error and provide the required settings Then click Submit Test Message to validate the settings and send a test message From Address In the From textbox enter the FROM email address for the emails To and Cc Addresses In the To and Cc textboxes enter the email address of the recipient Multiple emails can be specified by separating with commas Supplementary Message Text In addition to the error messages provided by Total Visual Agent optionally specify additional text to include in the message This can include the machine name contact information etc SMTP Mail Server Port Enter the name or IP address
37. your selection mask as explained on page 61 Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 79 For each Microsoft Access database in the selected directory matching your file specifications compact the database to itself or into the specified directory with its original name Compact Onto Original File Compact to Directory Comments optional Compact Settings for a Directory of Access Jet Databases For each Access Data Project ADP in the selected directory matching your file specifications compact the ADP to itself or into the specified directory with its original name V Compact Onto Original File Compact to Directory Comments optional Test Cancel Compact Settings for a Directory of ADPs Directory of Other Files The Compact Action does not apply Directories of Other Files Custom Command Action With Total Visual Agent s Custom Command feature you can schedule the execution of any valid DOS or Windows command The command does not necessarily have to refer to the current database For example you can schedule a command that simply copies all files from one directory into another directory Total Visual Agent allows you to reference the current database in the Custom Command with one of the following special strings 80 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent MDB Full path and name of the Database Item MDB or ACCDB file Full path and
38. 0 to 2010 support Access Data Projects which generally have the file extension ADP This file type does not contain any local data storage but instead works with data stored in a SQL Server or SQL Express client server database ADP support was deprecated in Access 2013 Task Group A Task Group is a list of specific Microsoft Access databases or projects that are grouped together so that the Actions and settings apply to all of the Items in the group Task Groups make it easy to manage multiple Items with similar settings Directory Folder When you add a Directory to an Event Total Visual Agent performs the same set of Actions for all files in that folder that match the specified file type and mask This lets you perform the tasks against all the files in a drive and or folder without specifying their individual names The Directory may be set up so that the files it finds are assumed to be Jet databases MDBs ACCDBs Access Data Projects ADPs or other files You can choose to also include its subdirectories 50 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Adding an Access Jet Database Item To add a Microsoft Access Jet database to the Scheduled Event select Add Database to Event from the Schedule menu or Add Database from the right click shortcut menu EW Add Database to Event Select the database s from the list and press Next Use New to add a new database to this list QE Access Databa
39. 3 About Total Visual A SON T ccczccscscnccasensaeinencntacassdsannsacanioepenepeergenondenn seoastas 4 How Total Visual Agent Works iicsessasansdnonkdcwowssanshdeontiwescoseseninnvabsanvexeeride 5 New Features in This Version ccccsssssccecsesseccccseeseceeseeeeccesseesecessuaasees 6 Enhancements in Total Visual Agent 2007 ccccccccssesceeceeseeeeeeeees 11 ais O18 WED OIE sernir 12 Chapter 2 InstallatiON sssiscissssioccssnsisocssssisasusssincssoacsonossenisisossessvdsansssts 15 System Requirements sssssesresressessresrrsressesseesreereesessreseeerresesseesrese 16 Installing Total Visual Agent viscsasiiccsesissnsunsiescmwansancamenstacsweversatoausaesananieeys 16 Uninstalling Total Visual ASENE vcscccsssiscacoascatoneeicsanswaddnaniontsuasawenandssanianees 19 Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration cccccsccscscecsccscsceccccscscececcecs 21 Launching Total Visual Agent tiveness scoscsissdcrudanceasuwnsdescndieeweydoudeedmadsaenanede 22 Starting Total Visual Agent for the First Time ccccssscccesseceeeeseeeeees 22 Using the Total Visual Agent Manager ccccccsssesececceseeceeeeeseeeeseeees 23 COMTI the ODUONS chcsccsecnccacrarsunleaseancaiseoavanannsaseantcostasnanneaatarssiouanats 28 Importing Settings from a Previous Version ssssseececeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 33 Chapter 4 Scheduling Events sessssesessssessscsessscosssscesosoesssoesssoessesese 37 Event Schedule OvervieW
40. 8 Archive Table Data see Table Data Extract B blog 13 C Compact Database 66 76 80 ADPs 77 78 Directories 79 Jet Databases 77 78 Task Groups 79 VBA project storage 77 configuration options see options continue processing databases 59 copy Event 45 Custom Command 66 68 80 84 HADPH 81 HFILE 81 MDBH 81 ADPs 82 Directories 83 Jet Databases 82 pausing after 81 Task Groups 83 D Daily Events 42 database Jet Databases database password 54 database settings 52 55 94 Access Version 53 security see security Database Statistics 66 84 86 100 104 ADPs 86 filtering 102 Jet Databases 85 object counts 101 Object View 104 reports 104 select tables 85 Snapshot View 101 table details 102 Table View 103 Task Groups 86 viewing 100 delete Event 46 Details Pane 27 Directories 50 60 62 contain 61 file mask 61 include subdirectories 61 process next database 62 disable Event 46 duplicate event 45 E email 30 32 enable Event 46 Engine 6 error alert mail settings 30 errors 30 32 Event Actions see Actions Event Group 38 adding 39 copying 45 deleting 46 disabling 46 enabling 46 next scheduled 44 once per hour 41 renaming 46 running 105 17 schedule type see Event schedule Event Items see Items Event processing window 40 42 Event schedule 37 47 39 daily 42 hourly 40 monthly 43 Total Visual Agent Index
41. Data Extract Sak Monthly Accounting Bf C ACME Databases Accounting accdb L Custom Command be g Weekly Schedule Scheduled Events Treeview Details Pane The Details Pane displays settings specific to the selected item in the treeview The information displayed in this pane depends on whether an Event an Item or an Action is selected in the treeview See Chapter 4 Scheduling Events on page 37 for more information Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 27 Daily Settings Start at 8 00 00 PM Ending no later than 11 59 00 PM Select the days when you want the schedule to be performed Fp W Monday W Tuesday V Wednesday Thursday Friday V Saturday Sunday Comments optional Times Next Scheduled B s 8 00 00PM No Later Than B s 11 59 00PM Last Begun rs Last Completed PO Details Pane with Example of a Daily Schedule Configuring the Options Prior to scheduling tasks it s important to configure Total Visual Agent s global settings and options Open the Manager and select Tools Options from the menu to display the Configuration Options Default Access Locations and Settings Use the Microsoft Access Locations tab to specify file locations and settings for the installed versions of Access 28 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Configuration Options im zE Microsoft Access Locations Default File
42. Database Settings form is displayed The options on this form are similar to the database options explained on page 52 without the security options which do not apply to ADPs A Access Data Project Settings Database Name C ACME Databases ACME Web Reports adp Comments r Access Version The Access version is used to execute macro actions and to compact ADPs Access 2010 Access Data Project ADP Settings After configuring the database settings select the ADPs from the list and click Next The Wizard displays a list of available Actions for the ADP Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 57 Which of the following actions would you like to perform on this database Compact Database Archive Database Custom Command Change the Order of Execution iExecute Named Macro Select Actions for ADPs Select the Actions for the ADP and optionally use the arrows to change the order in which the Actions are performed Then click Finish to add the Item and Actions to the Event After adding Items and Actions review each Action and configure its settings to suit your needs Actions are described in detail in Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Adding a Task Group Item A Task Group is a collection of databases or projects that share common Actions and settings To add a new Task Group choose Add Task Group to Event from the Schedule menu or Add Task Group from th
43. Directory Specifications When managing a folder a View Matches button lets you see the names and numbers of files currently matching your file specifications and exclusions in the specified directory and subdirectories More Detailed Activity History Log The View Activity History Log form show more information on the tasks that were performed and is displayed better For instance for database 10 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent compact it now shows the original size final size difference and percent of Space saved Delete the Activity History Log Previously you had to go into the Total Visual Agent database to delete records from the Activity Log Now you can do it from the form by filtering the list and press the Delete button More Detailed Database Statistics The View Database Statistics form shows the total number of records in the database and improves formatting to better see and compare the database contents over time Delete the Database Statistics Snapshots You can now delete snapshot data from the form Select one or more of the snapshots and press the Delete button Compact the Total Visual Agent Settings Database Even the Total Visual Agent database needs to be compressed from time to time This is now an option from the Tools menu Compact Settings Database New User Manual and Help File Total Visual Agent includes a new user manual and online help file to support the new features
44. E Execute 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Macro C Program Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb Named 11 17 08 PM 11 17 16 PM Files Microsoft Item Test ACME C ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb 11 17 08 PM 11 17 22 PM Event Test ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks 11 17 08 PM 11 17 22 PM Action Test ACME c ACME Database 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Total records 60 Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb Statistics 5 19 38 PM 5 19 38 PM Item Test ACME C ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb 5 19 38 PM 5 19 38 PM Event Test ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks 5 19 38 PM 5 19 38 PM 4 M4 Activity gt r Help Delete Open Log Database Close Activity History Log Inquiry Form Events are logged at one of three levels e Event Group Tells when the Event begins and ends and whether nor not all Actions for the Event were completed successfully e Item Lists the name of the database directory or Task Group e Action Shows each Action performed and its outcome The items of information that are available on the log file are Log Level The Event Item or Action The name of the Event Group Database or The full path of the database or directory being managed Directory The Action performed such as Compact Start Time The time the Action began The time the Action ended Whether or not the Item ran successfully T
45. E MEDIA AND MANUAL INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FORA PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE LIMITED TO SIXTY 60 DAYS FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE OF THIS PRODUCT Although FMS Inc has tested this program and reviewed the documentation FMS Inc makes no warranty or representation either expressed or implied with respect to this software its quality performance merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose As a result this software is licensed AS IS and you are assuming the entire risk as to its quality and performance IN NO EVENT WILL FMS INC BE LIABLE FOR DIRECT INDIRECT SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS DOCUMENTATION THE WARRANTY AND REMEDIES SET FORTH IN THIS LIMITED WARRANTY ARE EXCLUSIVE AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHERS ORAL OR WRITTEN EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED ii e License Agreement Total Visual Agent Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you This warranty gives you specific legal rights you may also have other rights that vary from state to state U S Government Restricted Rights The SOFTWARE and documentation are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS Use duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subparagraph c 1 ii of the Ri
46. Locations Error Alert Mail Settings Other Program Settings Specify the location of the Access Versions installed on your computer This information is necessary for running Macros and managing Access Data Projects ADP s Access Version Location of Microsoft Access 2013 Access 2013 C Program Files Microsoft Office Office15 msaccess exe ae Access 2010 Access 2007 Access 2003 Microsoft Access Workgroup security file if any Access 2002 Access 2000 Access 97 Access 95 Access 2 0 User ID Password C Users User AppData Roaming Microsoft Access System mdw _ Hide Uninstalled Versions Refresh COK cancel _ __Help Configuration Options Default Access Settings For most tasks Total Visual Agent does not need to run Microsoft Access There are certain Actions however that require Access e Execute Macro When executing a macro Total Visual Agent launches Access and runs the macro Configure the Access database version s to use for launching macros see page 87 e Compact Access Data Projects Because the Microsoft Jet database engine does not control Access Data Projects Total Visual Agent must launch Microsoft Access to compact ADPs see page 77 If you do not plan to execute macros or compact Access Data Projects you do not need to specify the Microsoft Access file locations If you are managing secured databases optionally specify the default security options
47. Project matching your file specifications Use the symbol ADP to reference the file Example xcopy 4DP C backup iNote the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM ADP Pause 9 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Custom Command Settings for a Directory of ADPs Directory of Other Files For a Directory of other files a command line is created for each file in the directory that matches the selection mask as explained on page 61 The Custom Command Action inserts the name of the file when it finds the String FILE Enter a command line The action can be performed on each file matching your file specifications Use the symbol FILE to reference the file Example xcopy FILE C backup Note the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM FILE Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Custom Command Settings for a Directory of Other Files Database Statistics Action The Database Statistics Action allows you to take periodic snapshots of your Microsoft Access Jet databases You can track the following information e Database size 84 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent e Table record count for all or selected tables e Object counts for tables queries forms reports macros modules indexes and relations To view the Database Statistics output select the View
