Tasks Tab

Tasks Tab

The Tasks tab lists all the tasks associated with the selected source system container.

Parent Group

If the task is a member of a group, this field lists the task group name.

Group Order

The order in which the task is defined to execute in a certain group.

Command for Incremental Load

1.    A table can be loaded in Full Mode or Incremental Mode.

2.    Full Mode refers to data loaded for the first time or data that is truncated and then loaded. Incremental Mode refers to new or changed data being added to the existing data.

3.    The DAC maintains a last refresh timestamp whenever a table is changed during the ETL process. (You can view this timestamp by selecting Setup, then selecting Physical Data Sources, and then selecting Refresh Dates.) If a table has a timestamp, the command appearing in this column is executed.

4.    If a table does not have a timestamp, the command for a full load is executed.

5.    If the execution type is Informatica, the workflow name is used as the command

Command for Full Load

If a table has no last refresh timestamp, this command is executed.

Folder Name

Only for execution type of Informatica.

The folder in which the workflow resides. Note: The name cannot contain spaces.

Primary Source

Logical database connection for the primary source database.

Primary Target

Logical database connection for the primary target database.

Task Phase

1.    Task phase of the ETL process.

2.    This information is primarily used for dependency generation.

3.    Certain phases, such as Change Capture and Query Index Creation, are not available for you to assign to a task.

4.    The DAC server uses the task phase to prioritize tasks and to generate a summary of the time taken for each of the phases.

Execution Type

Tasks are executed based on their execution type. The following types are supported:

• Informatica

Task is invoked on an Informatica Server using pmcmd.

• External Program

Task is an operable program on the operating system where the DAC server is running. This program can be a batch file, shell script, or any other program that can be run like a bulk loader.

• SQL File

Task is a SQL script in .xml or .sql format.

• Stored Procedures

Task is a stored procedure that has been defined on the databases.

In addition, there are several internal execution types that you will not be able to select when creating new tasks. These tasks are categorized as either internal change capture tasks or internal data warehouse tasks; all of these tasks are color-coded in pink in the Tasks tab.

• IMG_BUILD

1.    Used for internal change capture.

2.    If you are using multiple Siebel transactional sources, you cannot change the behavior of the change capture process.

3.    This task requires change capture tables to be created manually on the other sources also.

IMG_SYNC

1.    Used for internal change capture.

2.    If you are using multiple Siebel transactional sources, you can create this task for the additional tasks for doing similar change capture sync processes.

3.    You cannot change the behavior of the change capture sync process.

4.    This task requires change capture tables to be created on the other sources also.

5.    This task should be used with discretion for Siebel sources only.

Execution Priority

1.    Indicates the order in which the task is executed.

2.    If two or more similar tasks (tasks having same phase, similar truncate properties, same number of successors, same number of source tables) have the same priority, the order occurs randomly.

Build Image

1.    Applicable for Siebel transactional sources only.

2.    Indicates the change capture for the primary/auxiliary source tables will be executed.

Continue on Error

When this check box is selected, if the command fails, the dependent tasks are not stopped. However, if any autogenerated tasks fail, the dependent tasks are stopped.

Tasks Tab: Actions Subtab

The Actions subtab lists the actions that have been set up for the selected task. For a description of task actions, see the following:

• About Index, Table and Task Actions
• Defining a SQL Script for an Action
• Assigning an Action to a Repository Object

Action Type

Action types are predefined categories of task behaviors that trigger the execution of a SQL script. The following types are available:

• Preceding Action

Use this type to execute a SQL script before a task runs.

• Success Action

Use this type to execute a SQL script after a task runs successfully.

• Failure Action

Use this type to execute a SQL script if a task fails during its execution.

• Restart Action

Use this type to execute a SQL script when a task that previously failed is restarted.

• Upon Failure Restart Action

Use this type to execute a SQL script to restart a task that fails.

Load Type

The load type specifies whether the SQL script is to be called for incremental runs, full runs, or both.

Action

1.    You define the task action in the form of a SQL statement or stored procedure.

2.    You can define one or more SQL statements for each action.

3.    Double-click in the Action field to open the Choose Action dialog box, where you can select the appropriate action.

4.    You define the SQL statement or stored procedure for an action in the Task Actions dialog box, which you access by selecting Tools, then Seed Data, then Actions, and then Task Actions

Tasks Tab: Conditional Tables Subtab

1.    The Conditional Tables subtab lists the tables that, if included in an execution plan, cause the optional task selected in the top window to be executed.

2.    For example, the Order Item fact table is a conditional table associated with the optional task called UpdateRecencyCat in Person Dimension.

3.    The UpdateRecencyCat in Person Dimension task is executed only when the Order Item fact table is included in an execution plan.

Tasks Tab: Configuration Tags Subtab

The Configuration Tags subtab lists the configuration tags to which the selected task belongs.

It also enables you to associate the selected task with a configuration tag.

Include Tasks

This read-only field indicates whether the configuration tag tasks will be executed.

Context Disabled

If this check box is selected, the configuration tag is globally disabled.

Tasks Tab: Parameters Subtab

The Parameters subtab lists the parameters associated with the selected task.

