Create rules to trigger actions on change of data
To ease data maintenance, you can configure Alfabet to update object class properties of objects in the Alfabet database automatically or execute specific actions like triggering of automated translation when a user sets a specific attribute, creates an asset or deletes an asset. There are two types of data-triggered actions:
- Data-triggered actions executing a native SQL query on the Alfabet database. For example, when a task is defined for a project, the end date of the task can be set automatically to one week prior to the end date of the parent project.
- Data-triggered actions executing an event defined in Alfabet Expand. For example, the standard ADIF job for automatic update of calculated indicators can be triggered via an event when a user changes one of the attributes the indicator is based on.
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The scope of this feature is limited. Triggering of action on data change is limited to inline editing and generic operations. Data-triggered actions can be executed on inline editing in data workbenches, content areas and guided data entry views. In addition, creating, editing and deleting objects in data workbenches via generic create, edit, and delete operations can trigger data actions if the creation is via editor and not assigned to a workflow or wizard. All other button interactions like changes done in wizards, workflows, standard views, and custom reports cannot trigger data actions.
Data triggered actions are triggered after the action is executed. Therefore, it is not possible to define data triggered actions referring to the base object for delete actions. The object that has been deleted does not exist after deletion and cannot be referred to.
- Never create a data-triggered action in a production environment. You define SQL statements which change the data in the tables of the Alfabet database. These statements must be created in a configuration/test environment to ensure that no data loss or damage to the database structure occurs in productive environments.
- Liability is on customer side. Alfabet BD GmbH is not taking over any liability for damage done to the Alfabet database structure and content caused by customer-defined data-triggered actions.
Definition of data-triggered actions is done in three steps:
- Define a data-triggered action group to structure your data-triggered actions.
- Define data-triggered actions under data-triggered action groups.
- Define when to trigger the action in a data-triggered action rule. Multiple data-triggered actions can be triggered by the same data-triggered action rule. A data-triggered action is only executed if the data-triggered action rule it is assigned to is activated.