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Composite Trigger

Composite Trigger

Overview

The Composite trigger consists of Time, Agent File Monitor, Task Monitor, Variable Monitor, and Email Monitor components - which function like Time, Agent File Monitor, Task Monitor, Variable Monitor, and Email Monitor triggers - that allow you to trigger one or more tasks based on correlated events from those components.

Each Composite trigger can contain the following number of components:

When you enable a Composite trigger, all components of that trigger are enabled. Each enabled component has its own event queue. When a component fires, an event is enqueued and the component notifies its parent Composite trigger. The Composite trigger will then check the event queues of all of its components and launch the specified task(s) if a correlated set of events is found.

Note

If a Composite trigger has Restrict Times enabled, its components will be enabled only within the specified Enabled Start and Enabled End times:

  • If the Composite trigger is disabled. the components stay disabled.
  • If the Composite trigger is enabled, and the time is within its specified Enabled Start and Enabled End times, its components will be enabled.
  • If the Composite trigger is enabled, and the time is outside of its specified Enabled Start and Enabled End times, its components will stay disabled.

The Composite Trigger Details provides the following fields for component queue specifications:

  • Time Limit and Time Limit Units specify the length of time that events are maintained in all component queues.
  • Queue Depth specifies the maximum number of events that can be contained in each component queue. If the maximum has been reached but more events are ready to be placed in a queue, the oldest events are discarded.

Built-In Variables

In order to propagate built-in variables up to a Composite trigger, from the files, tasks, and variables being monitored by its File Monitor, Task Monitor, Variable Monitor, and Email Monitor components, the Component Details provide a Variable Prefix field.

  • If a Variable Prefix is not specified, no built-in variables for that component will be propagated.
  • If a Variable Prefix is specified, all built-in variables supported by the component type will be propagated using the specified prefix rather than the reserved ops_ prefix.

Additionally, all components - File Monitor, Task Monitor, Variable Monitor, Email Monitor, and Time - support the built-in variable <prefix>trigger_component_event_time that resolves to the time when the component fired.

Monitoring Component Status

You can monitor the following statuses of each enabled component in its component Details (available via the Components tab of the Composite trigger).
 

Forecasting

Forecasting is not supported for Composite triggers.

Creating a Composite Trigger

Step 1

From the Automation Center navigation pane, select Triggers > Composite Triggers. The Composite Triggers list displays.
 
To the right of the list, Composite Trigger Details for a new Composite trigger displays.
 

Step 2

Enter/select Details for a new Composite trigger, using the field descriptions below as a guide.

  • Required fields display an asterisk ( * ) after the field name.
  • Default values for fields, if available, display automatically.

To display more of the Details fields on the screen, you can either:

  • Use the scroll bar.
  • Temporarily hide the list above the Details.
  • Click the  button above the list to display a pop-up version of the Details.

Step 3

Click a  button. The trigger is added to the database, and all buttons and tabs in the Trigger Details are enabled.

Step 4

Enable the trigger(s) as desired.

Note

To open an existing record on the list, either:

  • Click a record in the list to display its record Details below the list. (To clear record Details below the list, click the New button that displays above and below the Details.)
  • 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).

Composite Trigger Details

The following Composite Trigger Details is for an existing Composite trigger. See the field descriptions, below, for a description of the fields that display in the Composite Trigger Details.
 

Composite Trigger Details Field Descriptions

The following table describes the fields, buttons, and tabs that display in the Composite Trigger Details.
 

Field Name

Description

General

This section contains general information about the trigger.

Name


Name used within the Controller to identify this trigger. It can contain a maximum of 255 alphanumerics. It is the responsibility of the user to develop a workable naming scheme for triggers.

Version

System-supplied; version number of the current record, which is incremented by the system every time a user updates a record. Click the Versions tab to view previous versions. For details, see Record Versioning.

Description

Description of this record. Maximum length is 255 characters.

Member of Business Services

User-defined; Allows you to select one or more Business Services that this record belongs to.  (You also can Check All or Uncheck All Business Services for this record.)

You can select up to 62 Business Services for any record type, and enter a maximum of 2048 characters for each Business Service.

If the Business Service Visibility Restricted Universal Controller system property is set to true, depending on your assigned (or inherited) Permissions or Roles, Business Services available for selection may be restricted.

Calendar


Calendar that defines the business days, holidays, and other special days that determine the run dates for the task(s) specified in the trigger.

Select a Calendar from the drop-down list of all existing Calendars. To display detailed information about a selected calendar, click the Details icon next to the Calendar field.


Time Zone

User-defined; allows you to specify the time zone that will be applied to the time(s) specified in the trigger. For example, if you specify 23:00 and a time zone of Canada/Central, the task will run at 11:00 p.m. Central Canada time.

Task(s)

Name of the task(s) being triggered when this trigger is satisfied. When selecting tasks from the Details, click on the lock icon to unlock the field and select tasks.

Purge By Retention Duration


Specification for whether triggered task instances can be purged by retention duration.

Exclude Backup

If Purge By Retention Duration is selected; Specification for whether qualifying task instances can be excluded from the backup when being purged by retention duration.

Retention Duration

If Purge By Retention Duration is selected; Minimum retention duration for the selected Retention Duration Unit before triggered task instances can qualify for purge.

If Retention Duration Unit = Days, valid values are 1 to 366.

If Retention Duration Unit = Hours, valid values are 1 to 24.