48. Save And you choose to save three copies of that database after processing the Event three times Total Visual Agent would create files named C Save Solutions01 ACCDB C Save Solutions02 ACCDB C Save Solutions03 ACCDB When Total Visual Agent executes the Event enough times so that the maximum number of copies is created the numbering starts over with one overwriting the first copy To keep more than 99 copies of your databases move or rename the Archive files created by Total Visual Agent If a zip file with the same name exists in the specified directory it is overwritten Please ensure that the file does not already exist if you do not want to lose data Selecting an Archive Directory By default Total Visual Agent Archives files to the location you specified in the Configuration Options To override the default simply type the directory name where Total Visual Agent should store the archived copies of your files or press the button to browse for the folder If you choose to store Archived copies of more than one database in the same directory be sure that the names of the databases are unique The following two databases would generate the same Total Visual Agent archive names if archived to the same folder C MyDir MyData ACCDB C OtherDir MyData ACCDB Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 67 Archive each database to its own directory to resolve the problem If you choose a director
49. Workgroup system database User ID and password These global security settings are used by default for secured databases but can be overridden for individual databases Note that database level passwords cannot be set here but must be set at the database level Filter for the Access Versions Installed on Your Machine A checkbox is available to filter the list of Access versions to just the ones which are installed on your machine Hide Uninstalled Versions Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 29 Default File Locations The Default File Locations tab allows you to specify default settings for Archives and Table Data Extracts AL Total Visual Agent Configuration Options Archive Database Defaults Archive Databases and Files in Directory c Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Number of Archived Copies to Save 1 E Compress Archived Copies Table Data Extract Defaults Create Table Data Databases in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 TableDataExtract Number of Copies to Save 1 E Compress Archived Copies Configuration Options Default File Locations Specify the default directory whether to compress archive files and the number of archive copies to save You can also specify similar information for performing data extracts These settings are used by default for new actions and can be overridden on a case by case basis Error Alert Mail Settings If Total Visual Agent encounters an error
50. a file specification to a compressed archive Tile in a new location on your hard disk Number of archived copies 44 Save Archives in Directory c Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Base Name for Archive File AcmeFiles Archive Options for a Directory of Other Files Table Data Extract Action In addition to archiving a complete copy of your database Total Visual Agent can copy just the data from all or selected tables in your database There are a couple of reasons to consider the Table Data Extract Action e Archiving the entire database may not be possible while users have it open Archiving just the table data lets you create live backups even as users are changing the data e Your forms reports and module code only change when you create a new version of your application and much of the table data is Static such as lookup tables and state codes Archiving the entire database wastes time and disk space if you only need to back up the tables that change often Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 71 The Archive Table Data feature in Total Visual Agent lets you extract the table data with indexes The archived data is saved in a database in the directory you specify The tables do not include security settings table relationships and some properties Some of these properties may conflict with your existing data For instance your table or fields may have validation rules or lookups that
51. a user does not log on the Monitor cannot run When to Use the Service The Total Visual Agent Service runs as a Windows Service and executes scheduled events with or without a user logged on Since the Service does not require a user to be logged on it is more secure than the Monitor The Service can also be configured to start automatically when the computer is rebooted so you can be confident that it s always running Using the Service to launch external programs is potentially dangerous If the external program fails for any reason the program may remain open in memory with no feedback shown on screen This can cause your computer to stop responding and may potentially cause database corruption See page 110 for details about using the Service to launch external programs Using the Total Visual Agent Monitor The Total Visual Agent Monitor runs in the background to execute scheduled Actions at the specified time Generally the monitor is useful if 106 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent you re testing or running processes while you are using the computer The Monitor is a Windows program that requires you to be logged in to run it Consider Using the Service Instead For higher security and resilience consider using the Service instead of the Monitor if you intend to run it continuously and unattended The Service is integrated with Windows Services and runs without you being logged in and automatic
52. abase Tools Menu to Add Monitor to the Startup Menu This instructs the Total Visual Agent Monitor to automatically start the next time you restart and log onto your machine Total Visual Agent Monitor Form When the Total Visual Agent Monitor is launched it displays the following form Total Visual Agent 2013 Monitor Current Processing Activity Processing None Database None Action None Next Scheduled Activity Event None scheduled None Total Visual Agent Monitor If the form doesn t appear you may have set the options to hide it under Tools Options Other Program Settings on page 32 The Current Processing Activity section at the top of the form displays information about what the Monitor is currently doing When the Monitor processes an Event this section displays the Item it is working on as well as the Action it is performing on that Item The Next Scheduled Activity section at the bottom of the form displays the name and time of the next Event that the Monitor is scheduled to perform 108 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent Updating the Schedule Normally the Monitor rechecks the schedule at two times e When it is first launched e When it finishes processing an Event Once your schedule is established that is really all that needs to be done Total Visual Agent Monitor keeps track of which Events it needs to perform and when to perform them
53. acro does or whether it runs properly Ensure that the macro executes correctly by running Microsoft Access and the macro from the machine where Total Visual Agent runs If Total Visual Agent runs a bad macro or a macro that does not exist it still reports successful execution since it cannot determine what the macro should do Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 87 e f you want to close the copy of Microsoft Access your macro must include the Quit macro action Total Visual Agent does not close the launched copy of Microsoft Access after the specified Macro Action completes Pausing after Execution Total Visual Agent cannot determine when your macro finishes executing By default Total Visual Agent executes the macro and then proceeds immediately to the next Action You may however instruct Total Visual Agent to pause to pause for one or more minutes before performing the next task This can be important if you launch several macros that each require a separate copy of Access to run Enter the number of minutes to pause in this text box You can enter fractional minutes e g 0 1 is six seconds Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Details by Event Item Type When you select the Macro Action in the treeview the right side of the main form displays its options The options are similar for each Item type Microsoft Access Jet Database For the Jet database Item type the Macro Action opens the selec
54. ails about the Event Processing Window One Time Settings Starting at this date and time Ending no later than One Time Event Options Managing Events The Events you create in Total Visual Agent are at the top level items in the treeview Scheduled Events Ea ACME Daily Tasks Et Hourly Data Backup E c ACME Databases Sales accdb z PA Table Data Extract Hg Monthly Accounting a Once ae 7 Weekly Schedule Scheduled Events Treeview The icon is if the event is enabled active and D if it s disabled inactive Schedule Status Select an Event in the treeview to see its status at a glance The right side of the Manager displays information about when the Event was last run and when it will run again 44 e Chapter 4 Scheduling Events Total Visual Agent Next scheduled 4 10 12 37 00 PM No Later Than 4 710 2 00 00 PM Last Begun 4 9 12 37 02 PM Last Completed 479 12 37 03 PM Schedule Status Right Click Menu From the treeview if you have an Event selected right click your mouse and bring up the menu of options Scheduled Events Maihs Tackc Add Event Duplicate Event i cl fakin ca Rename Event F2 ae cN Delete Event H Hourl Y Test All Event Actions Bl Month S Once Disable Event G Week Add Access Database Add Access Data Project Add Task Group Add Directory Event Menu Options Duplicate E
55. aily Tasks Main Total Visual Agent Manager Screen Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 23 The Manager is comprised of three main sections the Menu and Toolbar the Scheduled Events Treeview and the Details Pane Menu and Toolbar Most program functionality is available from the Total Visual Agent Manager menu bar and shortcuts for common tasks are available from the Toolbar Total Visual Agent File View Schedule Tools Help lt a Menu E S aaa Oop lt m Toolbar Total Visual Agent Menu and Toolbar The menu contains the following items File Menu File View Schedule Tools Help Import Manager Settings Ctrl I Exit Ctrl Q File Menu Import Manager Settings Import schedules from a previous installation of Total Visual Agent See page 33 for details Exit Close Total Visual Agent Manager View Menu 0 Managed Databases Monitor and Service Status Ctrl M Activity History Log Ctri A Database Statistics Ctrl View Menu Managed Databases Review and configure databases and projects currently managed by Total Visual Agent See page 94 for details g Monitor Service Status Start and stop the Monitor and Service See page 95 for details History View the event log to see details about events run and errors encountered See page 97 for details 24 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent a Database Statistics View statistics collected
56. ally reloads should your machine reboot see page 106 for more information Starting the Monitor For the Total Visual Agent Monitor to execute scheduled Events it must be running at the scheduled time In general you should leave the Monitor running around the clock or be sure to start it prior to the scheduled event time There are several options for starting the Total Visual Agent Monitor e Launch it from the Total Visual Agent Manager You can start and stop the Monitor through the Monitor Service Status form in the Manager See Monitor and Service Status on page 95 for more information e Launch it from the Start menu From the Windows Start menu choose All Programs FMS Total Visual Agent 2013 Launch Monitor FMS di Total Visual Agent 2013 E4 Help Launch Monitor Launch Service E Readme Total Visual Agent Manager FIRS Update Wizard TE User Manual Web Site Windows Menu for Total Visual Agent Launch Monitor Adding Total Visual Agent Monitor to Startup Once you set up Total Visual Agent to manage your databases you may want to have the Monitor running at all times Add the Monitor to your Startup folder to have it start automatically every time your machine Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 107 reboots From the menu select Tools Add Monitor Shortcut to Startup Menu Tools Help Options Ctri O Add Monitor Shortcut to Startup Menu Compact Settings Dat
57. ames data types and indexes are recreated in the archived database e Inter table referential integrity and lookups are not recreated e Table or field level validation rules captions default values etc are not recreated 72 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent e The archived database and tables are not secured Table Data Extract Suggestions e Schedule table data extracts more frequently than full database backups It takes less time and works while users are in the database If there is significant data entry consider running the Table Data Extract Action hourly or even Every X Minutes e Save backups to a different machine than the original database in case of hardware failure e Table data extracts are snapshots of your data at a particular point in time If you have multi table relationships which must be preserved it is up to you to ensure that all of the data in the required tables is extracted e Total Visual Agent extracts table data one table at a time so it is possible for extracts from more than one table to become logically out of sync with one another if data changes while the Action is processing Details by Event Item Type When you select the Table Data Extract Action in the Treeview the right side of the main form displays its options The Table Data Extract Action has slightly different options depending on the Event Item type For example only Access Jet databases
58. an Office Application with Visual Basic Starting the Service For the Total Visual Agent Service to execute scheduled Events it must be running at the scheduled time To handle this you should generally set the Service Startup Type to Automatic see page 114 and leave it running at all times There are several options for starting the Total Visual Agent Service 110 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent e Launch it from the Total Visual Agent Manager You can start and stop the Service through the Monitor Service Status form in the Manager See Monitor and Service Status on page 95 for more information e Launch it from the Service Control Manager Total Visual Agent includes a Service Control Manager that allows you to start and stop the Service refresh the schedule and more See page 111 for details e Launch it from MMC Services You can start stop and manage the Total Visual Agent Service using Microsoft Management Console MMC Services See page 113 for details e Launch it Automatically Through MMC Services you can configure the Service to start automatically when Windows starts See page 114 for details Using the Service Control Manager Total Visual Agent includes a Service Control Manager to help you manage the Service Open the Service Control Manager from the Windows Start menu di FMS di Total Visual Agent 2013 E4 Help JE Launch Monitor 8 Launch Service
59. app on your PC needs the following Windows feature NET Framework 3 5 includes NET 2 0 and 3 0 Download and install this feature Windows will get the files that it needs from Windows Update and complete the installation Skip this installation Your apps might not work correctly without this feature Tell me more about this feature Cancel Windows Prompt to Install the NET Framework Click the Download and install this feature option This may also be the reason the Service fails to start if you try to run it before running the Monitor once Total Visual Agent Failed to start service m a Failed to Start Service The Service won t trigger the dialog because it does not have a user interface Run the Monitor at least once to make sure the NET Framework is properly installed Uninstalling Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent supports the standard Windows installation protocol so uninstalling is similar to uninstalling other programs Total Visual Agent Chapter 2 Installation e 19 Start the Uninstall Process From the Windows Start Menu select Control Panel then Windows Vista Windows 7 and Windows 8 e Inthe Programs section select Uninstall a Program Windows XP e Select Add Remove Programs Select Total Visual Agent for Removal e Select Total Visual Agent from the list of installed programs e Click on Uninstall from the menu e The installation program loads Choo
