Top 5 SAP Job Scheduler Alternatives Based on 500+ Reviews in '24

SAP offers a native scheduler for managing tasks and processes, also known as SAP Job Scheduling Service. SAP Job Scheduler stands out for its integration with SAP systems, providing an efficient scheduling environment for businesses heavily reliant on SAP applications. 

Alternatives to SAP’s Job Scheduler Service have grown in importance and sophistication, offering features that enhance integration, scheduling flexibility, and workflow management. This article explores top software alternatives to SAP’s native scheduler. We’ll explore each option in detail, highlighting their unique features and advantages and how they compare to SAP’s offering. 

*Vendors with provided links are sponsors of AIMultiple.

SAP Job Scheduling Service Review

The SAP Job Scheduling Service, often referred to as SAP Native Scheduler, is a feature within the SAP system that facilitates scheduling and automating various jobs within the SAP environment. (See Figure 1) These tasks include data backups, database updates, report generation, and other processes. 

Figure 1: SAP Job Scheduling Service ¹

Pros

• Integration with SAP Landscape: It is integrated with the SAP environment, providing operation with SAP applications and processes.
• Ease of Use: For SAP users, the native scheduler is familiar and easy to navigate, reducing the learning curve.
• Less expensive option: It comes as part of the SAP system, eliminating the need for external scheduling tools and associated costs, which are generally expensive. The pricing for the SAP Job Scheduling Service is $180 per 10,000 jobs ²
• Standard SAP Security and Auditing: It adheres to SAP’s security model, ensuring that job scheduling and execution are secure and compliant.
• Centralized Management: Allows for centralized management of jobs within the SAP system, facilitating easier monitoring and control.

Cons

• Dependency on SAP Environment: Being native to SAP, it cannot manage or schedule non-SAP processes, limiting its utility in heterogeneous IT environments. Therefore, users would need to rely on multiple tools to manage their workloads.
• Lack of Cross-System Capabilities: It is less suited for scenarios that require integration across different systems and platforms outside the SAP ecosystem.
• Limited Functionality: Compared to specialized scheduling tools, SAP Native Scheduler might have limited functionality in terms of complex scheduling needs.³
• Scalability Issues: For very large or complex landscapes, the SAP Native Scheduler might not scale as efficiently as specialized third-party tools.⁴

The choice between SAP Native Scheduler and other third-party scheduling tools often depends on the organization’s specific needs, the complexity of their IT environment, and the level of integration required with non-SAP systems.

Why Consider Alternatives?

The native SAP Scheduler, including SM36 for defining jobs, SM37 for monitoring them, SM38 for executing programs, SM39 for batch input monitoring, and SJOBREPO for job repository (See section “What is SAP’s Job Scheduler for more information), has limitations, as covered above. They might lack in areas like integration with non-SAP applications or advanced monitoring and reporting features that tools like ActiveBatch and Redwood RunMyJobs offer.

Alternatives to SAP Job Scheduler

1-RunMyJobs by Redwood

RunMyJobs is a workload automation tool designed for business process automation. Thanks to its direct out-of-the-box integration with S/4HANA and SAP-certified integrations with RISE and SAP S/4HANA Cloud, RunMyJobs enables customers to keep their SAP core systems clean. Therefore, customers can manage automation tasks on RunMyJobs without tampering with their core system. This facilitates maintenance and updates of both the SAP systems and the automation code.

Operating as a SaaS platform, it is engineered to manage workloads effectively, enabling users to connect various systems and data, regardless of the scale or intricacy of their IT environments. Users can automate workloads without deploying specialized software for integrations. Redwood has been supporting SAP customers for more than two decades.

RunMyJobs supports integration across on-premise, private, and cloud-based SaaS solutions. This workload automation solution is compatible with ERP systems and REST web service protocols and can also handle file transfers.

Check their offerings in the video below:

Reviews

Capterra: 4.8/5.0 based on 33 reviews.⁵

Gartner: N/A 

G2: 4.7/5 based on 117 reviews.⁶

PeerSpot: 4.8/5 based on 19 reviews.⁷

TrustRadius: 9.5/10 based on 28 votes.⁸

2-ActiveBatch

ActiveBatch is an enterprise job scheduling software known for its workload automation capabilities. This software is particularly beneficial for IT teams, enabling them to automate various processes and job sequences across diverse platforms.

One of the key features of ActiveBatch is its collaborative software development tools, which are adept at automating application deployment workflows. This is especially useful in complex IT environments that include both multi-cloud and on-premise systems. The software boasts a user-friendly, low-code interface equipped with drag-and-drop functions, making it accessible even to those without advanced technical skills (Refer to Figure 1). 

Figure 1: ActiveBatch UI

Reviews

Capterra:4.8/5.0 based on 52 reviews⁹

Gartner:4.3/5.0 based on 61 Reviews¹⁰

G2: 4.6/5 based on 171 Reviews¹¹

PeerSpot: 4.6/5 based on 16 reviews¹²

TrustRadius: 9.1/10 based on 29 votes¹³

3-Stonebrach

Stonebranch provides a workload automation solution that enables organizations to automate, manage, and orchestrate their IT processes through a central, command center-like platform. It offers control over workflows across various platforms and business applications, irrespective of the data’s location. The platform features a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface that simplifies the creation and management of enterprise workflows.

Stonebranch also allows users to integrate with various platforms or applications, offering pre-built integrations, options for custom development, or access to integration templates available on the community-supported Stonebranch Integration Hub. Additionally, it includes visual dashboards and detailed reports, offering real-time insights and support for service level agreement (SLA) monitoring and management.

