What is MobileDbGeneration cron task schedule recommendation from IBM. Is 24- 48 hours ideal? or do we need more time.

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Janvee J
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Good question, Janvee - the optimal MobileDbGeneration cron task schedule really depends on data volatility and user sync patterns, but here are some general recommendations:

IBM's guidance: Run the cron task once every 24 hours for most production environments. This provides a good balance between performance, data freshness, and server load.

When to run more frequently (e.g., every 12 hours):

• If mobile users depend on rapidly changing data (e.g., work orders, assignments, or inventory).

• If you have automated nightly updates or integrations that feed Maximo data overnightWhen 24–48 hours is sufficient:

• For stable environments where master data and assignments don't change often.

• When device syncs are staggered or offline work is common.

Best practice:
Schedule MobileDbGeneration to run after off-peak batch jobs (like PM generation or integration loads) and ensure it completes before users start their day. Also, monitor generation duration and size - if it's taking too long, consider scoping data by user groups or sites.

- Manu Nagayach
IBM-Certified Maximo Architect | EAM Strategist |

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Manu Nagayach
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The preload database only contains lookup data (assets, items, domain values, etc.). Transactional data (Work Orders, SRs, count books, Inventory Usage, etc.) is always downloaded interactively using the REST API. The preload database is used during the user's first login to a device & any time the user chooses to do a full sync of their lookup data. 

To be explicit what this means, if I login to my iPhone for the very first time (I have never used Maximo Mobile) and a preload database is associated to me, Maximo Mobile will download the preload database & then immediately execute a delta sync to get any changes that have occurred since the preload database was generated. This picks up new records or changes to records that were in the preload database but would NOT pick up any removal of records (IE asset 1001 met the criteria but is now decommissioned). A full sync is required to pick up removal of records. 

When I login later that day or another day, the preload database will NOT be utilized again for me unless I manually choose to do a full sync of lookup data (not enabling the delta flag). When I trigger a full sync, Maximo Mobile will retrieve the latest preload database & execute the delta sync again.

I would never recommend someone run this more frequently than daily and would pick something between daily and once a week depending on the number of databases, how long it takes to generate, how frequently data changes (IE how many records are being fetched in that delta sync), etc. I have seen customers configure this to run every 3 hours and then go 7+ days without a single retrieval of the preload database. Generating the preload database can put a load on the system and generally speaking, won't make a significant difference in performance because the delta sync from the preloaded database to the current state is fast. 

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Steven Shull
Principal Maximo Solutions Engineer
Naviam
Cincinnati OH
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