60. ases in the directory are skipped If you do have this option checked Total Visual Agent continues processing all other databases in the directory Note that if one Action fails for a database subsequent Actions for that database are not processed For example if you schedule a Compact Action and an Archive Action for your Sales database and the Compact Action cannot run the Archive Action is skipped 62 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Moving Items to a Different Event In some cases you may want to move an Item to a different Event Group Rather than deleting and re creating the Item you can move the Item to another Event Select the Item in the Event treeview and choose Move Item to Different Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu Remove Database from Event Test All Actions Add Action Move Database to Another Event Menu with Selection to Move a Database to Another Event When the dialog appears select the target Event Select the New Event for this Item ltem Currently Assigned to Weekly Inventory Reports Select the New Event Daily Schedule Hourly DataBackup Monthly Accounting Cancel Select New Event for the Item When you move the Item all settings remain intact only the Event Group it belongs to is changed Next Steps After you add an Item to an Event Group it s time to configure its Actions See Chapter 6 Adding Actions t
61. available at no cost Additional maintenance plans are available to provide subscribers with enhanced technical support This is the best way for you to stay current with the rapidly changing technologies that impact project development and to ensure you are getting the maximum return from your software investment Please visit our web site www fmsinc com for the most up to date information Features amp Benefits p Access to FAQs Access to Forums Minor Upgrades Bug Fixes d Fj Telephone Support d ate First 30 Email S t Per incident Priority Response Time i A ee Senior Engineer Support y Team Email Project for Testing owy s Programmatic Code Assistance Total Visual Agent Chapter 9 Product Support e 121 Major Upgrades for Current Version not between Access versions Fee P Cost Annual Fee weed Included Incident Response generally within two business days Actual resolution may take longer b depending on complexity of the issue reported Custom Programming implementation is not provided in our Support Maintenance plans For products that include a programmatic interface we can provide instructions for using our programmatic interface and show examples but we do not implement this into your projects This service is available from our Professional Solutions Group Premium Subscription The Premium Subscription is the ideal option for customers seeking the highest le
62. base name and path Object Counts If you select the option to include object counts in your snapshots the Object Counts section of the form displays counts of the various types of objects in the database when the snapshot was taken Object counts include Tables Queries Forms Reports Macros Modules Indexes number of primary and secondary indexes Relations number of links between pairs of tables and or queries Database Size size of the database in bytes If you did not select the option to include object counts the Database Statistics form shows a 0 for each object type Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 101 Table Details For each selected table this form displays the table name and the number of records it contained when the snapshot was taken Tabe Record Count b Categories 8 Customers T Employees 9 Order Details 2155 Orders HU 4 Products if Shippers G Table Record Snapshot Filtering Database Statistics Snapshot Data By default this form shows all statistics collected by Total Visual Agent however options are available to filter the data to display specific Events databases or date ranges Type the name of the database in the combo box or select it from the list to display a subset of the Database Statistics To display all Statistics choose the entry lt ALL gt Additionally you can narrow down the statistics to those
63. bases Sales accdb 5 c ACME Databases Time and Billing accdb Q c ACME Databases ACME Web Reports adp Assigned to These Events event tive type ACME Daily Tasks Daily Monthly Accounting Monthly lt Back C Nets Select Databases to Add to the Task Group This dialog is similar to the one you see when adding a database or project see page 51 except that it lists Jet databases and ADPs together If the database you want to add is not listed click New to add it After selecting the database s to add to the Task Group click Next to select the Actions to perform on the databases in the Task Group Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 59 Which of the following actions would you like to perform on the databases on this task group l Compact Database MiArchive Database Database Statistics v Table Data Extract Execute Named Macro Custom Command jiz Change the Order of Execution Select Actions for All the Databases in the Task Group Select the Actions for the Task Group and optionally use the arrows to change the order in which the Actions are performed Then click Finish to add the Item and Actions to the Event After adding Items and Actions review each Action and configure its settings to suit your needs Actions are described in detail in Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Adding a Directory Item A Directory is a folder on the network
64. button Click lt lt to remove all tables Note that when you select a subset of tables Database Statistics are not tracked for new tables that are added to the database To always include new tables use the Check All Tables option Microsoft Access Data Project The Database Statistics Action does not apply to ADPs Task Group For a Task Group Database Statistics are tracked separately for each database on the Task Group There are no options to select the tables to include All non system tables are tracked Directory of Databases For a Directory of Databases statistics are collected for each database that matches the file selection mask see page 61 It is not possible to select specific tables all non system tables are tracked Directory of Access Data Projects The Database Statistics Action does not apply to directories of ADPs Directory of Other Files The Database Statistics Action does not apply to directories of other files 86 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Execute Named Macro Action The Execute Named Macro Action lets you schedule a macro to run at any time You can specify a single macro name to execute but that macro can perform multiple functions It can also use the RunCode macro action to perform any function contained in an Access module function For instance you may have a macro that generates nightly reports performs analysis imports data or resets settings
65. collected between certain dates Specify the beginning and ending date range in the text boxes captioned between and and For example to select all snapshots taken between April 7 and April 9 enter 102 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Total Visual Agent Table View EW Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry ETE Search By Database CAACHE Databases sales mdb Between and Snapshot ables Objects ab Ei HJ 4 9 10 06 AM Orders Es 4 10 10 06 AM Orders as O 4 11 10 06 AM Orders 4121006 AM Orders ala ih Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry Form Table View The Table View of the Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry form displays statistics for a database s tables over time As with Snapshot View you can filter by database and by date The lt ALL gt choice for database however is not valid for Table View since you can only view one database at a time You can filter the results further by selecting a particular table to view This can be useful in determining how tables grow over time To filter for one table select the table name from the combo box Tab Table Selection Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 103 Object View iW Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry Search By Database CMACME Databates S ales mdb 7 Between and Saari sa E T A o AAO TOL AM 21 TAB a aAa a a ATO 2AM et wooo BB
66. conflict with data added before the rule was created The Archive Table Data feature does not eliminate the need to archive the entire database To recover from a database loss follow these steps e Restore the last good Archive copy of your database e Empty the tables backed up by the Table Data Extract e Use the last saved Table Data Extract to append data into the empty tables Alternatively if you have a limited amount of changes you may be able to simply copy and paste new records from the Archive Data Extract tables to your previous database backup Be very careful pasting records into tables with AutoNumber fields because they may not be the same if records were deleted Note that restoring individual tables may not work if your tables are in relationships with constraints such as cascading deletes Do not import the tables or else your table relationships indexes properties validation rules etc will be lost Table Data Extract Settings Saving copies of your table data with Total Visual Agent s Table Data Extract feature is similar to archiving an entire database You can select the number of copies to save and you can optionally compress the copies into compressed archive ZIP files See page 68 for details about these options Table Data Extract Format There are a few things to keep in mind about the format of the tables extracted by Total Visual Agent s Table Data Extract Action e All of the field n
67. d Events for more information about these components Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events 47 Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent After creating Event Groups to control when Events are run you need to instruct Total Visual Agent on what to do when the scheduled time arrives This chapter describes how to configure the Event Group to specify the Items to manage and the Actions to perform on these items Topics in this Chapter Event Item Overview Adding an Access Jet Database Item Adding an Access Data Project Item Adding a Task Group Item Adding a Directory Item Moving Items to a Different Event Y VV VV V WV Next Steps Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 49 Event Item Overview In Chapter 4 Scheduling Events you learned how to create and manage Event Groups but you still need to instruct Total Visual Agent on what to do when the scheduled time arrives To do that configure the Event Group to specify the Items to manage and the Actions to perform on these items Event Items There are four types of Items that can be added to an Event Jet databases MDBs ACCDBs Access Data Projects ADPs Task Groups and Directories Access Jet Database This is a specific named Microsoft Access Jet database created in any version of Microsoft Access from Access 1 x to Access 2013 Generally Microsoft Jet databases use the file extension MDB or ACCDB Access Data Project Access 200
68. d lines o Track statistics on the objects and records in your databases 4 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent El T Neviaivmene lt Event 4 C ACME Databases Accounting accdb val Database Statistics fe BIN Table Data Extract K he C ACME Databases ACME Web Reports adp as ke ot ih Execute Macro e P Custom Command Action it iy Compact El Me Achive Task Group 3 ff c ACME Databases Accduhting accdb be E C ACME Databases Time and Billing accdb be J Archive Database 5 d Se tal Databases yy Compact e Ps 8 Monthly Reports Event Sample Event Group The Total Visual Agent Manager lets you configure and schedule your Event Groups interactively and the Monitor and Service execute them How Total Visual Agent Works Total Visual Agent includes four separate components that work together to help you manage administrative tasks Total Visual Agent Manager The Total Visual Agent Manager is where you configure your Events Items and Actions Additionally the Manager is where you view log files and other administrative reports showing the results of previous activity You can also start and stop the Total Visual Agent Monitor and Service from the Manager Once you define your Event Groups in the Manager determine whether to use the Monitor or the Service to run the scheduled Events Total Visual Agent Monitor The Total Visual Agent Monitor runs in the background wai
69. dd Database Normally you add a new database to the list of managed databases by adding it to an Event Group Sometimes however you may wish to add a database to the list of managed databases without immediately adding it to 94 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Total Visual Agent an Event Group Use the New button to select an existing database for your list This process is similar to adding a database through by adding it to an Event Group as described on page 51 Remove Database Click Remove to delete a database from the list of Managed Databases and from all Event Groups Activity History Log information and Database Statistics for the database are retained Monitor and Service Status Total Visual Agent includes two components for processing scheduled Events the Monitor and the Service These components run in the background waiting for the appropriate time to execute the scheduled Actions See Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events for more information To view the status of the Monitor and the Service choose the Monitor and Service Status from the View menu or click the button on the toolbar If the component is not currently running the traffic light icon displays a red light and reads Monitor Stopped or Service Stopped BW Total Visual Agent Status Monitor Stopped Service Stopped start Monitor i i Start Service Close Monitor and Service Dialog Monitor and Service Stopped Use
70. duct Registration If you did not order Total Visual Agent directly from us you can register it online Be sure to select the email notification option so you can be contacted when updates are available or news is released You must be registered to receive technical support Product Updates FMS is committed to quality software When we find problems in our products we fix them and notify registered users to download the new version From the Help menu you can see if you have the latest version by selecting Check for Latest Version 12 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent Help Total Visual Agent Help Fl Check for Latest Version FMS Home Page Total Visual Agent Page Product Updates Page Suggestions About Total Visual Agent You can also go to the Product Updates Page to see the history of updates Product Announcements and Press Releases Read the latest information on new products new versions and future products Press releases are available the same day they are sent to the press Sign up in our Feedback section to have press releases automatically sent to you via email Product Descriptions and Demos Detailed descriptions for all of our products are available Each product has its own page with information about features and capabilities Demo versions for most of our products are also available Technical Papers and Tips FMS personnel often speak at conferences and write magaz
