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Records

Records

Jun 01, 2023

Introduction

A record is an entry in the Universal Controller database. Most records are created by the user via the user interface, but others (such as Agent records) are created by the Controller.

All system-supplied and/or user-supplied information about a record is contained in the record Details.

Naming Tips

Many functions within Controller are executed against one or more records.

For example, you can assign a user permission to:

  • Change only certain tasks.

  • Issue commands against a group of task instances.

  • Filter a trigger list to display only certain triggers.

Two methods are available to help you organize your records to facilitate the use of these functions.
 

Method 1

Develop a naming scheme for records.
 
For example, when naming tasks, you could prepend with SF all tasks related to San Francisco operations, or you could prepend with REPT all report-related tasks. With such a naming scheme, you can sort and filter lists by selecting records, for example, that begin with "REPT." You can assign permissions and execute commands against records using the same method.

Method 2

Use Business Services, which simply is a method of grouping records. Whenever you create a record, you can assign it to a Business Service.
 
For example, you could have a Business Service called "SF" and a Business Service called "REPT." Using this method, you could then filter or sort a list based on the Business Service. As another example, you could assign permissions to a user, giving the user update permission to all records in the "REPT" Business Service. Business Services allow you to create groups based on business functions and organize all your Controller records according to user-defined categories.

Creating a Record

Step 1

Select a record type from the appropriate navigation pane of the Services. The records list for that record type displays.

Step 2

Either:

  • Enter / select information for a new record in the empty Details that displays below the list.

  • Click the 

     button that displays above the list to display an empty Details pop-up, and enter / select information for a new record.

Step 3

Click the Save, Save & New, or Save & View button to save the record.

Note

You also can create a record by copying and renaming an existing record.

Opening a Record

Opening a record refers to the displaying of a record Details.
 

Note

Some actions (such as delete) can be performed on a record without opening the record.

Step 1

Select a record type from the appropriate navigation pane of the Services. The records list for that record type displays.

Step 2

Either:

  • Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list.

  • Clicking the Details icon next to a record name in the list, or right-click a record in the list and then click Open in the Action menu that displays, to display a pop-up version of the record Details.

  • Right-click a record in the a list, or open a record and right-click in the record Details, and then click Open In Tab in the Action menu that displays, to display the record Details under a new tab on the record list page (see Record Details as Tabs).

Record Details

When you select a record type from the Services, a list of records for that type displays. To the right of the list, an empty record Details for a new record of that type displays.

For example:
 

To see Details of an existing record, open the record.

For example:
 

Record Details Fields

The following formatting applies to fields for all record types:

  • Fields with names followed by an asterisk ( * ) are required.

  • Gray fields are read-only.

  • White fields are editable. They may accept any value or only values selected from a drop-down list.

  • Some fields provide a drop-down list of values, which are the only selections available for that field.

  • Some fields contain a default value.

  • Some fields provide hints that describe value to be entered/selected for that field.

Selecting Field Values

Many fields provide a drop-down list of values for that field. These fields have a down arrow next to it, which you must click to display the list of values.

Additionally, drop-down list fields whose available values are records (as identified by a Details Icon), provide a filter for only listing records that contain the sequence characters that you enter in any of the provided record fields.

In the following example, the drop-down list for Default Promotion Target lets you filter the list of Promotion Target records by Name or Description field:
 

Details Icon

A Details icon displays next to a drop-down list field if the values available for that field are records.

  • If the drop-down list field contains a value (a record selected from the list), you can click the Details icon to view (and modify) that record.

  • If the drop-down list is empty, you can click the Details icon to create a record of that record type.

For example, every Trigger record contains a Calendar field whose value is the name of a Calendar selected from the drop-down list:

If you click the Details icon next to the Calendar field, the Details for that Calendar displays.
 

Field Hints

Fields hints describe the value to be entered/selected for that field.

To display a field hint, hover your cursor over the field value.

For example:

Record Details Tabs

The record Details for every record contains one or more tabs, including the default <record type> tab that provides detailed information about the record.

The currently selected tab displays in white. All other tabs display in gray.
 

Each tab displays a list of records that have been user-defined to be associated with the record. For example, the Triggers tab for a task would list any trigger records that specify this task in its trigger Details.

As appropriate for the type of record listed for a tab, the following also is provided:

  • Details icon that allows you to view and edit Details for that record.

  •  button that allows you to create a new record of that type and automatically associate it with the record whose Details are displayed in the <record type> tab.

When you click a tab to display a list of records associated with the current record, you can:

  • View details about each record on the list.

  • Create a new record of that type.

Color-Coding of Tabs

Tabs are color-coded:

  • Current tab displays in white.

  • Tabs that contain records display a green icon.

  • Tabs that do not contain records display a gray icon.

For example, this Linux/Unix Task Details shows that there are one or more records under the Virtual Resources and Versions tabs:
 

Re-Ordering of Tabs

You can change the order of one or more tabs for a record type by clicking the tabs in any record of that type and dragging them left or right to a new position.

The tabs for all records of that record type will display in that order.

To restore the original order of the tabs, right-click any tab and click Restore Tab Order.

Any tab re-ordering that you apply is associated with your user own account. The re-ordering is automatically persisted in the Universal Controller database and will apply any time that you log into the user interface.

Complete Database Details

The information displayed in the Details for any record is only a portion of the complete details for that record contained in the Controller database.

To see the complete details, right-click anywhere in the record Details to display an Action menu and then click Details > Show Details.

The database Details for all records contains the following fields:

  • UUID

  • Updated By

  • Updated

  • Created By

  • Created

The database Details for some record types (for example, any Task Instance record, as shown below) may show additional fields, such as Status History.
 

