OpCon gives you three primary tools for controlling when and in what order jobs run: job dependencies, resources, and thresholds. All three are valid, and experienced OpCon administrators often use all three in the same environment. Understanding the strengths, and the right use case, for each will help you design cleaner, more resilient automations.
Job Dependencies: Best for Sequential, Linear Processes
Job dependencies are the right choice when Job B genuinely cannot start until Job A has finished, and when the order matters. If you're building a workflow where data flows from one process to the next, job dependencies create that hard link. They're explicit, easy to read in the workflow view, and appropriate for processes with a defined sequence.
Limitation: Job dependencies wait for a job's final completion state. If a job is configured to restart and repeat throughout the day, a downstream job dependency won't trigger until all restarts are complete, which may be far later than you need.
Resources: Best for Concurrency Control Across Unrelated Job
Use resources when you want to control how many jobs run simultaneously, and when the order doesn't matter, just the count. Resources are particularly valuable when:
- Multiple jobs share a limited physical resource (file, API connection, CPU headroom)
- Jobs are otherwise unrelated but shouldn't run at the same time
- You want the throttle to be dynamic (adjustable via events)
- You want to apply the same concurrency control across multiple agents or schedules
Thresholds: Best for Condition-Based and Event-Driven Triggering
Thresholds are the right choice when a job should run based on a condition being true, rather than time or another job's status. Use thresholds when:
- A job needs to react to how many times something has happened
- An external system needs to signal that it's ready for OpCon to proceed
- A downstream job should fire after a repeating job's first run (not its final run)
- You need flexible condition logic (greater than, less than, not equal to)
✏Note: Thresholds do not reset themselves. You must plan when and how the threshold value will be reset, or risk stale values affecting the next run.
Quick Reference Guide
Job Dependencies
Use when Job B needs Job A to finish first; order matters; sequential linear process. Limitation: Waits for final completion state — doesn't work with repeating jobs mid-day.
Resources
Use when you need to limit concurrent job execution; jobs share a physical constraint; you want dynamic, event-adjustable throttling. Note: Auto-released on job completion.
Thresholds
Use when a job should trigger when a condition is met; external systems need to signal OpCon; you need count-based or state-based triggering. Note: Must be manually reset.
Summary
Each of these three tools has a distinct role. Job dependencies enforce order. Resources control concurrency. Thresholds respond to conditions. Mastering when to reach for each, and knowing they can all work together in the same environment, is one of the marks of an experienced OpCon administrator.