Item: JAMS
Rating: 10
Author: Ray Lidzy

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

After trying to schedule up to 250 SQL Server Integrations Services (SSIS) packages each day using SQL Server Agent Jobs, I realized I needed something more flexible. In a previous position, I used Automic (UC4) for scheduling. I researched 6 scheduling systems and chose JAMS from HelpSystems. JAMS was about the same cost as UC4, but I had the opportunity to secure a license for Automate as well. After installation, I scripted the jobs for all of the SSIS packages and imported them into JAMS. There is an import process, but I found I could script the packages into jobs to import with less configuration on my part. I am very happy with my decision as it was easy to create calendar exclusions for the non-processing days and the workflows are easy to configure. I really like the workflow objects that can loop, branch, and selectively execute jobs based on previous results.

Pros and Cons

Flexible Calendar configurations
PowerShell execution with JAMS modules included
Simple to configure running jobs in parallel and sequences
Client views to watch the work flows as the jobs complete
Verbose logging to determine the issue when a job fails.
Easily restart a job after the issue has been resolved
Great integration with MS SQL server

Ability to drag and drop to move jobs to other folders
Shortcuts to navigate to frequently used folders
Hover objects to see schedule and other details at a glance

Return on Investment

JAMS has reduced the time I spend on deploying new processes
JAMS has increase the reliability and visibility of work flows
When there are issues I can view the logs and history and resolve issues quickly
JAMS scheduling application is robust so jobs won't be missed when servers reboot

Scalability

We are running JAMS on a small VM server. I know I will not reach the limits of what this one server can handle. We are optimistic that our growth can be maintained in JAMS without further investment. Reviewing the monitoring on my SQL Servers I can see the performance increases when I moved the scheduling out of SQL Server Agent Jobs. Since we've had JAMS we've increased the number of jobs we run daily with little effort to configure the workflows. For those that run hundreds of thousands of jobs per day, there are options to have High Availability with load balancing.

Support Rating

As stated earlier I had an issue with implementing an upgrade to an agent on a remote server. I opened a ticket and received a response within minutes. The issue was quickly resolved and all was secure and running smoothly within the hour. Previously I had an error on a local maintenance job. They were able to look at the situation and provide a resolution without delays in the scheduling.

Alternatives Considered

Broadcom Automic Automation, Microsoft SQL Server and Jeeves

JAMS is completely priced and is much easier to implement and configure. Like painting with a wide brush stroke the alerting and job actions are easy to apply. I have used other systems where each action required multiple configuration steps to stop the workflow when a job fails and to provide alerts. With JAMS I have a sound global configuration that keeps me informed of the schedule status.

Key Insights

Do you think JAMS delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with JAMS's feature set?

Yes

Did JAMS live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of JAMS go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy JAMS again?

Yes

Other Software Used

SolarWinds SQL Sentry, SolarWinds Task Factory, ZappySys SSIS PowerPack, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Integration Services, HelpSystems Automate, Adobe Acrobat DC

Likelihood to Recommend

JAMS has performed flawlessly since its implementation. I received an allowance of 16 hours with an implementation technician. With his excellent explanation in 7 one hour sessions, I was up and running quickly. He was patient and showed me how to discover sample jobs in the generous list of provided samples, I was able to configure all of my jobs and schedule without delay. He was very helpful when directing me to use PowerShell with the JAMS modules as that has opened a new concept of scheduling and automation. I appreciate the tech support as well. When I had an issue upgrading one of the agents they were available within minutes. The alerting is excellent and I don't have to configure each workflow to wait and alert on error. I applied the parameters and properties to the parent folder so that all folders, tasks, sequences, and workflows automatically have the job waits, alerts, and continuation automatically applied. This was such a relief from the previous automation and scheduling systems I have used.

Products Replaced

Yes - We were using SQL Server Agent Jobs to schedule and automate the Warehouse loading processes. There were other jobs we were doing manually simply because SQL didn't handle them well. We needed automations for a wide number of jobs and scheduling that was robust.

Key Differentiators

Product Features
Product Usability

Product features and usability were the main factors we researched.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I would not have evaluated as many system that I did.

I was in a jam until I could replace scheduling with JAMS

Overall Satisfaction with JAMS