71. e 125 multiple times per hour 41 once per hour 41 processing window see Event processing window status 44 weekly 43 Execute Macro 66 87 89 ADPs 89 bad macros 87 Directories 89 Jet Databases 88 pausing after 88 F file mask 61 FMS web site 12 H hide Monitor icon 33 History Log 97 100 deleting 99 filtering 99 reports 99 viewing 97 Hourly Events 40 42 multiple times per hour 41 once per hour 41 import settings 33 35 INI file 54 55 installation 15 20 setup 16 installing NET Framework 17 Items 38 49 63 ADPs 50 Directories see Directories Jet Databases see Jet Databases managing 94 95 moving 63 Task Groups see Task Groups J Jet Databases 50 51 56 126 e Index L license agreement i iii log files see History Log M Macro see Execute Macro managed Databases 94 95 Manager 5 22 28 Details Pane 27 importing settings 33 35 menu 24 Starting 22 toolbar 24 treeview 26 menu 24 Microsoft Access locations see Access locations security see security Version see Access Version Microsoft Access 2007 see Access 2007 Microsoft Management Console MMC 113 Monitor 5 95 97 105 17 hide icon 33 refreshing 109 running 109 starting 107 Startup menu 107 status 95 stopping 109 task bar icon 32 97 Monthly Events 43 move item see Items moving O options 28 35 Access Locations 28 29 default file locations 30 error aler
72. e Action in the Treeview The right side of the screen displays the Action s options The options are similar for each Item type Microsoft Access Jet Database The Archive Action for Access Jet Databases copies the database to the specified location with optional compression You can also specify the number of Archived copies to keep as explained on page 67 68 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Archive Database copies the entire Microsoft Access Jet database MDB file to anew location on your hard disk with optional data compression ZIP format You may keep up to 99 versions of the same database in a selected directory All objects including tables forms queries reports etc are saved V Compress archived files Number of archived copies Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Comments optional Archive Options for a Database Microsoft Access Data Project The same settings are available when running the Archive Action on an Access Data Project ADP Specify the location and number of Archived copies and optionally choose to compress the file Archive Database copies the entire Access Data Project ADP file to a new location on your hard disk with optional data compression ZIP format You may keep up to 99 versions of the same database in a selected directory All objects including forms reports reports modules etc are saved V
73. e and operating system supported by your version of Microsoft Access e 15 MB free disk space for Total Visual Agent program files e 150 MB free disk space for Microsoft NET Framework if it s not already installed should not be an issue with recent Windows versions e Additional free space to store Total Visual Agent log files and Database Statistics Microsoft Access 2007 or Later Required While versions of Total Visual Agent before 2007 did not require Microsoft Access the latest version requires Microsoft Access 2007 or later to be installed This requirement is because with the release of Access 2007 Microsoft no longer allows distribution of the components supporting the newer Access ACCDB format You may install the free Runtime version which is available for download from Microsoft com A link for the download is available from the Total Visual Agent FAQ page on www fmsinc com Microsoft Access 2013 Does Not Offer Support for ADPs Support for Access Data Projects ADPs was discontinued with Access 2013 If you want Total Visual Agent to compact or run macros in ADP files your machine must have Microsoft Access 2007 or 2010 installed rather than Microsoft Access 2013 Installing Total Visual Agent The latest version of Total Visual Agent replaces all earlier versions You can uninstall previous versions as instructed on page 19 Total Visual Agent is installed with an automated setup program You need Administrato
74. e right click shortcut menu AJ Add Task Group to Event Task Group Name My Task Group Comments V Continue Processing Databases if an action on one fails Add Task Group to Event Specify the name of the Task Group and optionally add a comment 58 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Continue Processing Databases Option There is an option to decide how the Task Group should behave when it runs and encounters an error For instance a database may no longer exist or can t be opened Check this box if you want Total Visual Agent to continue with the next database in the list if one database in the Task Group fails W Continue Processing Databases if an action on one fails If this box is not checked and Total Visual Agent encounters an error subsequent databases in the Task Group are skipped If this option is checked Total Visual Agent continues processing all other databases in the Task Group after an error is encountered Note that if one Action fails for a database subsequent Actions for that database are not processed For example if you schedule a Compact Action and an Archive Database Action for your Sales database and the Compact Action cannot run the Archive Action is skipped Click Next to go to the second page of the wizard A Add Task Group to Event Select one or more of these databases to add to your task group O5 c ACME Databases Accounting accdb 05 c ACME Data
75. ect Show Monitor see page 97 for details Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 109 Using the Total Visual Agent Service Total Visual Agent includes a Windows Service which can be used instead of the Monitor to process Events Like the Monitor the Service runs in the background waiting for the appropriate time to execute scheduled Actions However since it is a Windows Service it does not require that a user be logged on in order to run its scheduled events Use the Service instead of the Monitor if Total Visual Agent you cannot or do not want a user to be logged on when an Event is scheduled to be processed Tareas A Warming Important Note about Launching External Programs using the Service Certain events require Total Visual Agent to launch external programs including e Executing Macros e Compacting ADP files e Executing Custom Commands Executing these actions from an unattended or a non interactive user account is risky and can cause the computer to stop responding leave programs open in memory and possibly corrupt data If you understand these risks and still determined that you want to launch external programs using the Service Microsoft has a few suggestions Refer to the following Microsoft KnowledgeBase articles for more information Article ID Article Title 257757 Considerations for Server Side Automation of Office 259971 How to Dismiss a Dialog Box Displayed by
76. erforming the work the Monitor and the Service Select the most appropriate component for your situation and it waits in the background for the next scheduled Event This chapter describes the Total Visual Agent Monitor and Service components and how to decide which to use Topics in this Chapter gt Running Scheduled Events gt Using the Total Visual Agent Monitor gt Using the Total Visual Agent Service Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 105 Running Scheduled Events In order for scheduled events and actions to run either the Total Visual Agent Monitor or the Total Visual Agent Service must be running When deciding to use the Monitor or the Service consider the benefits and drawbacks of each After determining which component to use refer to the appropriate section in this chapter for details about that component When to Use the Monitor The Monitor is ideal if Total Visual Agent is running on a machine that always has a user logged on Since a user is logged on they are able to see and react to any warnings or prompts that occur when Total Visual Agent executes external programs macros custom commands and compacting ADPs The Monitor performs its processing in the background without disrupting any other activities in the foreground and can be shown or hidden as desired However a user must be logged onto the Total Visual Agent computer for the Monitor to execute scheduled events If the computer is rebooted and
77. event settings to make it a One Time event scheduled in the immediate future and run the Monitor to launch it Testing an Item Database Task Group or Directory Rather than testing all the actions of an event you can test all the actions for one item in the event database task group or directory From the treeview select the item with the actions to test right mouse click and choose Test All Actions from the popup menu Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 91 Scheduled Events 1 4 ACME Daily Tasks BE C ACME Databases Accounting accdb sar Rernove Database from Event Add Action Mowe Database to Another Ewent Test All Actions for a Database A prompt appears to confirm the test Confirmation for Testing All Actions for a Database Similar to testing an Event all the pauses for Custom Command and Execute Macro actions are ignored 92 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features The Total Visual Agent Manager provides other features in addition to setting up and maintaining Event Groups It allows you to maintain a high level view of the databases being managed as well as track historic activity and Database Statistics This chapter explains the other features available in Total Visual Agent Topics in this Chapter gt Managed Databases gt Monitor and Service Status gt Activity History Log
78. for Latest Version FMS Home Page Total Visual Agent Page Product Updates Page Suggestions About Total Visual Agent Help Menu Total Visual Agent Help View the Help file for Total Visual Agent Check for Latest Version See if you are running the latest build FMS Home Page Visit the fmsinc com web site Total Visual Agent Page Visit the product s main page Product Updates Page Visit the product s update page to learn of previous version new features and patches Suggestions Send an email to the FMS development team with your suggestions for improving the product About Open the About form to see information about the program version system information and program log Scheduled Events Treeview The Scheduled Events Treeview shows a hierarchical view of your scheduled Events Items and Actions See Creating an Event on page 38 for details 26 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent Scheduled Events El ACME Daily Tasks Ff C ACME Databases Accounting accdb ak Database Statistics Ef Table Data Extract Fl f C ACME Databases ACME Web Reports adp T h Execute Macro Custom Command ie iiy Compact bls Achive Task Group QE c ACME Databases Accounting accdb ve OE c ACME Databases Time and Billing accdb Hb Archive Database i i C ACME Databases iiy Compact igh Hourly Data Backup E c ACME Databases Sales accdb Ff Table
79. g your own value Note that you can enter values more than 60 so that it runs less than once per hour e g every 90 minutes Of course your tasks should be completed in fewer minutes than you specify i e if an Event takes up to 11 minutes to run you shouldn t schedule it to run every 10 minutes As with Events that run once per hour you can limit the event to certain hours of the day or certain days of the week If you do not specify a beginning time processing begins at midnight If you do not specify an ending time the latest processing can begin is midnight Leave both times blank to create a continuous schedule The beginning and ending hours may span midnight e g 9PM to 3 AM See page 40 for details about the Event Processing Window Daily Schedules The Daily schedule type displays these options Daily Settings Start at 8 00 00 PM Ending no later than 11 59 00 PM Select the days when you want the schedule to be performed W Monday WlTuesday V Wednesday W Thursday Vl Friday W Saturday Sunday Daily Event Options Enter the Event Processing Window for this Event see page 40 for details Total Visual Agent begins processing the Event as soon as possible after the Start at time and stops at the Ending no later than time To create a daily Event limited to certain days of the week un check the days that you do not want to run the Event 42 e Chapter 4 Scheduling Events Total Visual Age
80. gent needs Read definitions and Read Data permissions to extract data from your tables and Execute permission to run macros When managing secured databases it is important to test the Actions you schedule to ensure your security settings are correct See page 47 for more information on the test feature If Total Visual Agent is unable to perform an Action because of insufficient security privileges or if you provide incorrect system workgroup settings an entry is made in the Total Visual Agent log file when the task fails See page 97 for information on using the log file to track activity and detect errors Total Visual Agent stores the User IDs and passwords that you provide in the configuration database TVAGENT15 MDB The information in this table is inaccessible even when the database is opened with Access For maximum security however Total Visual Agent should be installed to a secured location on the network where you can ensure that only authorized personnel have access Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 55 Adding the Database and Selecting Actions After configuring your database settings select the databases from the list and press the Next button The Wizard displays a list of available Actions for the database Which of the following actions would you like to perform on this database iv Compact Database v Archive Database Custom Command Change the Order of Execution Database Sta
81. ghts in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252 227 7013 or subparagraphs c 1 and 2 of the Commercial Computer Software Restricted Rights at 48 CFR 52 227 19 as applicable Manufacturer is FMS Inc Vienna Virginia Printed in the USA Total Visual Agent is copyright by FMS Inc All rights reserved Microsoft Access Excel Word Windows and Visual Basic are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners Total Visual Agent License Agreement e iii Acknowledgments We would like to thank everyone who contributed to make Total Visual Agent a reality In particular we would like to thank our many existing Total Visual Agent customers who offered feedback and suggestions for improvement Many of their suggestions are incorporated in this version Thanks also go to all our beta testers for their diligence and feedback At Microsoft we would like to thank all those on the Access and Jet Engine team who helped with technical support Many people at FMS Inc contributed to the creation of Total Visual Agent They include e Design and Development Luke Chung Scott Ellis and Jim Ferguson e Quality Assurance Molly Pell Aparna Pophale and Madhuja Nair e Technical Support John Litchfield e Documentation Luke Chung and Molly Pell Table of Contents Chapter VCO ICL OM icdinnsccienscane easton cadence ds ceeeiai sous ee aean este een
82. gs are imported and appended to your existing ones Import Appends to Your Existing Events When you import settings they are added to your existing settings Your previously defined events databases and actions are retrieved and appear on your treeview The import makes these adjustments e Imported events are set to Disabled This prevents them from running immediately upon import and gives you the opportunity to review edit and test them Enable the new events when you are ready to activate them e fan imported event name conflicts with an existing event the imported event is given a new name with a number e g Monthly Import1 This avoids them being mixed up with your existing event You can use the Move feature to move items into your existing event if you desire e f animported database is already defined in your list of databases your current settings are used This avoids the same database being defined more than once and uses your latest settings 34 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent e Imported databases are upgraded to the latest version of Microsoft Access on your machine Each database is associated with a version of Access Your older settings may be from another machine referencing the wrong version of Access Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 35 Chapter 4 Scheduling Events The Total Visual Agent Manager gives you complete control over when and how
