Where Are My Monday Pocket Queries?

[+TeddyTexas]

On Friday I set up 5 pocket queries (500 caches each) for Saturday - they never came. I unchecked the Saturday boxes and changed them to Sunday - they never came. I then unchecked those boxes and changed them to Monday - THEY STILL DIDN'T SHOW UP. IF I change the day to Tuesday will they come today?

 

This is my first time to really try to have any pocket queries arrive on a scheduled basis. In the past I have just requested them on an as needed basis and they usually showed up pretty quickly. However, I want to create one large database of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have that set up in GSAK and them update the database once a week using the pocket queries.

 

Please tell me what is going on? How can get these 5 pocket queries delivered to me at the same time like I would like?

[+CYBret]

Did you click the "preview" button on the Pocket Query page to make sure there was actually going to be any data in them?

 

Bret

[+TeddyTexas]

Yes, I learned the hard way that this is always a good idea.

[+Stunod]

Did you click the "preview" button on the Pocket Query page to make sure there was actually going to be any data in them?

 

Bret

You will still get an email that says "Your Pocket Query had no results. If you believe you should have received a result to your query, please review your Pocket Query for errors."

[+beejay&esskay]

On Friday I set up 5 pocket queries (500 caches each) for Saturday - they never came.

 

IF I change the day to Tuesday will they come today?

Were these brand-new PQs that had never been run?

 

Does My Pocket Queries show them as not being run the last few days?

 

It seems PQs are a little slower than in the past.

 

I have one waiting to run today. It last ran on Friday (7/26) but it hasn't been processed yet today.

 

However, I would have expected your requests on Saturday or Sunday to have been processed, since those are supposed to be light days for PQs.

[+TeddyTexas]

Were these brand-new PQs that had never been run?

 

Yes

 

Does My Pocket Queries show them as not being run the last few days?

 

They never ran (except one that I was experimenting with on Friday - it showed up on Saturday just fine)

Edited August 2, 2005 by TeddyTexas

[+beejay&esskay]

Well, that does seem odd.

 

It can't hurt to ask them to run today. If you do that, they should run before mine, since mine has run before. I'll post something here when mine run.

 

(You are sure you are checking the right column for the day? )

[Jeremy]

All of the queries you have scheduled today either ran yesterday or ran today. Here is a dump of the database:

 

7/30/2005 11:44:17 AM

7/30/2005 11:43:17 AM

7/30/2005 11:46:18 AM

7/30/2005 11:45:00 AM

7/31/2005 12:55:37 AM

 

If you did not receive a query there may be some issues with your mail server receiving these files. Looking on your past history of searches your new Pocket Queries have consistently run on time and within 20 minutes of your PQ creation.

 

On the PQ page that lists all of your Pocket Queries there will be a last run date. That date is marked when a PQ is generated and mailed.

[Jeremy]

I'll have Elias check into the mail server to make sure things are running ok just to be on the safe side.

[+TeddyTexas]

O.K. I checked each of these 5 PQs and they each had 500 actual caches (I preiewed each of them). I unchecked the Monday box by each one in the correct column and now I have checked the Tuesday box by each one. I also went into each of the named caches and clicked on the Submit button at the bottom (the box at the top was checked for Tuesday).

 

I did the same thing on Saturday, Sunday AND Monday and I NEVER got ANY of the PCs on the requested day.

 

Oh, I did remember one thing. I had set up GSAK to download these files (not a macro - I chose when I want them to be picked up if they are in my mailbox). Jeremy IS CORRECT. I did get four of them on the 30th and one on the 31st, but NOTHING since then as I have been figuring out GSAK a little more and went and changed the GSAK option to NOT remove them from the server when they picked them up. So far I haven't received any more PQ's to even try to pick them up again with GSAK.

 

Thanks for everyone trying to troubleshoot this for me. I appreciate it.

Edited August 2, 2005 by TeddyTexas

[+beejay&esskay]

I did the same thing on Saturday, Sunday AND Monday and I NEVER got ANY of the PCs on the requested day.

Wait a minute, Teddy. Jeremy says they ran.

 

I asked you if you looked at "My Pocket Queries" to see if they had run and you said they hadn't. Did you actually look at that display of all your PQs?

[Jeremy]

I don't understand. The queries did run on the days you selected them and you seem to be saying you checked them to make sure there were 500 caches in them. Did you receive them or didn't you? I'm just trying to figure out the problem as the OP claimed you weren't getting any queries.

 

If you want them to arrive first thing in the morning you should create a fresh pocket query. Also keep in mind that the date is for Pacific Time, so the start time will vary based on your location in the world.