1.    It enables you to configure task level parameters.

2.    This parameter takes precedence over source system parameters when the name is the same.

For more information about managing parameters in the DAC, see:

About Parameter Management.

Defining a Text Type Parameter

Defining a Database Specific Text Type Parameter

Defining a Timestamp Type Parameter

Defining a SQL Type Parameter

Name

Name of the parameter.

Data Type

Parameter data type. Possible values are the following:

• Text

The value for the parameter is defined as text.

• DB Specific Text

Enables you to add database specific hints in Informatica mappings.

When you select this option, in the Value field, you specify the logical connection where the parameter applies, and you specify a default value for the parameter. The DAC evaluates the parameter to this default value for all databases. If you enter text that is applicable to a particular database, you can specify a value for the database type, and the DAC will evaluate the parameter to this value at runtime as long as the logical connection matches the specified database.

• Timestamp

The value for the parameter is a timestamp and can be static, runtime or SQL.

• SQL

The value for the parameter is a SQL statement.

Data Type

The parameter data type. Possible values are Text, Timestamp, and SQL.

Value

The parameter value.

Tasks Tab: Phase Dependency Subtab

The DAC server uses the ETL phase property to prioritize tasks. By changing the phase property of a task, you change the task's execution order.

Action

The action to be taken in relation to the phase dependency. Possible values are the following:

• Wait

Indicates the selected task will wait to be executed until the tasks of a specified phase have been executed.

• Block

Indicates the selected task will block all tasks of the specified phase from being executed until is has been executed.

Grain

Applicable only for blocks. Enables you to specify whether the action you choose affects all tasks of a specified phase or related tasks. Possible values are the following:

• All

Indicates the action will affect all tasks.

• Related

Indicates the action will affect only related tasks. You can view a task's related tasks by navigating to the Execution Plans tab, All Dependencies subtab and viewing the specified task's predecessor tasks.

Scope

For multi-source execution plans only. Specifies how the Block action of the phase dependency behaves in relation to multi-source execution plans. Possible values are the following:

• Both

Indicates the blocking action is active for tasks that have the same source and target physical data source connections.

• Source

Indicates the blocking action is active for tasks that have the same source physical data source connection.

• Target

Indicates the blocking action is active for tasks that have the same target physical data source connection.

• None

Indicates the blocking action is active for all tasks regardless of the source and target physical data source connections.

Phase

The ETL phase that will apply to the Action and Grain properties.

Tasks Tab: Refresh Date Tables Subtab

1.    When a task gets executed, DAC determines the read and write mode based on the refresh dates that the DAC stores for the database connection and the source/target table name combination of that task.

2.    However, if you want to determine the mode of both read and write operations based on a table which is not a source/target table, you can define it in the Refresh Date Tables subtab.

3.    For example, suppose have an aggregate table based on W_REVENUE_F and its dimensions, there are two ways of populating the aggregate table.

4.    In Full mode, the table gets truncated, and all the aggregate values get recomputed.

5.    In the Incremental mode, the delta aggregate values are computed based on the new/updated records in the base fact table.

6.    The incremental strategy is efficient for a small subset of rows you would expect in an incremental run.

7.    The primary transactional table on the OLTP side for this table is S_REVN.

8.     Suppose the data is being incrementally extracted from one source, and at a subsequent time a new data source is added to the execution plan.

9.    The big number of incoming rows make the incremental load inefficient, but recomputing of the aggregates more efficient.

10.Hence, the decision to load the table in Full mode should depend on the ultimate source table, which is qualified as OLTP.S_REVN, rather than based on the immediate source table Datawarehouse.W_REVENUE_F.

Tasks Tab: Source Tables Subtab

The Source Tables subtab lists the tables from which the selected task extracts data.

Type

Table type. Possible values are the following:

• Primary

Indicates the table is a primary source of data.

• Auxiliary

Indicates the table is a secondary source of data.

• Lookup

Indicates the table is a lookup table.

Note:

If a table is marked as Primary or Auxiliary and the Build Image property of the task is selected, the change capture process is invoked. There are special tasks that force the base table data to be extracted when data in auxiliary tables change.

A table can be neither Primary nor Auxiliary but still be used for getting some attributes to populate a dimension or fact table. The changes in these kinds of source tables are not reflected in the dimension or fact table once the data is populated.

Data Source

Data source for the table. When a data source is not specified, the default is the task's primary source.

Tasks Tab: Target Tables Subtab

The Target Tables subtab lists the tables into which the selected task loads data.

Type

Table type.

Data Source

Data source for the target table. If no data source is specified, this value defaults to the task's primary target.

Truncate Always

1.    Indicates the target tables will be truncated regardless of whether a full or incremental load is occurring.

2.    Any indexes registered for this table are dropped before the command is executed and are recreated after the command completes successfully

3.    . When indexes are dropped and created, the table is analyzed so that the index statistics are up-to-date.

Truncate for Full Load

1.    Indicates the target tables will be truncated only when a full load is occurring.

2.    Any indexes registered for this table are dropped before the command is executed and are recreated after the command completes successfully.

3.    When indexes are dropped and created, the table is analyzed so that the index statistics are up-to-date. When the Truncate Always option is selected, this option is unnecessary.