Variable resolution

This topic describes how variables are resolved both when you generate a plan and when you submit a job or a job stream to be run.

The format used to specify a variable can also determine when a variable is resolved with a value. See Variable and parameter definition for information about the formats you can use.

When you generate a plan, HCL Workload Automation analyzes the variable tables in the order shown below for variable resolution:
  1. In the run cycle. The run cycle in the job stream is checked first, then the run cycle in a run cycle group, and finally the variable table defined at the run cycle group level.
  2. In the job stream.
  3. In the workstation. See Workstation considered for variable resolution.
  4. In the default variable table, but only when the variables are specified in the ^variablename^ format in the job definition. Variables specified in the ${variablename} format are not resolved.
At plan resolution time each level is analyzed in the order described above. If you specify a variable that is not contained in any variable table, including the default, a warning message containing the name of the unresolved variable is written in the SystemOut.log log file and the variable name is left in the plan. The SystemOut.log log file is located in
On Windows systems
<TWA_home>\stdlist\appserver\engineServer\logs
On UNIX systems
TWA_DATA_DIR/stdlist/appserver/engineServer/logs
When you submit a job stream, HCL Workload Automation resolves variables by analyzing the variable tables in the order shown below:
  1. Specified during the submit operation.
  2. In the job stream.
  3. In the workstation. See Workstation considered for variable resolution.
  4. In the default variable table, but only when the variables are specified in the ^variablename^ format in the job definition. Variables specified in the ${variablename} format are not resolved.
When you submit a job, HCL Workload Automation resolves variables by analyzing the variable tables in the order shown below:
  1. Specified during the submit operation, but only when the variables are specified in the ^variablename^ format in the job definition. Variables specified in the ${variablename} format are not resolved.
  2. In the workstation. See Workstation considered for variable resolution.
  3. In the default variable table, but only when the variables are specified in the ^variablename^ format in the job definition. Variables specified in the ${variablename} format are not resolved.

Workstation considered for variable resolution

When the variable is resolved by the variable table specified in the workstation, the workstation taken into consideration is:

For variable in file dependency
The workstation where the file resides.
For variable in job
The workstation where the job is defined.
For variable in prompt dependency
Global prompt
No workstation is taken into consideration. Variables in global prompts are resolved always using the default variable table. This is because global prompt are used by all jobs and job streams so just one value must be used for variable resolution.
Ad hoc prompt
The workstation where the job or the job stream that depends on the prompt dependency is defined.