 

Fresh queries are faster queries generally.

[Jeremy]

I have been figuring out GSAK a little more and went and changed the GSAK option to NOT remove them from the server when they picked them up.

Can you please work with the GSAK developer for troubleshooting these kinds of issues? More and more I seem to have to troubleshoot someone elses' application.

[+TeddyTexas]

beejay&esskay and Jeremy,

 

I guess the real question is why have I not received the PQs on Monday when now it is Tuesday? Even though I DID receive the ORIGINAL PQs, I now want to have them sent to me at least ONCE a week and I can't seem to get them. As I posted a few minutes ago, I have now changed the boxes to Tuesday, so since I didn't get the Monday PQs, will I recieve the Tuesday ones?

 

Sorry for the confusion.

 

Jeremy - since I want the SAME PQs each time like I understand that I can do, why would I need to create a fresh pockey query? Also, I wasn't having a problem with GSAK, I was just letting you all know what I had done.

Edited August 2, 2005 by TeddyTexas

[+beejay&esskay]

It can't hurt to ask them to run today. If you do that, they should run before mine, since mine has run before. I'll post something here when mine run.

My PQ just ran. (I'm pretty sure that's PDT, or PT, not PST.)

 

8/2/2005 10:40:38 AM

 

Well, I said I'd post when my PQ that last ran on Friday ran today...although it now seems clear this thread has nothing to do with PQs not running...and probably doesn't have anything to do with the mail server.

[+Hemlock]

If your PQs just ran a couple of days ago, I wouldn't expect them to be able to run for another day or two. There just isn't the bandwidth to run them every day. More info here.

[+beejay&esskay]

I guess the real question is why have I not received the PQs on Monday when now it is Tuesday? Even though I DID receive the ORIGINAL PQs, I now want to have them sent to me at least ONCE a week and I can't seem to get them. As I posted a few minutes ago, I have now changed the boxes

OK, I'll take a stab at this.

 

Th, Fr and Monday are the busy PQ days. If you have a PQ run on the weekend, and then ask for the same one on Monday, there is a chance (possibly a very good chance) that it will never run.

 

If however, you have a PQ that only runs once a week, it will run on whatever day you select.

 

So decide what day you want it and set it to run that day and it should run.

 

If it DOES run (see "My Pocket Queries" to know for sure) and you don't have it in your e-mail, it is most likely a problem at your end.

 

(I am using GSAK and gmail for my PQs and having no trouble with it.)

[+WascoZooKeeper]

In similar situations, I've advised people to check their SPAM folders, either on their local e-mail client (Outlook, whatever), and on the ISP's mail system. More and more of them "learn" their filtering behavior and might start routing mail into the spam folder that used to get through successfully, if they see similar mail coming from the same source frequently. In some of the cases where I've had people check, that was, in fact, where their PQs ended up.

[+TeddyTexas]

I FINALLY got all 5 of them!

 

Jeremy - please tell me why I couldn't get them yesterday. Is it because as beejay&esskay said:

 

If you have a PQ run on the weekend, and then ask for the same one on Monday, there is a chance (possibly a very good chance) that it will never run.

 

If so, can I now go out today and change the PQ's day to Saturday and expect to recieve them this Saturday without the trouble I have been having?

 

Thanks again for all the assistance!

[Jeremy]

I'm trying to figure it out and it seems that the Pocket Query Generator itself is running fine (see the dates I dumped out this morning in a previous post). The problem seems to be on the side of the mail server which is either on our side (a mail server problem) or your side (your mail server throttling emails from us like for yahoo or hotmail accounts). Or it could even be an overzealous spam filter.

 

However, you received it so it seems to be a delay on our end or yours. I'll have Elias check into it and possibly post his ideas on the subject.

[+TeddyTexas]

Thanks Jeremy.

 

FYI - I have never had any of PQs go anywhere except into my main mailbox. Some of my e-mails from other sources always go into a junk folder or a bulk folder, but never any of the PQs. Until now I have always gotten my PQs with no problems except maybe a minor time delay. This is the first time I have NEVER gotten them at all.

[Elias]

Jeremy - please tell me why I couldn't get them yesterday. Is it because as beejay&esskay said:

 

If you have a PQ run on the weekend, and then ask for the same one on Monday, there is a chance (possibly a very good chance) that it will never run.

Yes, that was most likely the reason. Hemlock also posted this link to a more detailed post I made on this issue. Further down in that thread, I also posted a list of the days of the week which show the load on the PQ Generator from lowest to highest.

