--- sourceDocument: Australia IT Operations Management sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-operations-management Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia IT Operations Management ft:clusterId : - itom bundleId : - itom workflow : - Technology --- # ECC queue auto-purge # ECC queue auto-purge for synthetic monitoring {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated August 20, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of ECC queue auto-purge for synthetic monitoring The ECC Queue auto-purge job is a scheduled ServiceNow process designed to maintain the ECC Queue by automatically removing old synthetic monitoring messages and flagging problematic entries. This helps prevent indefinite queue growth and avoids confusion caused by stale messages appearing as pending work. Show full answer Show less ## Enabling the Cleanup Job To activate the auto-purge job, an administrator must grant the **Can Delete** application access on the **ECC Queue \[eccqueue\]** table. This permission is not enabled by default, so the job cannot remove records until the necessary access is configured. ## How the Job Runs * The job runs once daily, typically overnight. * It evaluates only synthetic monitoring messages within the ECC Queue; messages from other applications in the same queue are unaffected. * Based on message state, age, and monitoring status, the job either removes messages or flags them as errors. ## Purge Categories and Actions The job processes messages in the following categories: * **Completed requests:** Processed output-queue messages older than 30 days are deleted. * **Completed responses:** Processed input-queue messages older than 30 days are deleted. * **Failed executions:** Messages in error state older than 30 days are deleted. * **Orphaned ready:** Ready state messages older than 1 day that were never picked up are flagged as error. * **Orphaned processing:** Processing state messages not updated for more than 7 days are flagged as error. * **Disabled monitor:** Messages in ready or processing state belonging to disabled monitors are flagged as error regardless of age. Messages flagged as error remain in the queue until they qualify for removal under the failed executions category after 30 days. ## Handling Cleanup Failures If the job cannot remove records---often due to permission restrictions---it logs a warning rather than reporting success. Administrators should review the job's log output to verify that each run completed its cleanup tasks properly. A scheduled job removes old Synthetic monitoring messages from the ECC queue. The job also flags stuck or orphaned messages with status as error, so that the queue doesn't grow indefinitely and stale entries aren't mistaken for pending work. ## Enable the cleanup job {#ecc-queue-auto-purge__section_enable_cleanup} The ECC Queue auto-purge job requires Can Delete application access on the ECC Queue \[ecc_queue\] table. This access is not enabled by default, so the job can't remove any records until an admin grants it. For information about enabling this access, see [Enable ECC queue cleanup for synthetic monitoring](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/9ntIFD2ya81ZrcKfpgBl4A "Grant the ECC Queue auto-purge job permission to remove old synthetic monitoring messages from the ECC queue."). ## How the job runs The ECC Queue auto-purge job runs once daily, overnight. On each run, the job evaluates synthetic monitoring messages in the ECC Queue \[ecc_queue\] table against the categories in the following table. The job then either removes each matching message or flags it as error. Important: Only messages that belong to synthetic monitoring are evaluated. Messages that other applications place in the same queue table are never removed or modified, regardless of their state or age. ## Purge categories {#ecc-queue-auto-purge__table_ecc_purge_categories__entry__4} | Category | Applies to | Condition | Result | |-|-|-|-| | Completed requests | Output-queue messages | State is Processed and the message was created more than 30 days ago. | Removed from the queue | | Completed responses | Input-queue messages | State is Processed and the message was created more than 30 days ago. | Removed from the queue | | Failed executions | Messages in either queue | State is Error and the message was created more than 30 days ago. | Removed from the queue | | Orphaned ready | Messages in either queue | State is Ready and the message was created more than 1 day ago, meaning it was never picked up. | Flagged as error | | Orphaned processing | Messages in either queue | State is Processing and the message was last updated more than 7 days ago, meaning it is stuck in progress. | Flagged as error | | Disabled monitor | Messages in either queue | State is Ready or Processing and the monitor that the message belongs to has been disabled. Age isn't considered. | Flagged as error | [Table 1. ECC queue auto-purge categories] {#ecc-queue-auto-purge__table_ecc_purge_categories} Messages that are flagged as errored remain in the queue with a state of Error. They are then eligible for removal under the failed executions category once they are more than 30 days old. ## When cleanup can't be completed If the job can't remove records for reasons such as a table permission restriction, then the job writes a warning to its log instead of reporting success. Review the job's log output to confirm that each run completed the cleanup it reported. For more information, see [Troubleshoot ECC queue growth](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ckU7YVGJIoLKmSBYfKQ~vw "If the ECC queue keeps growing or contains large numbers of stale synthetic monitoring messages, use this information to identify why the auto-purge job isn't clearing them.").