83. h Windows Services To open MMC Services select Control Panel Administrative Tools Services from the Windows Start Menu 2 Component Services File Action View Window Help e 2000 HA gt an o 9 Console Root Services Local Component Services i Event Viewer Local Total Visual Agent 2013 Service Name Description Status Startup Type Log On As Senices flaca Software Protection Enables the download installation and enfor Automatic Delayed Start Network Service Start the service 4 SPP Notification Service Provides Software Licensing activation and n Manual Local Service SSDP Discovery Discovers networked devices and services tha Started Manual Local Service Description Superfetch Maintains and improves system performance Manual Local System Service to execute Scheduled Tasks System Event Notification Service Monitors system events and notifies subscrib Started Automatic Local System ay ee ees Tablet PC Input Service Enables Tablet PC pen and ink functionality Manual Local System Task Scheduler Enables a user to configure and schedule aut Started Automatic Local System TCP IP NetBIOS Helper Provides support for the NetBIOS over TCP 1 Started Automatic Local Service Telephony Provides Telephony API TAPI support for pr Manual Network Service Themes Provides user experience theme management Started Automatic Local System amp Thread Ordering Server Provides ordered execution for a grou
84. he Event s time Then add the databases as Items under the event If the Items have common Actions add them as a Task Group If the require different Actions add each as a separate item Finally specify the Actions archive compact collect statistics extract table data execute macro and or run custom command All Actions are performed when the Event s scheduled time arrives A database can be in more than one Event For example you may want to perform Actions on your Sales database at different times Once an hour you want to extract backup data from your Orders table once a day you want to archive the entire database and once a week you want to repair and compact To set this up create three Events hourly daily and weekly include the Sales database in all three and add the appropriate Actions Creating an Event Group The Total Visual Agent Manager s main form is organized with a hierarchical treeview listing of the Events Items and Actions on the left side of the screen 38 e Chapter 4 Scheduling Events Total Visual Agent Scheduled Events Ea ACME Daily Tasks a Hourly Data Backup GOB c ACME Databases Sales accdb Fl Table Data Extract Hgh Monthly Accounting iat Once m 7 Weekly Schedule Scheduled Events Event Schedule Cycles Events can be scheduled to run Hourly Daily Weekly Monthly or One Time Additionally you can run Events every X minutes using the options in the Hour
85. he Monitor or Service is not running it can still begin if the Event Processing Window has not passed when the other events have completed If this period of time passes the Event does not start it is skipped and an error is logged If you have email notification turned on you ll also receive an email Once started the Event processes each of its scheduled Items After processing each Item it checks to see if the time has passed the Event Processing Window If so the remaining Items are not processed and an error is logged Check the Total Visual Agent Event Log periodically to see if you need to adjust your schedule parameters so that all Events can finish within their Event Processing Window Processing times increase as Items are added to an Event or existing databases get larger over time Hourly Schedules If you select the Hourly schedule type the Settings section of the form changes to display the hourly options These options depend on the mode you choose Using the Mode drop down choose whether to run the Event Once Per Hour or Every X Minutes 40 e Chapter 4 Scheduling Events Total Visual Agent Every A Minutes Hourly Schedule Options Running Events Once Per Hour Selecting Once Per Hour displays this screen Between 9 n minutes after the hour Between the hours of 12 00 00 AM and 11 59 00 PM Select the days for the schedule Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
86. he Service fails to start consider restarting it or running another program to notify you of the failure Make sure you periodically monitor whether the Service is running properly Scheduled Events will not be processed if the Monitor and the Service are not running 116 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent Dependencies Tab The Dependencies tab displays dependency information for the Service The Total Visual Agent Service has no dependencies so this tab is not applicable Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 117 Chapter 9 Product Support This chapter provides information about troubleshooting problems that arise and obtaining support for Total Visual Agent Topics in this Chapter gt Support Resources gt Web Site Support gt Technical Support Options gt Contacting Technical Support Total Visual Agent Chapter 9 Product Support e 119 Support Resources There are many resources available to help you resolve issues you may encounter Please check the following Readme File Check the README file for the latest product information The README file is located in the directory where you installed the product Product Documentation We ve spent a great deal of care and time to make sure the Total Visual Agent manual and help file are very detailed Check the Table of Contents and Index for your question and read the appropriate pages Web Site Support The
87. his displays the error that occurred during the processing or is blank if processing was successful Error Status 98 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Any additional information such as the name of an archive database copy file size before and after compact macro or command line run etc Total Visual Agent Filtering History Data By default this form shows all activity ever performed by Total Visual Agent You can filter the data so that only certain rows are displayed l You can filter by a particular Event Item and Action by using the drop down boxes at the top Additionally you can filter by date by entering a beginning and or ending date in the between and and fields For example to select all Events that were logged between April 7 and April g enter Between 4 7 and 4 9 W Errors Only Resort Ascending If you leave the first text box blank no beginning time limit is assumed If you leave the second text box blank no ending time limit is assumed To only show errors check the box labeled Errors Only The Resort button lets you resort the list based on Start Time in ascending or descending order Deleting History Data The Delete button lets you delete the data that is displayed If you have a filter on only the filtered data is deleted Generating Log File Reports Total Visual Agent stores log file history data in the table named tblE
88. ht side of the main form displays its options The options are similar for each Item type Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 81 Microsoft Access Jet Database For the Jet database Item type the Custom Command Action inserts the name of the Jet database when it finds the string MDB and executes the command Enter a command line The action can be performed on the Microsoft Access Jet database Use the symbol MDB to reference the file Example xcopy MDB C backup Note the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM MDB Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Cancel Custom Command Settings for a Database Microsoft Access Data Project Similarly the Custom Command Action for an ADP inserts the name of the project when it finds the string HADP and executes the command Enter a command line The action can be performed on the Microsoft Access Data Project Use the symbol ADP to reference the file Example xcopy ADP C backup Note the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM ADP Pause 2 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Custom Command Settings for an Access Data Project 82 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Task Group A command line is created for each database in the Task Group and each command is executed se
89. iew the files that match the mask Click Next to select the Actions to perform on the files in the directory Which of the following actions would you like to perform on this database vi Compact Database v Archive Database Custom Command Change the Order of Execution Database Statistics v Table Data Extract wAExecute Named Macro Add Directory to Event Select the Actions for the Directory and optionally use the arrows to change the order in which the Actions are performed Then click Finish to add the Item and Actions to the Event After adding Items and Actions review each Action and configure its settings to suit your needs Actions are described in detail in Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Process Next Database Option When you select a Directory in the treeview one additional option is available Check this box if you want Total Visual Agent to continue with the next database if one database in the Directory fails l Process Next Database if an error occurs if an error occurs on one of the actions on a database the following actions on that database are always skipped Check this option if you would like to continue processing the remaining databases If this option is not checked processing stops for the database list when an error occurs If you do not have this box checked and Total Visual Agent encounters an error with one of the databases in the directory subsequent datab
90. ine articles papers and books Copies and portions of this information are available to you online Learn about our latest ideas and tricks for developing more effectively Social Media and Support Forums Connect with us share your experiences learn from others and ask your questions in our virtual community e Visit our blog at http blog fmsinc com e Visit our technical support forums at http support fmsinc com e Follow our Twitter fee http twitter com fmsinc e Like our Facebook page Visit our web site for additional instructions www fmsinc com Total Visual Agent Chapter 1 Introduction e 13 Links to Other Development Sites Jump to other locations including forums user groups and other sites with news techniques and related services 14 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent Chapter 2 Installation Total Visual Agent comes with an automated setup program to get you up and running as quickly as possible This chapter describes the system requirements installation steps and instructions for uninstalling Total Visual Agent Topics in this Chapter gt System Requirements gt Installing Total Visual Agent gt Uninstalling Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Chapter 2 Installation e 15 System Requirements Total Visual Agent requires e Your machine to have Microsoft Access 2007 or the 32 bit version of Access 2010 or 2013 installed standard or runtime versions e Hardwar
91. ingle product and may not be separated by use for more than one user at a time You may not rent or lease the SOFTWARE You may not transfer any of your rights under the FMS Software License Agreement to other individuals or entities Without prejudice to any other rights FMS may terminate this FMS Software License Agreement at any time if you fail to comply with any of its terms In such an event of Total Visual Agent License Agreement e i termination you must destroy and stop using all affected SOFTWARE copies Transfer of License If your SOFTWARE is marked NOT FOR RESALE you may not sell or resell the SOFTWARE nor may you transfer the FMS Software license If your SOFTWARE is not marked NOT FOR RESALE you may transfer your license of the SOFTWARE to another user or entity provided that 1 the recipient agrees to all terms of the FMS Software License Agreement 2 you provide all original materials including software disks or compact disks and any other part of the SOFTWARE s physical distribution to the recipient 3 you remove all installations of the SOFTWARE 4 you notify FMS in writing of the ownership transfer Limited Warranty If you discover physical defects in the media on which this SOFTWARE is distributed or in the related manual FMS Inc will replace the media or manual at no charge to you provided you return the item s within 60 days after purchase ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES ON TH
92. ings After adding the database the Database Settings form appears This is also the dialog that appears if you press Edit for an existing database in your list Total Visual Agent Access Database Settings C Access2013 Northwind 2013 accdb C Access2013 Northwind 2013 accdb Comments Access Version The Access version is used to open secured databases and execute macro actions Access 2013 Security Settings Source None no security Use Global Default Specify Workgroup eal Workgroup User ID User Password Database Password Database Settings Dialog Note that this is the same dialog used to maintain database settings for existing database entries You can also open this dialog by pressing the Settings button on the Event Group Details form If you select more than one database to add the settings you select in the Database Settings dialog will be applied to each database Comments The Comments field lets you add notes about the database Access Version Specify the Microsoft Access version that you want to associate with the database The Access version is used to execute Macro Actions Security Settings To perform certain Actions such as compacting and archiving data Total Visual Agent must be able to open read and write to those databases If the database is secured you must provide Total Visual Agent with a User ID and Password to log on to that database You must a
93. jects including tables forms queries reports etc are saved V Compress archived files Number of archived copies 10 Save Archives in Directory C Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive aa Comments optional Archive Options for a Directory of Databases 70 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Archive Database copies the Access Data Projects ADP files found in the selected directory which match the selection file specification to a new location on your hard disk with optional data compression ZIP format You may keep up to 99 versions of the same databases in a selected directory All objects including forms reports reports modules etc are saved Compress archived files Number of archived copies Save Archives in Directory c Total Visual Agent 2013 Archive Archive Options for a Directory of ADPs Directory of Other Files The Archive Action works slightly different for a Directory of Other Files Every file in the directory that matches the selection mask is copied to the backup location and is compressed into a single ZIP file including files from subdirectories if that option is checked Unlike the other Directory Item types the files are not archived in individual files By default the base name of the ZIP file is the name of the source directory but you can override the default using the Base Name for Archive File option Archive files copies the set of files matching
