Some admin tasks touch thousands of people at once, like enrolling a whole department in a program or assigning a course to a large group. Sana now runs these tasks in the background, so you don't have to wait on a loading screen. You can keep working, or even close the page, while Sana finishes the job. Smaller changes, like assigning a course to a few colleagues, still finish right away.
Which tasks run in the background?
Task | Where you start it |
Assigning a course to users or groups | The course overview (Add learners), Manage > Users, Manage > Content, the Share modal, or Admin mode |
Removing users from a course | The course overview, when you select all users and click Unassign |
Enrolling users in a program | The program's People tab > Enroll, or Admin mode |
Removing users from a program | The People tab, when you select all users and click Remove |
Applying enrollment rules | Creating, editing, turning on, or deleting a rule |
Moving learners to the latest program version | Saving the program outline for New and in-progress learners or All learners, or Assign to latest version on the People tab |
Adding users to a skill | Manage > Skills > Add learners |
Translating a course | Translate in the editor |
Following a job
When a task starts, a notification appears in the bottom corner of the screen with live progress, for example 1,200 of 5,000 enrolled. Click Hide if it's in the way. While your jobs are running, the Admin mode button shows a progress ring, and you can hover over it to see your hidden notifications.
The Admin mode button while 7 jobs are running.
When the job is done, the notification tells you how it went. If anything needs a closer look, click View job.
A notification while a job is running.
A notification when the job is done.
Finding all your jobs
Go to Manage > Admin mode.
Click Background jobs.
The list shows jobs in progress at the top and Recently completed jobs below. You can search by program, course, or skill name, and switch between Started by me and Started by anyone. The view menu narrows the list down:
Background only (the default): jobs that ran in the background.
Needs attention: jobs that failed or finished with errors.
In progress: jobs that are queued or running.
All jobs: everything, including quick changes that finished right away.
Jobs stay in the list for 90 days after they finish.
💡 The Background jobs button is only on the full Admin mode page, not in the Admin mode side panel.
The Background jobs list.
Job statuses
Status | What it means |
Queued | The job is waiting to start. |
Running | Sana is working through the job. |
Stopping | Someone stopped the job. Sana finishes the work already under way, then stops. |
Finished | Every item succeeded. |
Finished w. errors | Some items failed. Open the job to see why. |
Stopped | The job was stopped before it finished. |
Failed | The job ran into an error and couldn't continue. |
What you see in a job
Click a job to open it. You'll see who started it, what it changed, and how many items succeeded or failed. Failed items are grouped by reason. Click View next to a reason to see which users or languages it affected.
The most common reasons are:
Not assigned, Not enrolled, Not updated, or Not subscribed: Sana couldn't make the change for these users. Use Retry to try them again.
Kept: enrolled by a rule: the user stayed in the program because an enrollment rule enrolls them. To remove them, change the rule or the user's attributes.
No permission: you don't have access to make this change for these users.
Processing failed: something went wrong on our side. Use Retry to try these items again.
Not processed: the job stopped before it reached these items.
A job that finished with errors, with failed items grouped by reason.
Retrying failed items
If some items failed, click Retry [number] failed items. Sana runs only the failed items again, and items that already succeeded are left as they are. If the same items keep failing, check that you still have access to those users.
Stopping a job
Click Stop job on a job that is queued or running. Stopping doesn't undo anything: items that were already processed keep their effect. Items the job didn't reach show as Not processed, and you can retry them later.
💡 Note! Stopping an enrollment rule job only delays it. The rule run again automatically, usually within 30 minutes. To stop a rule from enrolling people, pause or change the rule.
Who can see a job?
You need access to Admin mode and Manage to see background jobs.
You always see the jobs you started.
Program jobs are also visible to admins and group admins who manage that program.
Skill jobs are also visible to anyone who can manage skills.
Course assignments and course translations are visible only to the person who started them.
FAQ
Will I get an email when a job finishes?
No. If you're still in Sana, the notification tells you when it's done. Otherwise, check Background jobs. Learners still get the usual assignment and enrollment emails.
Why can't I find my change in Background jobs?
Quick changes finish right away, so the list hides them by default. Switch the view to All jobs to see them.
Can I close the page while a job is running?
Yes. The job keeps running, and you can check on it later under Background jobs.
Why does the program page say "Enrollments in progress"?
A background job is still enrolling or removing users in that program. The People list may take a few minutes to catch up.