 

But the short answer to your question is that queries that run on Saturday or Sunday will probably not be run on Monday as Monday is the 3rd busiest day for PQs. Tuesday (today) is the lightest day for PQs so all PQs scheduled for Tuesday will run.

 

If so, can I now go out today and change the PQ's day to Saturday and expect to recieve them this Saturday without the trouble I have been having?

 

Its difficult to predict when PQs will run on any given day because the queue is always fluctuating. If you schedule your queries to run on Saturday, they will, but its hard to predict when. Even though Saturday is a relatively light PQ day, chances are that queries that ran today will probably not run until the early afternoon (Pacific time). Depending on where you live, its possible that by that time, your caching day is essentially over. However, if you schedule them to run on Friday, I can almost guarantee that that they won't.

 

In your original post, you mentioned that you wanted to get your PQs once a week. Tuesday is by far the best day for PQs and queries that are only scheduled for Tuesday should run pretty early in the morning each week. When the weekend rolls around and you're ready to plan your caching activities, create a new PQ specifying search parameters matching the specific types of caches you're likely to want to hunt. Even on the busiest PQ days, a new query gets put at the front of the queue and is usually sent out in a few minutes. So for example, if you create a new query on Friday night and specify it to run on Saturday, it should be in your inbox by the time you wake up on Saturday morning.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions on how this works.

 

Elias

[+TeddyTexas]

Wow!

 

Thanks Elias, that is a great explanation and helps me understand what is going on. Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the process and the best days to get the PQs.

 

Sorry that I confused the issue as I was not really sure how to state what was going on. Thanks again to everyone!

[+IBcrashen]

You mean people get PQ`s. I am getting tired of them not showing up until the next day when they are useless to me. I am and others are being punished for having a low number one, mines #301. I have tried not running it until I need it but that doesnt work. So instead I have to make a new one up everytime I NEED IT NOW and cut in front of everyone else who in turn have to make a new up to get it in time and cut in front of everyone else etc, etc. Never ending circle that makes no sense.

Edited August 2, 2005 by IBcrashen

[Jeremy]

I am and others are being punished for having a low number one, mines #301.

The ID number is irrelevant. The priority of Pocket Queries are based on how often you run them. The more often you run them the later in the queue they go. I have one that runs weekly and consistently arrives in my inbox on time.

[+IBcrashen]

That one used to be in my box before 5 am in the morning on Fridays. Not changing the number of times I get it I now receive it after 11:30pm on Fridays. I gave up on it on Fridays and tried it for Thursday but missed new caches and possible updates for caches for the weekend.

Edited August 2, 2005 by IBcrashen

[+sbell111]

My weekly PQ comes to me every Thursday. I could care less if I don't get any caches that are added on Friday. I don't really think that a huge number of caches are enabled on Friday. I imagine that Monday would be the big day for that.

[+IBcrashen]

After driving a couple of hours to an area and looking for a cache only to come home to find its been archived or temp disabled it is a big deal. I also might not plan on going back to that area for some time so new ones , which around here do show up alot on Fridays [MT-Man is over worked ] would be nice to have on the radar.

It still doesnt explain why there is now an 18+ hour difference in the time the pq arrived in my in-box or other peoples pq`s being later and later until they are unavailable to use for the weekend. If its the number of pq`s being requested on the system the solution being recommended of creating a new pq to run when people need/want it is just making the problem bigger. People are now being forced to make a new pq for the weekend. Isnt that putting a bigger load on the system on those days which forces people like me who have had the same pq set up since they began to do the same?

Edited August 3, 2005 by IBcrashen

[+sbell111]

My understanding of PQ priority is that you are not required to make a new one to get a fast return. The priority is new PQs, then PQs based on when they ran last.

 

I can easily task a number of my available PQs to ensure that I get a PQ bright and early every Friday morning. For instance, if I had had five PQs that all pulled my closest caches, I could set one to run on Friday. This Friday morning, I would get my PQ. Then, sometime this week, I go to my PQs and disable that one from running on Friday. The next identical PQ, I click to run on Friday. That PQ hasn't ever run, so I'll get my PQ bright and early on Friday morning. I keep doing the same thing until, in three more weeks, I come back to the first PQ. It hasn't run in over a month, so it still gives me a PQ bright and early on Friday morning.

Edited August 3, 2005 by sbell111

[+byonke]

I have one PQ that runs on Friday and only on Friday. It consistently arrives before 10:00 CDT on Friday morning.