Retention Duration Unit

If Purge By Retention Duration is selected; Retention duration unit.
 
Options:

  • Hours
  • Days

Execution User


Read-only; Execution user that has been selected (via the Assign Execution User action) to override the execution user of task instances being launched by the trigger.

Status

This section contains information about the current status of the trigger.

Status

System-defined; Specification for whether the trigger is Enabled or Disabled. The user enables and disables the trigger by clicking the Enable / Disable buttons. Only enabled triggers are processed by the Controller.

Next Scheduled Time

System-supplied; for time-based triggers. If Status = Enabled, the next date and time this trigger will be satisfied. See Displaying Trigger Forecast Information.

Enabled By

System-supplied. If Status = Enabled, ID of the user who most recently enabled this trigger.

Disabled By

System-supplied; If Status = Disabled, ID of the user who most recently disabled this trigger. (By default, all new triggers are disabled.)

Enabled Time

System-supplied. If Status = Enabled, Date and time that the trigger was enabled.

Disabled Time

System-supplied. If Status = Disabled, Date and time that the trigger was disabled.

Skip DetailsThis section contains detailed information about skipping the trigger.

Task Launch Skip Condition

User-defined; Controls when launching a task for the trigger will be skipped.

Default is the value of the Trigger Task Launch Skip Condition Default Universal Controller system property.

Options:

  • -- None --
    Do not skip the task launch.
  • Active
    Skip the task launch if a previous instance is still active.
  • Active By Trigger
    Skip the task launch if a previous instance launched by the trigger is still active.

Task Launch Skip Condition is not applicable when using the Trigger Now... command and will be ignored.

Skip Restriction

User-defined; Specification for when this trigger should skip and not launch the task(s).

Options:

  • - - None - -
    No skip restrictions
  • Before
    Trigger will skip if the current date and time is before the specified Skip Before Date and Skip Before Time values.
  • After
    Trigger will skip if the current date and time is after the specified Skip After Date and Skip After Time values.
  • Span
    Trigger will skip if the date and time qualifies based upon the specified Skip After DateSkip After Time, Skip Before Date, and Skip After Date values.

    Note

    If Skip After Date and Skip After Time are prior to the Skip Before Date and Skip Before Time, the Span is a "between" period. In this case, if the triggered time is after the Skip After Date and Skip After Time as well as before the Skip Before Date and Skip Before Time, the Trigger will skip and not launch the configured Task(s).

    If the Skip Before Date and Skip Before Time are prior to the Skip After Date and Skip After Time, the Span is a "not between" period. In this case, if the triggered time is either after the Skip After Date and Skip After Time or before the Skip Before Date and Skip Before Time, then the trigger will skip and not launch the configured Task(s).

  • On
    Trigger will skip on any of the dates specified in the Skip Date LIst.

Default is - - None - -.

Skip Count

User-defined; Allows you to specify that the Controller should skip the next N times this task is triggered.
 
Skip Count is not applicable when using the Trigger Now... command and will be ignored.

Skip Before Date

If Skip Restriction is Before or Span; Date before which the Trigger will skip.

Skip Before Time

If Skip Restriction is Before or Span; Time before which the Trigger will skip on the specified Skip Before Date.

Skip After Date

If Skip Restriction is After or Span; Date after which the Trigger will Skip.

Skip After Time

If Skip Restriction is After or Span; Time after which the Trigger will skip on the specified Skip After Date.

Skip Date List

If Skip Restriction is On;  List of dates on which the trigger will skip.

Composite Details

This section contains assorted detailed information about the trigger.

Time Limit

Amount of time (in Time Limit Units) that component events will remain in their queue before being removed.

Time Limit Unit

Unit of time specified in the Time Limit field.
 
Options:

  • Seconds
  • Minutes
  • Hours
  • Days

Queue Depth

Number of events that are maintained in the queue for each component at any time. To maintain the Queue Depth, the Controller discards the oldest events.
 
Valid values are 1 to 100 (default is 100). If Queue Depth = 1, only the most recent event from each component can be matched.

Restrictions

This section specifies any restrictions that apply to the trigger.

Restrict Times


Period during which the trigger is active. Enable this field and specify the start and end times in the Enabled Start and Enabled End fields.

Enabled Start

If Restrict Times is enabled, allows you to specify the start time of the period during which the trigger should be active. Use 24-hour time.

Enabled End

If Restrict Times is enabled, allows you to specify the end time of the period during which the trigger should be active. Use 24-hour time.

Special Restriction

Enable this field in order to specify additional parameters that tell the Controller how to handle exceptions, such as when the trigger is satisfied on a holiday or non-business day. You can specify simple and/or complex restrictions.

For example, you can specify a Simple Restriction that disables the trigger if it is satisfied on a holiday identified in the calendar and/or a Complex Restriction that disables the trigger on the last business day of every month.

Action

If Special Restriction is enabled, allows you to select an action to take on a non-business day or holiday (see Situation field).

Options:

  • Do Not Trigger
  • Next Day (run on the next day)
  • Next Business Day (run on the next business day, as defined in the calendar)
  • Previous Day (run on the previous day)
  • Previous Business Day (run on the previous business day, as defined in the calendar)

Simple Restriction

If enabled, allows you to specify an action (see Action field) such as Do Not Trigger on a non-business day or holiday (see Situation field). For example, do not trigger on a non-business day.