Top 10 AutoSys Interview Questions

 

What is AutoSys and how does it work?
AutoSys is an automated job scheduling and workload automation tool used to define, schedule, and monitor jobs across systems and platforms. It runs jobs based on schedules and conditions defined by the user.

What are the main types of jobs in AutoSys?
Common job types include:

• Command job — executes a script or command

• Box job — a container that groups multiple jobs

• File watcher job — triggers when a file arrives or changes.

How do you create a job in AutoSys?
Jobs are created using Job Information Language (JIL), which defines attributes like job type, command, schedule, owner, and machine.

What is JIL in AutoSys?
JIL (Job Information Language) is the syntax used to define job attributes and behavior in AutoSys. It’s how you write job definitions to insert, update, or delete jobs.

What is a Box Job?
A Box job groups several related jobs so they can be managed together. Jobs inside the box run based on defined dependencies and can be controlled as a unit.

How is scheduling defined in AutoSys?
You configure schedules using date/time conditions or calendars to run jobs daily, weekly, or monthly at specific times.

What are common job statuses in AutoSys?
Jobs can have statuses such as INACTIVE, ACTIVATED, RUNNING, SUCCESS, FAILURE, ON_HOLD, ON_ICE, WAITING, etc., which help track execution progress.

What does the ON_HOLD status mean?
ON_HOLD prevents a job from running until manually released, useful during maintenance or when dependencies aren’t ready.

What is a Jobstream?
A jobstream is a sequence of AutoSys jobs linked by dependencies, so one job triggers the next according to conditions and order rules.

How do you check the status of a job in AutoSys?
You can use commands like autorep -J job_name to view job details and statuses from the command line. Many interview guides also list specific commands to check statuses.