Ever waited hours for a simple job to process in Vault? Have you seen job queues pile up, leaving engineers stuck and IT teams scrambling to manage workflows? Managing job delegation in Vault isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a productivity issue that affects entire teams.

Vault’s default job processing system handles tasks effectively, but managing large data imports, complex assemblies, and high-volume workflows can present challenges. Ensuring the right jobs are processed at the right time while avoiding bottlenecks requires a more strategic approach. A clogged job queue means:
Engineers wait for crucial file updates before continuing their work.
Manufacturing teams miss deadlines due to delayed BOM extractions.
IT spends hours tweaking XML files and restarting job processors instead of focusing on strategic improvements.

But what if you could fix this with a smarter approach? Before we jump into the solution, let's take a moment to discuss the current default method.

Autodesk Vault's Default Job Processing Approach

By default, Autodesk Vault provides a method to define which job processors execute which tasks. The job processor is responsible for handling queued jobs, and multiple job processors can be deployed to balance the workload. However, managing job distribution effectively is not straightforward.

The default method involves modifying XML configuration files to filter which job types each job processor should handle. This can be done by:

1. Navigating to the job processor’s XML configuration file (e.g., `JobProcessor.exe.config` located in `C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Vault Client 2025\Explorer`).

2. Commenting out jobs that should not be processed by a particular instance.

3. Restarting the job processor to apply the changes.

Example: Processing Property Synchronization Jobs

A common scenario where job processing needs careful handling is property synchronization after data import. Suppose a company has imported thousands of files into Vault, but the properties in Vault’s database are out of sync with those stored in the file metadata. If this synchronization happens during the initial import, it can significantly slow down the process.

Instead, Vault administrators can configure dedicated job processors to handle property synchronization separately. This is done by:
1. Queuing property synchronization jobs after data import to prevent slowdowns.
2. Assigning a specific job processor to handle only property synchronization jobs by modifying the XML configuration.
3. Utilizing multiple job processors for large data imports, ensuring Vault does not experience long processing queues.

The powerJobs Advantage: Smarter Job Processing

Managing job execution in Vault can be challenging—XML edits, manual configurations, and constant restarts slow everything down. COOLORANGE’s powerJobs enhances Vault’s Job Processing capabilities by providing a more flexible and efficient way to manage job execution. Unlike the default approach, powerJobs allows administrators to specify job handling directly through config files, eliminating the need for manual XML modifications.

Key Benefits of powerJobs

Granular Job Assignment: Each job processor can be configured to handle specific tasks simply by managing script files in the powerJobs folder (typically located at C:\ProgramData\coolOrange\powerJobs\Jobs).                                                                                           

Dynamic Job Prioritization: Instead of relying on a fixed queue, powerJobs allows dynamic prioritization through its internal job configurable settings.

Efficient Resource Utilization: Job processors can be dedicated to specific heavy tasks (e.g., BOM extraction or property synchronization) while others handle lighter tasks like PDF generation.

Enhanced Error Handling and Logging: powerJobs provides detailed logs and error reporting, making it easier to identify and troubleshoot job failures.

Automation of Repetitive Tasks: powerJobs supports scripting capabilities that enable complex automation scenarios beyond what standard Vault job processing allows.

Seamless Integration with Other Systems: It allows for easy extension and integration with ERP, PLM, and other enterprise applications.

Ready to Automate Your Vault Job Processing?

How powerJobs Works

powerJobs operates through PowerShell Scripts that define over which jobs are executed. Administrators can create and customize scripts to suit their specific business workflow requirements.

These scripts are placed in the powerJobs folder (typically located at C:\ProgramData\coolOrange\powerJobs\Jobs), where the job processor reads and executes them accordingly.

If a particular job type should not be processed by a given job processor, it is as simple as removing the corresponding script from the powerJobs folder—an approach that is far easier and more flexible than editing XML Configuration Files.

A Final Note..

While Autodesk Vault’s built-in Job Processor provides basic functionality, combining it with powerJobs, you can achieve a more refined and scalable approach. By leveraging scripting-based job management, powerJobs allows organizations to optimize their workflows, reduce processing times, and ensure critical tasks are prioritized appropriately.

For companies dealing with large-scale data imports, product configuration tasks, or frequent automated processing, powerJobs is a game-changer. With a streamlined and automated job execution strategy, organizations can enhance efficiency and maintain control over their Vault environment with minimal administrative overhead.

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