94. lso specify the system workgroup database for logging on Note that the workgroup database is also known as a system database or a workgroup information file For more information search the Access or Visual Basic online help for Security Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 53 Security Source Tell Total Visual Agent how to access your databases None no security The database is not secured No special login ID or system workgroup database is required Use global default Use the system wide settings established in the Configuration Options See page 26 for details Specify Workgroup For databases created with Access 95 or higher or INI file specify the path to the system workgroup database For databases created with earlier versions of Access and VB Jet 1 x and 2 x specify the initialization file that contains the reference to your system workgroup database Access 2003 2002 2000 97 95 and Visual Basic 6 0 5 0 4 0 Security lf your database is secured and you wish to use security settings that are different from the global settings on the Total Visual Agent Configuration Options screen you must specify the system workgroup database User ID and password for Total Visual Agent to perform its work Security Settings Source i None no security O Use Global Default Specify Workgroup ai Workgroup C WINDOWS System32 System mdw User ID Jim User Password ttttttt
95. ly schedule type By default Total Visual Agent contains Events for hourly daily weekly and monthly schedules but events can be added deleted or modified to suit your needs Adding a New Event To create a new Event select Schedule Add Event from the Manager s menu When the dialog appears enter a name that describes the Event New Event Name Event Name ok Cancel Weekly Payroll New Event Name Dialog The new event is added to the Treeview on the left of the form Configuring Event Schedules Select the Event in the treeview and the right side of the form changes to display the appropriate information Choose a schedule type from the drop down list Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events e 39 Schedule Type p Vat Hourly Daily Weekly Monthly One Time Different settings are available depending on the schedule type you choose Each schedule type allows you to specify the Event Processing Window Event Processing Window Each schedule types allow you to specify starting and ending times This range is known as the Event Processing Window The Event Processing Window is useful when you only want to run an Event within a specified period of time or when going beyond a particular time could interfere with other events or people working on the databases If an Event does not start right at its scheduled time either because another event has not finished or because t
96. ng the event to be enabled Verify everything works before you enable the event to run automatically and repeatedly The Activity History Log provides details on what it does along with any errors that occur The test will also send emails to you if you set email notification of errors under Tools Options Enable and Disable Events Occasionally you may want to suspend processing an Event without removing it permanently You can temporarily disable an Event by selecting Disable Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu To re enable the Event select Enable Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu 46 e Chapter 4 Scheduling Events Total Visual Agent You can visually identify which Events are enabled by looking at the Event in the treeview If the Event is disabled the icon is grayed out with a red slashed circle Next Steps Configuring a Scheduled Event So far we have created and scheduled an Event but have not instructed Total Visual Agent on what to do when the scheduled time arrives To do that configure the Event to specify the Items to manage and the Actions to perform This is described in Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Activating Schedules Creating the Event Groups and specifying the databases and tasks to perform does not automatically execute the Actions Either the Monitor or the Service must be running at the scheduled time See Chapter 8 Running Schedule
97. nt Weekly Schedules The Weekly schedule type displays options for the day of the week to run the event and for the Event Processing Window See page 40 for details about the Event Processing Window Weekly Settings Onevery sunday Starting at 12 00 00 AM Ending no later than 11 59 00 PM Weekly Event Options Monthly Schedules The Monthly schedule type displays options for the day of the month to run the event and for the Event Processing Window explained on page 40 Monthly Settings Onthe 1 day of the month Starting at 12 00 00 AM Ending no later than 11 59 00 PM Monthly Event Options Scheduling Events on the Last Day of the Month To run an Event on the last day of every month schedule it to run on the 31 day of the month This runs the Event on the month s last day even for months with fewer than 31 days For instance in February the Event would run on the 28 or the 29 in a leap year After the Event is processed the schedule is disabled If you want to execute the Event again change the starting at time to a future time and enable the Event Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events e 43 One Time Events You can have events only run once at a date and time you specify in the future Enter the date it should start You can leave the ending date blank or specify it if you don t want to run it after that time if other events delay the launch of this event See page 40 for det
98. o Event Items for details about adding and configuring Actions Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 63 Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items After adding the Event Items to manage configure the Actions to perform This chapter describes the Actions available for each Item type and how to add and customize them Topics in this Chapter Action Overview Archive Database Action Table Data Extract Action Compact Database Action Custom Command Action Database Statistics Action Execute Named Macro Action Y Y VV VV V WV Testing a Scheduled Action Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 65 Action Overview When you add an Item Access Jet database ADP Task Group or Directory to an Event you can specify the Actions to perform Additionally you can add Actions to existing Items by selecting the Item in the treeview and selecting Add Action from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu Remove Database from Event Test All Actions Add Action Archive Database Lompact Databas Move Database to Another Event ea Custom Command Database Statistics Execute Named Macro Table Data Extract Add Action Menu for the Current Database Note that not all Actions are available for each Item type Details about the Actions available for each Item are provided in the remainder of this chapter Available Actions Total Visual Agent can
99. oblem that you are encountering This should include the name and version of the product your operating system and the specific problem If the product generated an error file please submit that as well Our ticketing system will let you track the progress of your issue and see the entire thread of communications and file attachments Total Visual Agent Chapter 9 Product Support e 123 Please bear in mind that a unique issue may involve meetings between the technical support staff and product developers so your patience is appreciated Microsoft Technical Support FMS only provides technical support for its products If you have questions regarding Microsoft products please contact Microsoft technical support 124 e Chapter 9 Product Support Total Visual Agent Index NET Framework installation 17 A Access 2007 11 16 Runtime 16 Access Data Projects see ADPs Access Locations 28 29 Access Version 53 actions testing 89 92 Actions 38 89 92 Archive Database see Archive Database Compact Database see Compact Database Custom Command see Custom Command Database Statistics see Database Statistics Execute Macro see Execute Macro Table Data Extract see Table Data Extract activity log files see History Log ADPs 50 56 58 Archive Database 30 66 67 71 ADPs 69 archive directory 67 compressing 68 copies 67 default settings 30 Directories 70 86 Jet Databases 68 Task Groups 70 zip 6
100. of the SMTP server used to send message and the port number on which the SMTP service is running Note that the server must allow relay in order for Total Visual Agent to send email lf your organization or email provider offers an SMTP service that allows relay configure Total Visual Agent to use that Many internet service providers and webmail services including gmail com allow access to SMTP servers The default port is 25 or 465 for servers that require SSL Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 31 Creating Your Own SMTP Server If you do not have access to an existing SMTP server that allows relay Windows Server offers SMTP with Internet Information Services IIS Contact your network administrator SMTP Authentication User Name Password Select this option if the server requires SMTP authentication In the User Name and Password fields enter the credentials of a user who has sufficient privileges to send email through the SMTP server Use SSL Select this option if the server requires an encrypted connection SSL The port changes to 465 which is the default port number for servers that require SSL Other Program Settings The Other Program Settings tab offers two options for specifying how the Monitor behaves when you run it more details at Using the Total Visual Agent Monitor on page 106 Total Visual Agent Configuration Options xs Serererterertrerirerrtrrirerire fo Meirerre
101. ommand Lines and Macros your event can pause for a certain number of minutes while your process completes Previously the minimum was one minute You can now enter fractional minutes so 0 1 is six seconds Total Visual Agent Chapter 1 Introduction e 9 Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Simplified Addition of New Actions Rather than opening a form to select a new action to add to an existing database or task group or directory the right click menu lets you select the new action to add and immediately set the options Remove Database from Event Test All Actions Add Action Archive Database Compact Database Move Database to Another Event c Custom Command Database Statistics Execute Named Macro Table Data Extract This is also available on the Schedule menu Compressed Archive File Names Support Multiple Extensions Previously when creating compressed files from Archives or Data Extract the archive file was the name of the original file with a ZIP extension To support multiple databases with the same name e g Sample mdb Sample accdb Sample adp the zip file contains the extension and then ZIP such as Sample mdb zip Sample accdb zip and Sample adp zip Add Comments to Events Directories and Actions Add your own description to better remember and manage your events directories and actions See List of Selected Files for
102. p of thr Manual Local Service 3 Total Visual Agent 2013 Service Service to execute Scheduled Tasks by Total Local System Si TP AutoConnect Service ThinPrint print component for printing with Started Manual Local System TP VC Gateway Service ThinPrint print component that receives prin Manual Local System TPM Base Services Enables access to the Trusted Platform Modu Manual Local Service Microsoft Management Console MMC Services Total Visual Agent Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events e 113 Locate the service named Total Visual Agent 2013 Service and select Properties from the Action menu or double click on the service to open the Properties window The Properties Window is standard across all Windows Services This manual does not document standard Windows Service properties instead it only lists information specific to the Total Visual Agent Service Refer to the MMC help file for more information about the settings on this form For context sensitive help put the cursor in the appropriate field and press F1 on your keyboard General Tab The General tab provides options for starting and stopping the Service Total Visual Agent 2013 Service Properties Local Computer z General Log On Recover Dependencies Service name otal VisualAgent 01 35ernvice Display name Total Visual Agent 7013 Service Service to execute Scheduled Tasks by Total Visual Description Agent 2013 Pa
103. parately The Custom Command Action inserts the name of the database when it finds the string MDB Enter a command line The action can be performed on each database inthis Task Group database Use the symbol MDB to reference the file Example xcopy MDB C backup Note the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM MDB Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Test Cancel Custom Command Settings for a Task Group Directory of Databases Access Data Projects When you run the Custom Command Action on a Directory of Databases or ADPs a command line is executed separately for each database in the directory that matches your selection mask For a Directory of MDBs the MIDB string is replaced with the name of the database For a Directory of ADPs the ADP string is replaced with the name of the project Enter a command line The action can be performed on each Microsoft Access Jet database matching your file specifications Use the symbol 4MDB to reference the file Example xcopy MDB C backup Note the use of quotes to enclose the file name Custom Command command com c REM MDB Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Custom Command Settings for a Directory of Databases Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 83 Enter a command line The action can be performed on each Microsoft Access Data
104. perform the following Actions e Archive Database Make a copy of an entire database and optionally compress zip it See page 67 for details e Table Data Extract Copy table data into another database and optionally compress zip it You can extract data from all tables or only a subset of tables See page 71 for details e Compact Database Compact a database onto itself or into a new database file See page 76 for details e Custom Command Execute a DOS or Windows command optionally using the file name as an argument See page 80 for details e Database Statistics Collect Database Statistics including object counts record counts and database size See page 84 for details e Execute Named Macro Execute a macro contained in a Jet database or Data Project See page 87 for details 66 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Each of the Actions has unique settings The Actions available and the options for these Actions may vary based on the type of Event Item Archive Database Action Total Visual Agent s Archive Database action saves an entire copy of your database ADP or other files into a location you designate You can save up to 99 copies versions of the same files The files are named using the Original file name plus a two digit addition to the file portion of the name For example if you are archiving the database C MsoOffice Access Samples Solutions ACCDB Into the directory C
105. ptions form to setup your environment The form has been redesigned to simplify the entering of the installed Access versions directory locations and SMTP email settings Easily Manage Multiple Access Versions The new design makes it much easier to manage multiple versions of Access in a list Total Visual Agent automatically loads the system with the location of the Access versions it detects on your machine A check box is added to filter the list to the Access versions installed Total Visual Agent Configuration Options Microsoft Access Locations Default File Locations Error Alert Mail Settings Other Program Settings Specify the location of the Access Versions installed on your computer This information is necessary for running Macros and managing Access Data Projects ADP s Access Version Location of Microsoft Access 2013 C Program Files Microsoft Office Office15 msaccess exe BE Access 2010 Access 2007 Access 2003 Microsoft Access Workgroup security file if any Access 2002 l Access 2000 C Users User AppData Roaming Microsoft Access System mdw a Access 97 Access 95 Access 2 0 User ID Password E Hide Uninstalled Versions Refresh OK Cancel Help Chapter 1 Introduction e 7 Importing from Other Versions of Total Visual Agent Previously it was all or none You could import the schedules created in an older version of Total Visual Agent or another instance of it but it wo