Record Details Metadata

The Action menu for every record Details contains a Details sub-menu. If you click Show Metadata on this sub-menu, a Metadata section displays at the bottom of the Details. (If Metadata is being displayed, the Details sub-menu contains a Hide Metadata entry.)

Note

You can choose to display Metadata automatically via the Show Metadata Universal Controller system property, and you can override the Show Metadata property setting via the Show Metadata user preference.

The Metadata for all records contains the following fields:

  • UUID

  • Updated By

  • Updated

  • Created By

  • Created

The Metadata for any Task Instance record, as shown below, also contains a Status History field.
 

Metadata Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields that display in the Metadata section of record Details.
 

Field Name

Description

Field Name

Description

UUID

Universally Unique Identifier of this record.

Updated By

Name of the user that last updated this record.

Updated

Date and time that this record was last updated.

Created By

Name of the user that created this record.

Created

Date and time that this record was created.

Status History

Task instance only; History of all statuses that the task instance has gone through.

Performing Actions on a Record

You can perform many actions on a record by right-clicking anywhere in the the record Details to display an Action menu of all actions available for that record.

You also can perform many actions on a record (or multiple records) from a records list; that is, without having to open the record (see Performing Actions on a Record from a List).
 

Note

The actions available for a record when selecting an Action menu from the record Details may not be the same as the actions available when you select an Action menu from a list.



The following actions can be performed for all user-defined records:

Updating a Record

Step 1

Open the record that you want to update.

Step 2

Make any desired updates to the record and click the Update button.

Note

If you change the name of a task that is part of a Workflow, the Controller automatically changes the name of that task within the Workflow itself.

Copying a Record

Step 1

Open the record that you want to copy.

Step 2

In the <record> Name field, enter a new name for the record.

Step 3

Right-click in the Details and then click Insert on the Action menu. The displayed record becomes a copy of the record you selected and is added to the list.

Note

To copy a Report or Filter, you must use the Save As... button in the record Details, which lets you save the record under a different Title (for Reports) or Name (for Filters) and/or as being visible to different users.

Caution

Do not use Insert to copy the following types of records unless you do not want to copy any records associated with them, such as Actions, Notes, and Variables. Using Insert does not copy any records associated with these types of records:

  • Tasks

  • Triggers

  • Calendars

  • Scripts

  • Connections

  • SNMP Managers

To copy any of these record types and all of their associated records, use the methods described in:

Also, do not use the Update button to copy a record; the Update button overwrites the existing record.

Printing a Record

To print a hard copy of the Details of any record:

Step 1

Either:

  • Right-click the record in the records list and click Details > Print in the Action menu.

  • Open the record, right-click in the record Details, and click Details > Print in the Action menu.

Step 2

Select a printer and click OK.

Deleting a Record

Deleting a record removes it from the Controller database.

Step 1

Either:

  • Right-click a record in the records list and click Delete in the Action menu.

  • Open the record and either:

    • Click the Delete button.

    • Right-click anywhere in the record Details and click Delete in the Action menu.

Step 2

On the Confirmation pop-up that displays, click Yes.



Record Versioning

Universal Controller maintains historical copies of most user-created records in the database. These include tasks and their associated records (virtual resources, variables, actions, notes), calendars and their custom day associations, custom days, variables, credentials, virtual resources, scripts (and associated notes), email templates and connections, database connections, SNMP managers, SAP connections, PeopleSoft connections, agent clusters, applications, Business Services, and triggers (and associated variables).

These historical copies - old versions of the current records - are read-only.

When you update any of these records, the Controller creates an image of the old version and stores it in the record's Versions tab. It also updates the Version field in the current version of the record. For example, if you have updated a task three times, there will be three versions of that task stored in the Versions tab, and the current version will be identified as Version 4.

Although you can purge old versions of records, the Versions field in the current record always will show how many versions of the record have been created.

Viewing Old Versions of Records

To view old versions:

Step 1

Open the record Details for which you want to view old versions. The Version field indicates how many versions of this record have been made.
 

Step 2

Click the Versions tab. A list of old versions that currently exist for this record displays.
 


 
The number of old versions that currently exist for this record is identified above the list.
 
Click the Refresh icon at any time to get the current list.

Step 3

Click the Details icon next to the Name of the version, or double-click anywhere in the version row, to displays Details for that version.
 


 
All of the associated records (tabs) contain the data as it existed when this version was the current version. At the top of the Details, the Name field contains the name of the record as it existed for this version. At the bottom of the Details, the Current <record type> field contains the current name of this record.

Step 4

Click Close to return to the version list.

Restoring Old Versions of Records

You can restore an old version of a record to the current version. When you restore an old version, the current version will become the newest old version.

Step 1

Display the Details of the record for which you want to restore an old version.

Step 2

Click the Versions tab.

Step 3

Either right-click a Version record in the Versions list and then click Restore Version, or open a Version record and click the Restore Version button.

Fields Not Restored

The following fields are not restored when you restore an old version of a record.

Record Type

Fields

Record Type

Fields

Trigger (all types}

  • Disabled By

  • Execution User

  • Forecast

  • Skip Count

Agent Cluster

  • Task Execution Limit

  • Current Task Count

  • Suspended

  • Limit Amount

  • Last Used

Application

  • Status

  • Status Description

  • Last Known Status

  • PID

  • Queued Time

  • Start Time

  • Last Query

Email Connection

  • Use for System Notifications

Task (all types)

  • Statistics (Statistics section in Task Details)