How to use AGENT JOB history logs when you're not sysadmin

Question

How to use AGENT JOB history logs when you're not sysadmin

Coreysan 1,366

I'm learning how to configure agent jobs for error conditions. I don't have sysadmin rights,
so I don't know a good way to fetch information when a step fails.

Any suggestions?

For example, if I check the box to "log to table," and also check the "include step output in history",
will I get sufficient information? There's also the error logs, but I don't have rights to view them.

Answer 1

YufeiShao-msft 7,016

Hi @Coreysan ,

Not necessarily required Sysadmin, if you have the conditions, you also can be the the following msdb database fixed database roles: SQL Server Agent Fixed Database Roles

SQLAgentUserRole

SQLAgentReaderRole

SQLAgentOperatorRole

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Coreysan 1,366 Reputation points

2022-09-09T18:46:21.387+00:00

@YufeiShao-msft

Based on your answer, here's what I have learned so far.

When an AGENT Job runs, records get added to the msdb..sysjobstepslogs table. If I rely on the data in that table, will it give me information when there's any run-time errors?
Right now I have access to a test environment, but the few records I have in that table all ran fine, so there's no errors to look at.
Coreysan 1,366 Reputation points

2022-09-09T18:48:55.24+00:00

One other question:

If I set up the advanced tab for a step to output to an external file, do error messages get written there just like the SQLAGENT.OUT file?
Erland Sommarskog 88,856 Reputation points

2022-09-09T21:55:03.467+00:00

Yes, that file will have all the output from the job.
YufeiShao-msft 7,016 Reputation points

2022-09-12T08:49:29.49+00:00

YES, append output to the existing contents of the file, but according to the doc, the previous file contents are overwritten each time the job step runs

Answer 2

Erland Sommarskog 88,856

I think it is better testing than asking us, because we don't know what Agent roles you are member of.

I think the best is to log to a file, and they you need make sure that both you and SQL Server has rights on the folder where the file is located.

How to use AGENT JOB history logs when you're not sysadmin

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