 

Brian

[Keystone]

In addition to taking Elias' excellent advice into account, when scheduling a pocket query you might also consider the schedule or "cycle" for your cache reviewer. It is difficult to generalize because there are so many volunteer reviewers, with different work and personal schedules. Some of us work the queue regularly, several times per day, while others tackle the new caches every two days, all in a bunch. You can get a sense of this by watching for when new caches are published in your area.

 

But, in general, I would guess that the order of frequency for new cache listings would be, from busiest to slowest: Sunday, Monday, Saturday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Sunday and Monday are when the bulk of the weekend's new cache hides are processed. By Monday, we're already clearing up caches from Friday or Saturday where we had initial questions for the owner. Wednesdays are busy because many of us try to catch up with any backlog, so that the new caches are published in time to be included in the Thursday weekly e-mail notification. But all this is just a wild guess without any data to back up the guesses.

[+5Tucks]

Ok, I have several PQ schedule and have not recieved any since Sunday, July 31.

 

I have one that was not scheduled to run on the 31st and should have run on Monday and Tuesday but has not run since Saturday.

 

I realize that the more often it is scheduled the lower is goes, but that still doesn't explain why a PQ schedule for every day only runs about once every 3 days.

 

The queue is way behind, the PQ's I got on Sunday were scheduled for Saturday.

 

I don't think I should have to constantly go make a new query for something the same area every time I want it, that was the idea behind saving them. Elias' idea is fine but it shouldn't have to be done that way.

 

HELP!

 

Edited August 3, 2005 by 5Tucks

[+beejay&esskay]

I don't think I should have to constantly go make a new query for something the same area every time I want it, that was the idea behind saving them. Elias' idea is fine but it shouldn't have to be done that way.

I don't think TPTB think you should "have" to do it this way. What they have done is explain how things are currently scheduled and how to deal with an overloaded machine. I think they have said they are working to increase capacity to deal with this overload.

 

Once you accept how things are now, you can tailor your PQs so they will run when you need them.

 

(As has been pointed out several times, a PQ that is set up to run every day will almost certainly not run every day.)

[+5Tucks]

I don't think I should have to constantly go make a new query for something the same area every time I want it, that was the idea behind saving them.  Elias' idea is fine but it shouldn't have to be done that way.

I don't think TPTB think you should "have" to do it this way. What they have done is explain how things are currently scheduled and how to deal with an overloaded machine. I think they have said they are working to increase capacity to deal with this overload.

 

Once you accept how things are now, you can tailor your PQs so they will run when you need them.

 

(As has been pointed out several times, a PQ that is set up to run every day will almost certainly not run every day.)

 

While I understand that a daily query wont run everyday anymore, still expect to see it more often than I do. Once every 4 days doesnt seem quite right.

 

I have marked a query to run daily except Wednesday, I got my query on Wednesday. Daily queries used to run daily or atleast appeared to since I was getting an email everyday with said query, maybe I was getting a 2 day old queue but I was still getting my data. It sounds as if the query comes up to be run on day 2 now that it gets moved back to the bottom of the list instead of moving it up the longer time passes since the last time it ran.

 

The work-around is fine but if everyone start doing it that way then the problem will be transfered to this functionallity, the new queries will start backing up and not running for several days too.

 

There is an inheirent problem in the PQ system that needs be addressed.

 

One of the main reasons I pay my membership to GC.com is for the pocket queries, therefore I expect to get my scheduled queries in a reasonable amout of time. It sounds like the PQ server needs to be beefed up to handle the greater work load because there are apparently more members using the service. I like the feature and am happy to have, I guess I just got spoiled from the way it used to work and am expecting it to still be that way.

 

Sorry for the rant.

[+sbell111]

I'm sorry, but that rant was just precious.

 

Anyway, if you aren't already using all of your PQs, why don't you just set them up as individual PQs, each running one day per week on whatever days you want them?

[+Hemlock]

There is an inheirent problem in the PQ system that needs be addressed.

If you would actually follow the links that both myself and Elias posted above, you would see that it is being addressed.

 

Groundspeak considers this situation a major problem that must be fixed. Unfortunately, its a very difficult problem for which there are no quick and easy solutions. It will take a considerable amount of time to come up with a scalable solution that solves the problem and minimizes the chances of it reoccurring in the future. We certainly don't consider the workarounds given in the forums as solutions; however, they are good suggestions, and they do work if need to get your query on a given day.

...

Again, we do not consider these workarounds as solutions. We know you rely on PQs to plan your caching activities, so these tips are offered to help make sure you get your queries when you need them.

 

So your rant is uncalled for