106. r rights to install the program To install the program run the Setup exe program and follow these steps 16 e Chapter 2 Installation Total Visual Agent Total Visual Welcome to the Total Yisual Agent 2013 installation program This Setup Wizard wall install the program on your computer Total Visual Agent 2073 requires your machine to have Microsoft Access 2007 or the 32 bit versions of Access 2010 or 2013 installed install ie H CORS Initial Screen after Launching Setup exe 1 When prompted enter your registration information and serial number 2 Specify the destination folder for the files 3 Be sure to read the readme file for any late breaking news that is not included in the manual or help file Installing the NET Framework Total Visual Agent includes components that require the NET Framework to be installed To be compatible with multiple operating systems it uses the NET Framework 2 0 On operating systems from Windows NT through Windows 7 if it s not installed the setup program installs it automatically Unfortunately Windows 8 and 8 1 behaves differently Installation on Windows 8 With Windows 8 you activate the NET Framework 3 5 from the Windows 8 or later Control Panel under Programs and Features Select the Turn Windows features on or off on the left side to bring up this dialog Total Visual Agent Chapter 2 Installation e 17 it Windows Features O Turn Window
107. rirres Pe rirerrirrriti T T F Show the Monitor icon in the System Tray on your TaskBar F Hide Monitor Icon While Running Configuration Options Other Program Settings Show the Monitor Icon in the System Tray on your TaskBar If checked the Monitor appears on your system tray so you can see and select it from there 32 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent ve Customize gti cee aelen ak l O o T50 AM Total Visual Agent Appears on the System Tray as a Big M If unchecked it doesn t appear there Hide Monitor Icon While Running Normally the Monitor appears on your Windows task bar like any other program If this option is checked the Total Visual Agent Monitor is hidden while it s running This prevents you from accidentally opening it when you just want it to run in the background continuously When it runs invisibly you cannot interact with it unless you have selected the previous option to put it on your system tray Importing Settings from a Previous Version When upgrading from a previous version of Total Visual Agent or Total Access Agent you can import your existing schedule and configuration settings rather than setting them up from scratch You can also import settings from the trial version or another installation of Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent and the earlier Total Access Agents store their configuration settings in a Microsoft Jet database The name
108. s To view the statistics collected by Total Visual Agent choose Database Statistics from the View menu or press the ab button on the toolbar The Snapshot Inquiry form provides three ways to view the data collected e Snapshot View Displays all detail data for each snapshot e Table View Displays record counts for a selected table over time multiple Snapshots e Object View Displays object counts for a database over time 100 e Chapter 7 Other Management Features Total Visual Agent Snapshot View A Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry 2s Search By Database C sACME Databases ales mdb Between and Snapshot Tables Objects Snapshot Taken Database C ACME Databases ales mdb 4 9 10 06 AM 4 10 10 06 4M fier CE Forms 2 Reports 14 Macros o ables a Queries 2 Modules J lndexes FO Relations 7 Total 149 DAPs F Database Size 23394720KB Record Count Customers _b n Employees Order Details a0 Close Help Database Statistics Snapshot Inquiry Form Snapshot View Each time a statistical snapshot is taken for a particular database a new entry is made into the Snapshot Taken list You can scroll through the list or select a particular snapshot by clicking on it When you select a snapshot from the list the corresponding detail information displays on the right side of the screen The right side of the screen also displays the data
109. s features on or off C7 To turn a feature on select its check box To turn a feature off clear its check box A filled box means that only part of the feature is turned on on NET Framework 3 5 includes NET 2 0 and 3 0 lt a A m Windows Communication Foundation HTTP Activation _ Windows Communication Foundation Non HTTP Activation OFF NET Framework 4 5 Advanced Services Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services LJ Hyper V v Internet Explorer 10 Ld Internet Information Services _ Internet Information Services Hostable Web Core Media Features E Le Microsoft Message Queue MSMQ Server Network Projection E m Print and Document Services Y Control Panel Programs and Features Windows Features Select the item as shown above and press OK It will process and prompt you to download a Windows Update which may take a while Afterwards your machine is ready Symptoms if the NET Framework is Not Installed The Total Visual Agent Manager does not require the NET Framework so you can run that to setup your tasks From the Manager menu under View Monitor and Service Manager you can start the Total Visual Agent Monitor see Monitor and Service Status on page 95 for details If the NET Framework is not installed when you launch the Monitor for the first time you are prompted with this dialog 18 e Chapter 2 Installation Total Visual Agent H Windows Features An
110. s the Item s file selection mask and the macro is executed for each Note that the name of the macro must be identical in each database project in the directory Directory of Other Files The Macro Action is not available for Directories of Other Files Testing a Scheduled Action The first time you schedule an Action for Total Visual Agent to perform you should use the Test feature to verify that the Action performs successfully There are several reasons that an Action could fail for example e Incorrect security settings or insufficient privileges to perform the Action e Incorrect file settings such as a bad path or specifying a file location with insufficient disk space e A misspelled macro name or bad command line Action e The database was renamed or deleted Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 89 With the Action selected in the treeview click Test to perform the Action Regardless of the number of Actions assigned for this database only the selected Action is tested If the test is successful the following message appears Total Visual Agent oO Test Completed View the Activity History Log for details Test Completed Successfully If there are warnings or errors the following message appears Total Visual Agent Test Completed With Warnings Click OK to open the Activity History Log which contains more information about the warning or error see page 97 for details
111. schedules from a previous installation Topics in this Chapter Launching Total Visual Agent Starting Total Visual Agent for the First Time Using the Total Visual Agent Manager Configuring the Options Y Y V V WV Importing Settings from a Previous Version Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration e 21 Launching Total Visual Agent After installing Total Visual Agent use the Manager to configure options and create a schedule From the Windows Start menu All Programs go under FMS Total Visual Agent 2013 Total Visual Agent Manager DE FMS do Total Visual Agent 2013 Ey Help Launch Monitor Launch Service Readme EW Total Visual Agent Manager FINS Update Wizard p User Manual Web Site Start Menu Shortcut to Launch Total Visual Agent Starting Total Visual Agent for the First Time The first time you run Total Visual Agent you are prompted to enter the initial options This dialog appears Total Visual Agent Since this is the first time you ve run Total Visual Agent review the options to ensure the installed Microsoft Access versions file locations and email settings are correct First Time Alert to Set Options 22 e Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration Total Visual Agent Setting Program Options otal Visual Agent Configuration Options Microsoft Access Locations Default File Locations Error Alert Mail Settings Other Program Settings Specify the location
112. se Remove and follow the prompts Total Visual Agent 2013 InstallShield Wizard Welcome Modify repair or remove the program Welcome to the Total Visual Agent 2013 Setup Maintenance program This program lets you modify the current installation Click one of the options below Total Visual ie Select new program features to add or select currently installed features to remove Repair eae Reinstall all program features installed by the previous setup g Remove 2 Remove all installed features Install Sie lt Back nee a Removing Total Visual Agent After a few moments the Total Visual Agent program files and its registry entries are deleted Uninstalling Total Visual Agent does not remove the settings database TVAGENT15 MDB which holds all configuration and Event Schedule information This database is retained to allow you to use your existing settings with future installations of the product If you do not plan to reuse your settings however you may manually delete the settings database from your installation folder 20 e Chapter 2 Installation Total Visual Agent Chapter 3 Startup and Configuration After installing Total Visual Agent it s important to take some time to configure the product to suit your needs This chapter explains how to start the program for the first time how to use the available options to get the most out of Total Visual Agent and how to import
113. ses ACCDB MDB C ACME Databases Accounting accdb 05 c ACME Databases Sales accdb 5 c ACME Databases Time and Billing accdb Assigned to These Events ACME Daily Tasks Daily Monthly Accounting Monthly Add Database to Event Databases that you have already added are listed in the upper pane and the Assigned to These Events pane lists all Events that the Database is included in Select an existing database from the list or click New to add a new database to the list Total Visual Agent Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events e 51 52 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Add Database Ned de Local Disk C ACME Databases Search A Organize v New folder Yk Favorites i Name Date modified E Desktop QE Accounting accdb 1 27 4 55PM Microsoft A gp Downloads Fh Employees mdb 6 17 2 54PM Microsoft A Recent Places al Inventory accdb 7 27 4 55PM Microsoft A EJ Sales mdb 5 17 2 54 PM Microsoft A iow Libraries 7 a Time and Billing accdb 1 27 4 55PM Microsoft A L Documents a Music b Pictures E Videos j Computer g Local Disk C GP Proddev fmsfi gt 4 Filename Sales mdb Access accdb mdb adp 2 v New Database Dialog Select multiple databases from the same folder by holding the Ctrl key and clicking the database names in the list or the Shift key to select all the files between the beginning and ending clicks Database Sett
114. t mail settings 30 32 other program settings 32 other program settings 32 p password 54 process next database 62 processing window see Event processing window R recovery 72 registration 123 rename Event 46 Repair Database see Compact Database reports 99 104 Run as Administrator 111 S schedule Events see Event schedule schedule status 44 schedule type see Event schedule Scheduled Events treeview 26 38 security 53 55 database password 54 INI file 54 55 permissions 55 workgroup database 54 select tables 74 85 Service 6 95 97 105 17 external programs 110 interact with desktop 116 limitations 110 Starting 114 status 95 stopping 114 setup 15 20 Statistics see Database Statistics support 119 24 support forums 13 system requirements 16 T Table Data Extract 30 66 71 76 ADPs 75 copies 72 default settings 30 Directories 75 format 72 Jet Databases 73 select tables 74 Task Groups 75 task bar icon 32 Task Groups 50 58 60 Total Visual Agent technical support 119 24 test actions 89 92 test event actions 90 test item actions 91 test multiple actions 90 toolbar 24 Total Visual Agent Engine see Engine Total Visual Agent Manager see Manager Total Visual Agent Monitor see Monitor Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Service see Service treeview see Scheduled Events treeview troubleshooting 119 24 U uninstall
115. ted database in Access and runs the specified macro You can optionally include a pause before Total Visual Agent continues with the next Action Execute Macro launches your copy of Microsoft Access opens the database and executes the named macro Make sure you have permissions on the database and that the actions performed by the macro run without user intervention If no macro name is specified Access simply opens the database Macro Name Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Test Cancel Macro Settings for a Database 88 e Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Total Visual Agent Microsoft Access Data Project Similarly the Macro Action for an ADP opens the selected project in Access and runs the specified macro You can optionally include a pause before Total Visual Agent continues with the next Action Execute Macro launches your copy of Microsoft Access opens the Data Project ADP and executes the named macro You must ensure that the actions performed by the macro run without user intervention If no macro name is specified Access simply opens the database Macro Name Pause 0 1 Minutes After Execution Comments optional Test Cancel Macro Settings for an Access Data Project Directory of Databases Access Data Projects When you run the Macro Action on a Directory of Databases or ADPs a separate instance of Microsoft Access is launched for each database that matche
116. th to executable CATotal Visual Agent 2073 FMS TVA Service exe Help me configure service startup options Service status Stopped You can specify the start parameters that apply when you start the service from here Start parameters OK Total Visual Agent Service General Properties From this tab you can control the startup type for the Service We recommend that you set the Startup Type to Automatic so the Service automatically starts when Windows is rebooted You can also and manually start stop pause and resume the Service 114 e Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events Total Visual Agent The Total Visual Agent Service does not have any applicable parameters so the Start parameters field should always be blank Log On Tab The Log On tab provides options for how the Service logs on to the system Total Visual Agent 2013 Service Properties Local Computer Log on as Local System account E Allow service to interact with desktop This account Help me configure user account log on options Total Visual Agent Service Log On Properties Select Local System Account to specify that the Service logs on to the local system account or This Account to specify a particular user account Generally you should use the Local System Account option however if Total Visual Agent accesses protected
117. that is accessible to Total Visual Agent To add a Directory choose Add Directory to Event from the Schedule menu or Add Directory from the right click shortcut menu Add Directory to Event Directory C ACME Databases V Include Subdirectories Include Files Matching Mask for example accdb mdb mda ACCDB MDB Exclude Files Matching Mask Orders Directory Contains Other Files View Matches lt Back Next gt Add Directory to Event The following options are available on this form Directory Type the full path of the Directory to manage or use the button to browse for the directory You can use either the UNC path server share or the mapped drive letter Note that if you use a mapped drive letter the 60 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent Service must be configured to log on as a user account with the same drive letter mappings in order to access the folder See page 113 for details about configuring the Service settings Include Subdirectories Check this box to include files in the subdirectories of the directory specified as well as the directory itself If this checkbox is left unchecked only files in the specified directory will be included Include Files Matching Mask This file specification mask filters the files in the directory to those matching the specification The specification uses standard MS DOS file name ux