Check their offerings below:

Reviews

Capterra: None

Gartner: 4.0/5 based on 1 review¹⁴

G2: 4.5/5 based on 74 reviews¹⁵

PeerSpot:3.8/5 based on 4 reviews¹⁶

TrustRadius: None

4-Fortra’s JAMS

JAMS is a job scheduling and workload automation tool from Fortra, designed to help organizations automate, oversee, and coordinate jobs and tasks across diverse platforms, applications, and systems.

JAMS Scheduler facilitates the creation, execution, and monitoring of job streams and workflows, ensuring tasks are completed accurately and punctually. It supports a range of platforms, including Windows, UNIX, Linux, IBM, and applications like SQL Server, Oracle, SAP.

Reviews

Capterra: 4.5/5.0 based on 19 reviews ¹⁷

Gartner: 4.3/5 based on 119 reviews ¹⁸

G2: 4.6/5 based on 148 reviews ¹⁹

PeerSpot: 4.6/5 based on 24 reviews ²⁰

TrustRadius: 7.9/10 based on 49 reviews ²¹

5-IBM Workload Automation

IBM Workload Automation is an advanced automation platform created by IBM, designed to help organizations control and automate their workloads and environments spanning various systems, platforms, and applications.

The platform offers a scalable solution for scheduling and executing a wide array of jobs, tasks, cloud resources, and processes in distributed settings. It integrates several features and functionalities aimed at enhancing workload execution, maximizing resource use, boosting efficiency, and the on-time completion of business operations.

Capterra: 4.0/5 based on 8 Reviews²²

Gartner: N/A

G2: 4.3/5 based on 13 Reviews²³

PeerSpot: 4.0/5 based on 4 Reviews²⁴

TrustRadius: 7.3/5.0 based on 7 Reviews²⁵

What is SAP’s Job Scheduler Service?

SAP Job Scheduling Service is compromised of these modules:

SAP SM36 (Job Definition): This transaction is used in SAP to define or create batch jobs. It’s a part of SAP’s native job scheduling capabilities. Through SM36, users can specify when and how often a job should run, along with other parameters.

SAP SM37 (Job Monitoring): This transaction is used to monitor jobs that have been scheduled in SAP. It lets users view the status of jobs, whether they are running, completed, or have encountered errors.

SAP SM38 (Queue Maintenance): This transaction is less directly related to job scheduling but is important for managing queues, which can impact how jobs are processed and prioritized.

SAP SM39 (Job Analysis): This transaction is used to analyze batch jobs. It helps understand job performance and can be used to optimize the scheduling and execution of jobs.

SAP CPS (Central Process Scheduling by Redwood): This is an advanced job scheduling solution offered by SAP. It’s designed to integrate complex business processes across different systems and applications. CPS allows for more sophisticated scheduling options compared to SAP’s native job scheduler (SM36/SM37).

SAP BPA (Business Process Automation by Redwood): Similar to CPS, BPA is a solution provided by Redwood for automating and managing business processes. It’s another layer of sophistication over the standard SAP job scheduling. It is important to note that SAP will withdraw its support to SAP BPA by the end of 2024, so it becomes essential for businesses to consider alternatives.

SAP CCMS (Computing Center Management System): While not directly a job scheduler, CCMS is a monitoring and alerting system within SAP. It can be used to monitor background jobs and trigger alerts based on job outcomes or performance.

SAP’s native job scheduling capabilities (SM36/SM37) are fundamental for routine job scheduling tasks. They are straightforward and are typically used for standard batch job scheduling.

Tools like SAP CPA and BPA offer more sophisticated scheduling options, including cross-system integration and complex scheduling scenarios that go beyond the capabilities of the native scheduler.

Understanding SAP Scheduler and Its Limitations

SAP’s native scheduler includes tools like SAP CPS, SAP BPA, and various SM series (SM36, SM37, SM38, SM39). These tools are designed to automate and manage tasks within the SAP environment. While effective, they may lack advanced scheduling, cross-platform integration, or user-friendly interfaces, leading businesses to seek alternatives.

SAP BPA & SAP CPS FAQ

If you have further questions, reach us:

External Links

• 1. “SAP Job Scheduling Service” SAP Discovery Channel.
• 2. “SAP Job Scheduling Service” SAP Store.
• 3. “What is SAP Job Scheduling Service? Technical Constraints” SAP Help Portal.
• 4. “What is SAP Job Scheduling Service? Technical Constraints” SAP Help Portal
• 5. Capterra. Redwood RunMyJobs.
• 6. G2. Redwood.
• 7. PeerSpot. Redwood RunMyJobs.
• 8. TrustRadius. Redwood RunMyJobs.
• 9. Capterra. ActiveBatch Reviews
• 10. Gartner. ActiveBatch Reviews
• 11. G2. ActiveBatch Reviews
• 12. PeerSpot. ActiveBatch Reviews
• 13. TrustRadius. ActiveBatch Reviews
• 14. Gartner. Stonebranch UAC
• 15. G2. Stonebranch UAC
• 16. PeerSpot. Stonebranch UAC
• 17. Capterra. Fortra’s JAMS
• 18. Gartner. Fortra’s JAMS
• 19. G2. Fortra’s JAMS
• 20. PeerSpot. Fortra’s JAMS
• 21. Trustraidus. Fortra’s JAMS
• 22. Capterra. IBM Workload Automation
• 23. G2. IBM Workload Automation
• 24. PeerSpot. IBM Workload Automation
• 25. TrustRadius. IBM Workload Automation