Creating a Task

1. In a task plan propertiesproperties → TasksTasks section, click 

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2. Select one of the task types from the menu; see 9711227558, below see Types of Task.
3. PhixFlow opens a new task properties tab.
4. Enter a name in Basic Settings → Name.
5. Specify the order in which the task must be run. This is important where if a stream depends on the data in other streams.

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7. Optionally set other properties and add streams; see 9711227558, below.

Mandatory Tasks

The tasks are run in the configured order. 

You can specify that a task in a task plan is mandatory This means the task must complete before the next task in the sequence can run. If a mandatory task fails, PhixFlow will not run the following tasks. You must resolve the issue preventing the task from running and then restart the task.

Structuring Tasks

When setting up task plans with tasks that affect streams, you must consider whether the streams have any dependencies. This affects your options when structuring tasks in task plans.

Either each task affects one stream

1. streams

1. Create a set of tasks.
2. Each task works on a single stream.
Set the tasks to be mandatory.
3. Add the set of tasks to the task plan.

PhixFlow processes the tasks, and therefore the streams, in order. PhixFlow must finish a task successfully before it starts to update the next stream. This is the safest way to set up tasks that affect streams. Always use this method when there are dependencies between streams.

Or one task affects multiple streams

If there are no dependencies between streams, you can add multiple streams to the task. In this case you have no control over the order in which streams will be processed. Only use this method if there is you are sure there are no dependencies between the streams.

1. Create a task
2. Add multiple streams to a task
3. Add the task to the task plan. 

This has the advantage that you only need to configure one task to change multiple streams.

Task

Use an analysis task to run analysis on the stream(s) in the task. 

Use a rollback task to effectively undo run analysis on a stream.  When you run a rollback task it rolls back all data in each of the listed streams, deleting the stream-sets. The list of stream sets is empty and there are no data records in the stream (tbc). For information about how to rollback streams manually, see Rollback.

Use an archive task to delete or archive stream data or stream sets that you no longer need in PhixFlow. Archive data is saved into a zip file - to get at this? You can (in theory) reinstate archive data.

Whether or not PhixFlow deletes or archives stream sets depends on how the archive settings in the stream are configured. 

Running an archive task on a large number of streams, or on a stream with a large data set can take some time. We recommend scheduling archiving tasks for times when the system is quiet, for example overnight.

Archiving Specific Streams

You can create an archiving task for a specific stream or streams. PhixFlow creates a single zip file containing the specified streams.  For example, you might want to create a single archive for:

• data from several related streams
• a stream that contains a large amount of data  
• a stream that you want to be able to restore from the backup. This is easier when the data is in its own zip.

Archiving Any Stream

You can create a single archive task to delete or archive the data in streams:

• that are not in another archive task
• and have archiving settings configured.

To do this, select the Archive All option

When you run the task, PhixFlow:

• deletes stream sets that are older than the specified archive settings in the stream
• creates a zip archive of all the stream sets within the specified archive settings in the stream.
  This is a single archive containing all the data from all the streams processed.

Archive tasks must have:

• either at least one stream added
• or have the Archive All option ticked.

If streams are deleted from the repository, their names will automatically be removed from tasks that refer to them. This means a saved task can become empty/redundant. PhixFlow will no longer run the task - log mesages??

Finding the Archive file

When a stream is archived, PhixFlow logs information in the system console →  Archive Log. This includes information about the data archived and any archive file created. This is a single archive containing all the data from the streams processed.. Optionally, the archived data can be saved to a file. If this is done, the data can reloaded into PhixFlow using Restore Archive.

Use a system task to perform system-wide housekeeping activities. These include deleting:

• managed file entries
• email entries
• temporary files created by file exporters to send by email
• data from incomplete stream sets
• log messages and optionally archiving them.

The archiving periods, and whether to archive log messages before they are deleted, are controlled by the following parameters in System Configuration:

• Delete Log Messages After Days
• Archive Deleted Log Messages To File
• Delete Statistics After Days
• Delete Emails After Days

Use a configuration export task to export configuration of selected items or full configuration. The exported file will be available in the File Download Area for users in groups listed in the user groups section. The File Settings section allows you to specify the name and description for the exported configuration file. The description will appear in the file download area and also in the header of the configuration export file.

Properties

Basic Settings

Streams

This section is only available for analysis tasks and archive tasks

. Use this section to specify the streams that the task affects. This section has:

• a toolbar with standard buttons
• a grid that shows the list of streams assigned to the task.

There are different ways you can to add streams to the list.

• In the section toolbar, click 

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  . PhixFlow shows all the streams in the repository. Drag a stream into the grid.
• From a model, hover your mouse pointer over the stream to display the pop-up toolbar. Click 

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   and drag it into the grid.
• From the repository, click  Insert excerpt_streams_show_streams_shownopaneltrue to display the list of the streams in the repository. Drag a stream from the list into the grid.a model, double-click on a stream to open its properties. From the stream properties, drag the stream icon from the top left of the properties tab into the grid.

If you add multiple streams to the task, PhixFlow will process the streams in any order when the task runs. Only use this method if there is you are sure there are no dependencies between the streams.

Mandatory Tasks

The tasks are run in the order they are listed in the the task plan.

You can specify that a task is Mandatory. If a mandatory task fails, PhixFlow will not run the following task in the task plan. You must resolve the issue preventing the task from running and then restart the task.