118. the components needs to be running to execute the scheduled Events Refer to Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events for information about which component to use Hiding and Showing the Monitor and Service You can hide or show the Total Visual Agent Monitor and Service Control Manager from the icon located in the Windows System Tray Just right click the M or the f icon and select Hide or Show appropriately Additionally the Monitor includes a Hide Monitor button to hide the Monitor Activity History Log Select the View Activity History Log menu item or click the button on the toolbar to load the Activity History Log inquiry form Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 97 E BW Activity History Log o amp s Event lt au gt bd Between Item lt ALL gt z and Action lt ALL gt Mi Errors Only Resort Ascending Log Level Event Name Database or Directory Start Time End Time Error Status Comment a Action Test ACME C ACME Execute 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Macro C Program Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb Named 11 20 12 PM 11 20 14 PM Files Microsoft Item Test ACME C ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks Databases Accounting accdb 11 20 12 PM 11 20 20 PM Event Test ACME 3 11 2014 3 11 2014 Daily Tasks 11 20 12 PM 11 20 20 PM Action Test ACME c ACM
119. the database Compacts the database to a temporary file Verifies that the temporary database was created Renames the original database to a temporary file Se SY Se Renames the temporary database to the original file Although every precaution is taken to ensure that your database can be safely compacted onto itself it is always a good idea to perform a separate backup of the database prior to scheduling the compact operation Access Jet Databases versus Access Data Projects Microsoft Access Jet databases MDBs ACCDBs are compacted directly by the Microsoft Jet database engine via the Total Visual Agent program It is not necessary to run Microsoft Access to compact Jet databases For Access Data Projects ADPs however Total Visual Agent must run Microsoft Access to perform the Compact Action This is because the Jet database engine does not control ADPs Total Visual Agent launches Access with a command line switch telling it to compact the file To compact ADPs be sure that you have the appropriate version s of Access configured on the Settings form see page 28 VBA Project Storage in Access 2000 and Later Total Visual Agent performs the Compact Action directly via Microsoft DAO Data Access Objects interface and therefore does not use Microsoft Access This is not a problem for versions of Access prior to Access 2000 where the compact operation is purely a Jet operation Beginning with Access 2000 however the way
120. the program stores its VBA project information data about forms reports modules and classes changed With the post Access 2000 VBA project storage scheme compacting a database from DAO instead of Microsoft Access does not compact the VBA project Table data is compacted and query statistics are updated but the VBA project information is not fully compacted In order to perform this extra level of compaction use your copy of Microsoft Access For projects that are distributed to users this should not be an issue since the VBA project should be compiled and stable This limitation generally Total Visual Agent Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items e 77 only affects projects that are currently under development and seeing ongoing changes to the VBA project information To schedule Total Visual Agent to use your copy of Microsoft Access to perform this extra level of compaction you can use the Total Visual Agent Custom Command feature to launch Microsoft Access using the compact command line switch The following is an example command line that you might use C Program Files Office Msaccess exe MDB compact Details by Event Item Type When you select the Compact Action in the treeview the right side of the main form displays its options The options are very similar for each Item type Microsoft Access Jet Database You can choose to compact the Databases to their original file or to a specific named file
121. ting for the time to process the next scheduled Event For each Item in the Event Group the Monitor dispatches the Total Visual Agent Engine to perform the Action Total Visual Agent Chapter 1 Introduction e 5 For the Monitor program to run a user must be logged onto the computer that is running Total Visual Agent If a user will not be logged on consider using the Service instead of the Monitor Total Visual Agent Service The Total Visual Agent Service executes Event Groups as a Windows Service The Service runs more securely than the Monitor since it doesn t require a user to be logged on Additionally the Service can be configured to start automatically with Windows so you can be confident that it s running Note however that using the Service to launch external programs such as macros custom commands and compacting ADPs is potentially dangerous If the external program fails for any reason the program may remain open in memory with no feedback shown on screen This can cause your computer to stop responding and may potentially cause database corruption See Chapter 8 Running Scheduled Events for details about the differences between the Monitor and the Service and the limitations of each Total Visual Agent Engine The Total Visual Agent Engine is the part of Total Visual Agent that performs the Actions compact and repair archive etc The Total Visual Agent Engine performs its work behind the scenes and
122. tistics Table Data Extract wAExecute Named Macro Database Actions Select the Actions to perform by checking the items in the list To change the order in which the Actions are performed select the Action and press the up or down arrow to change its position in the list When you finish selecting the Actions press the Finish button to add the Item and Actions to the Event Group After adding Items and Actions be sure to review each Action and configure its settings to suit your needs Actions are described in detail in Chapter 6 Adding Actions to Event Items Adding an Access Data Project Item Adding an Access Data Project ADP Item to an Event is similar to adding a Jet Database see page 51 To add an ADP choose Add Access Data Project to Event from the Schedule menu or Add Access Data Project from the right click shortcut menu 56 e Chapter 5 Adding Items to Events Total Visual Agent EW Add Database to Event Select the database s from the list and press Next Use New to add a new database to this list QE Access Data Projects ADP l f c ACME Databases ACME Web Reports adp Assigned to These Events vent tive type ACME Daily Tasks lt Back jl Next gt Add Access Data Project ADP to Event As with Access Jet databases you can either select an existing ADP from the list or add an ADP by clicking New After you select the ADP s to add the
123. uld replace any existing settings By definition you could only do it once ile View Schedule Tools Help Import Manager Settings Ctrl I Exit Ctrl Q Under the File menu Import Manager Settings lets you add specifications from multiple instances without eliminating your existing settings It automatically uses the existing database specifications if the managed database is already defined Test Events Databases Directories and Task Groups Previously only individual actions could be tested You can now test all the actions related to every level This makes it easy to test multiple actions across multiple objects to see if they work as expected Scheduled Events Z Daily Schedule AP Hourly Schedule Ser Add Event bzg Duplicate Event af air Rename Event F2 Delete Event g Test All Event Actions Enable Event Events that Run Every X Minutes In addition to specifying the number of minutes an event can run within an hour you can now specify events that run for any number of minutes Every minutes This lets you specify periods that are don t divide evenly within an hour or for more than an hour For instance an event repeating every 17 minutes or 90 minutes or 360 minutes 4 hours 8 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent Events that are Limited to Periods Spanning Midnight Previously you could limit tasks that ran during the day e g 2 AM to 6 AM
124. vel of support from FMS The annual fee entitles you to telephone and email technical support from a senior support engineer From time to time FMS may release new versions of existing products which add new features These are point releases e g from version 15 0 to 15 1 and are different from new builds that correct problems in existing features e g from version 15 00 0001 to 15 00 0004 These point releases are available for a nominal upgrade fee to existing customers Premium Technical Support subscribers receive these upgrades automatically and for no additional charge during their subscription term NOTE Upgrades between versions for instance going from Access 2010 to Access 2013 are not considered Point Release Upgrades and are not included in the Premium Subscription Subscriptions are available for a twelve month period and may be purchased at any time You must be the registered owner of the product to purchase a subscription and the only person contacting FMS for support under the subscription Please ensure you have purchased the Subscription you need for Total Visual Agent Per Incident Our Per Incident package is available individually or by purchasing multiple incidents in advance The Per Incident support package provides telephone and email technical support from a Senior Technical Support Engineer for resolving one incident 122 e Chapter 9 Product Support Total Visual Agent An incident is defined as a
125. ventLog in the configuration database TVAGENT15 MDB You can use Microsoft Access or another database reporting tool to create reports based on the Total Visual Agent log file table Several example reports are provided in the database for your use and you can add copy and modify reports to suit your needs Top open the database press the Open Log Database button Access Reports The Total Visual Agent configuration database contains several sample reports which you can run as is or modify with your copy of Microsoft Access The configuration database is found in the Total Visual Agent installation directory Total Visual Agent Chapter 7 Other Management Features e 99 Be careful not to alter or delete any tables or queries contained in the Total Visual Agent Configuration database These objects are required for proper execution of Total Visual Agent To be safe consider copying the reports into another database and linking the required tables from the Total Visual Agent Configuration database Database Statistics The Database Statistics Action explained on page 84 collects statistics record counts and object counts about your databases Keeping track of this type of information is important for capacity management and application performance reasons Over time the statistics you collect can be a valuable management tools in gauging the growth of your databases usage levels during the day and future capacity need
126. vents To duplicate an Event and all related schedule information select Duplicate Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu R Duplicate Event Event Name to Duplicate ACME Daily Tasks New Event Name Copy of ACME Daily Tasks Duplicate Event Group Dialog Enter the name for the new Event and click OK When you duplicate an Event the Event schedule parameters are copied i e the dates and times you specify along with the Items and Actions associated with that Event Total Visual Agent Chapter 4 Scheduling Events e 45 Rename Events To change an Event s name select Rename Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu The following dialog appears Rename Event Group Event Name Daily Schedule ST Cancel Rename Event Dialog Enter the new name for the Event Only the name is changed no other schedule information is affected Delete Events To delete an Event select Delete Event from the Schedule menu or the right click shortcut menu After confirming the deletion the Event is deleted along with all related schedule information Prior to deleting an Event you should stop the Total Visual Agent Monitor and Service so that you don t delete an Event while it s being processed See page 95 for information about starting and stopping the Monitor Test All Event Actions This lets you test all the actions within the event without requiri
127. y that doesn t exist Total Visual Agent creates it Compressing Archives Total Visual Agent can optionally compress your databases into a compressed archive ZIP file Depending on the contents of your database you Can save substantial amounts of hard disk space Be aware that if you have encrypted your database using Access security the database cannot be significantly compressed The technique used to encrypt the database randomizes the data in such a way that the Zip compression tool cannot make the file significantly smaller than the original database For compressed archived copies Total Visual Agent uses the naming convention discussed above including the extension plus the ZIP extensions For instance MyData accdb becomes MyData accdb zip The original extension is kept to support situations where you may have multiple files with the same name and different extensions e g MyData ACCDB MyData MDB MyData ADP etc Archive Database Suggestions e Schedule archives for a time when no users are logged on to the database Archives require exclusive use of the database by Total Visual Agent e To protect against hardware failure save backups onto a different machine than the original database e For extra security copy the saved archives to another location Use the Custom Command Action see page 80 to do this automatically e Copy the archive onto a backup tape Details by Event Item Type When you select the Archiv
128. you do not interact with this component directly New Features in This Version Since Total Access Agent was first introduced in 1996 we have released seven major versions in the Agent product line The latest version of Total Visual Agent builds on our vast expertise and offers the best database management solution to date This version of Total Visual Agent includes the following new features and enhancements Support for Microsoft Access 2010 and 2013 Total Visual Agent supports databases created in Microsoft Access 2013 2010 and earlier versions of Access Your machine must have a copy of Microsoft Access 2007 or the 32 bit version of Access 2010 or 2013 If it s managing databases across a network other users of the databases could be using the 64 bit version of Access 2010 or 2013 6 e Chapter 1 Introduction Total Visual Agent Total Visual Agent Support for 64 bit Operating Systems Total Visual Agent can run on 32 and 64 bit operating systems It supports all versions of Windows from NT through Windows 8 Improved User Interface More modern fonts and graphics and other enhancements make Total Visual Agent easier to use and understand For instance the new icons make it very easy to see which events are enabled or disabled All the relevant forms can be resized and maximized more menu items have shortcut keys etc Simplified Startup When Total Visual Agent runs for the first time you immediately enter the O

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