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Configuring Jobs

Understand how backup jobs are created and configured in BackupChecks through the Inbox approval workflow.

Overview

Unlike traditional systems where you manually configure backup jobs, BackupChecks uses an Inbox-based approval workflow. Jobs are created by approving backup report emails, and all job configuration is automatically determined by Mail Parsers.

💡 Key Concept:
You cannot manually create or configure backup jobs in BackupChecks. Instead, jobs are created by approving emails from the Inbox. This ensures consistency and prevents configuration errors.

How Jobs Are Created

The job creation process follows these steps:

Step What Happens Where
1 Backup report email arrives in monitored mailbox Email system
2 Mail import fetches the email via Microsoft Graph API Background process
3 Email appears in Inbox (no matching job exists yet) Inbox page
4 Operator selects customer and clicks "Approve job" Inbox page
5 Mail Parser extracts job configuration from email Background process
6 Job is created with parser-determined configuration Jobs page
7 Email is linked to job and removed from Inbox Run Checks page

Approving a Job from the Inbox

To create a new backup job:

  1. Navigate to Inbox in the main menu
  2. Find a backup report email in the inbox list
  3. Click on the email to view its details in a modal dialog
Inbox Email Detail - Approve Job
Figure 1: Inbox email detail showing backup report information and customer selection field

Selecting a Customer

In the email detail modal, you'll see a Customer field with "Select customer" placeholder text. This field has autocomplete functionality:

  1. Click on the Customer field
  2. Start typing part of the customer name (you can type any part, not just the beginning)
  3. Select the correct customer from the dropdown suggestions
⚠️ Customer Must Exist First:
You cannot create new customers from the Inbox. Customers must be created on the Customers page before approving jobs. If the customer doesn't exist yet, cancel the dialog, create the customer first, then return to approve the job.

Approving the Job

Once you've selected a customer:

  1. Click the Approve job button (blue button at the bottom left)
  2. The system will:
💡 Workflow Best Practice:
The Approve job button is only enabled when a customer is selected. Create customers on the Customers page first, then approve jobs from the Inbox. This ensures proper customer naming and prevents duplicates.

Email Detail Information

When you click on an email in the Inbox, a detail modal displays the parsed backup report information:

Field Description
From Email sender address
Backup Detected backup software (e.g., Veeam, Acronis)
Type Backup type (e.g., Configuration Job, Full, Incremental)
Job Parsed job name from the email
Overall Backup result (Success, Failed, Warning)
Customer Customer selection field (autocomplete)
Received Date and time the email was received
Parsed Date and time the email was parsed

The Details panel on the right shows the parsed backup report content, including:

What Mail Parsers Configure

When you approve a job, the Mail Parser automatically determines the following job configuration:

Configuration How It's Determined
Backup Software Detected from email subject, sender, or body patterns (e.g., Veeam, Acronis, Windows Server Backup)
Backup Type Extracted from email content (e.g., Full, Incremental, Differential)
Job Name Parsed from email subject or body
Sender Email Pattern Email sender address (used to match future emails)
Subject Pattern Email subject pattern (used to match future emails)
Success/Failure Detection Parser rules for identifying successful vs. failed backups
⚠️ No Manual Configuration:
You cannot manually edit these job settings. All configuration is determined by the Mail Parser to ensure consistency. If a parser incorrectly identifies a field, contact the system developer/maintainer - parsers cannot be modified by administrators through the UI.

Processing Similar Emails (Reparse All)

After approving your first job for a customer, you can automatically process other emails that match the same pattern:

  1. At the top of the Inbox page, click Reparse all
  2. The system will scan all inbox emails and:
💡 Workflow Tip:
After approving a few jobs from the Inbox, click Reparse all to automatically process any historical emails that match those jobs. This saves time when onboarding a new customer with many existing backup reports.

Viewing Job Configuration

To view a job's configuration after it has been created:

  1. Navigate to Jobs in the main menu
  2. Find the job in the list (organized by customer)
  3. Click on the job name to view details

The job detail page shows:

Archiving Jobs

If a backup job is no longer active, you can archive it:

  1. Navigate to Jobs
  2. Find the job you want to archive
  3. Click the Archive button

Archived jobs:

💡 Archive vs. Delete:
Archiving a job hides it from operational views but preserves all historical data. This is useful for jobs that are no longer running but whose history you want to retain. Deleting a job is permanent and removes all associated data.

Deleting Jobs

To permanently delete a backup job:

  1. Navigate to Jobs
  2. Find the job you want to delete
  3. Click the Delete button
  4. Confirm the deletion
⚠️ Warning - Permanent Deletion:
Deleting a job is permanent and will delete all associated backup runs, tickets, remarks, and historical data. This action cannot be undone. Consider archiving the job instead if you might need the data later.

Job Lifecycle

A typical backup job goes through the following lifecycle:

Stage Description Visibility
1. Email in Inbox Backup report arrives, no job exists yet Inbox page
2. Job Approved Operator approves job from Inbox Jobs page, Run Checks
3. Active Job Job receives regular backup reports Daily Jobs, Run Checks, Jobs page
4. Schedule Learned System learns backup schedule after several runs Daily Jobs (appears on expected days)
5. Job Archived Backup no longer runs, job archived for history Hidden from operational views
6. Job Deleted Job and all data permanently removed Completely removed

Common Questions

Can I manually create a job without an email?

No. Jobs can only be created by approving emails from the Inbox. This ensures that every job has a valid Mail Parser configuration and prevents misconfiguration.

Can I edit a job's sender or subject pattern?

No. Job configuration is determined by Mail Parsers and cannot be manually edited. If a parser is incorrectly identifying fields, contact the system developer/maintainer. Mail Parsers are code-level components and cannot be modified by administrators through the BackupChecks interface.

What if multiple jobs match the same email?

BackupChecks uses sender and subject patterns to uniquely identify jobs. If multiple jobs could match the same email pattern, the system will match to the first job created. Ensure each backup job sends reports with unique sender or subject patterns.

Can I change the customer a job is linked to?

No, not directly. If a job was approved with the wrong customer, you need to:

  1. Navigate to the job detail page
  2. Delete the job
  3. The associated emails will return to the Inbox
  4. Re-approve the job from the Inbox and select the correct customer

Deleting a job returns its emails to the Inbox, allowing you to re-link them to the correct customer.

Next Steps

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