IN THIS ARTICLE:
Learn about Background Tasks, how staff members can view and control them, and how they display the progress of different tasks being run by the system.
What is a Background Task?
The Background Task QuickTool allows you to view a list of specific activities a staff member performs (such as generating reports, running tuition charges/payments, or sending Email Blasts).
A Background Task is created for any activity that is not an immediate change (such as saving family/student/class/camp/staff details) and usually involves repetitive processes that will affect multiple records, such as:
- Tasks launched from the TRANSACTIONS page
- Assigning Keywords
- Quick Edit tasks
- Class Cancellations
- Generating Bulk Makeup Tokens
- Generating reports
- Sending multiple emails
Who can access Background Tasks?
All staff members will be able to see the “Background Tasks” QuickTool. However, exactly which Background Tasks a staff member can see/cancel/delete is dependent on the staff member’s permissions.
- Account Owners can see/cancel/delete ALL Background Tasks that have been created (regardless of which user created them).
- All other staff members can only see/cancel/delete the Background Tasks they have created, with the following exception:
- Any staff member who is granted the "Autopilot" Tasks permission will be able to view all Background Tasks triggered by Autopilot workflows.
NOTES:
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Entries for completed Background Tasks will remain in the Background Tasks window for 60 days unless manually deleted by a staff member.
- Entries for canceled Background Tasks will be removed ten minutes after they have been canceled.
- A Background Task cannot be deleted unless it has completed processing or has manually been canceled.
Canceling Background Tasks
Once a task has been launched in the background, you can cancel it by opening the Background Tasks window and clicking on the “Cancel” icon (X) to the right of the task that is running:
After clicking the “Cancel” button, you will be prompted to confirm that you wish to cancel the Background Task:
Clicking YES will cancel the task; clicking “No Thanks!” will close the confirmation window and return to the Background Tasks window.
If you cancel a Background Task, it is strongly recommended that you also delete the entry from the Background Task window by clicking on the “Delete” button (trash) to the right of the Background Task entry. Deleting the Background Task entry is specifically recommended for tasks that both perform a task and send email notifications, such as generating makeup tokens, canceling classes/camps, assigning substitute instructors, and sending Statements.