Save Node

Owned by Sarah Gibson (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Mar 06, 2024 by Zoe Baldwin
3 min read

This page provides details of the properties for the save node, which is part of an actionflow.

Overview

Use a  Save node to insert and update records for a selected table. By default, Autosave Attributes is enabled, this saves any attributes on the driving input form that link to the table on the save node. Specific attributes can be overridden manually by specifying the attributes, or if Autosave Attributes is not enabled the Save node will only save attributes which are mapped to it and ignore any that have not been included.

A Save node must be attached to a table with a Type of Transactional.

Example

In the actionflow instance illustrated in the screenshot above, an application has a Company Edit Form. When the application user makes a change and clicks the button, the actionflow runs.

  1. The Calculate node sets the following attributes: 
    • Status to 'Pending Approval'
    • StatusUpdate to the current time
    • StatusUpdatedBy to the user's name.
  2. The Save node saves any attributes on the driving input form that link to the table on the save node. 
    This means if any additional fields are added to the backing table and input form they do not need to be mapped to the save node.
    1. Specific fields can be manually added and mapped in the Attributes section to the save to override attribute values coming from the input form.

Allocating Primary Key Values to New Records

When the save node is inserting a new record to the table, PhixFlow allocates a unique primary key value to the record. How PhixFlow allocates a value is determined by the Table properties → Advanced → Primary Key Generator.

  • Internal: By default, PhixFlow automatically allocates a unique, numeric value to the primary key attribute.
  • Sequence: Configure PhixFlow to allocate a value from your own sequence using the Primary Key Generator Sequence option. see Stream > Data Generation Options and Sequence.

 Properties Tab

Parent Details

If this item is within or belongs to another, its parent name is shown here. See the Parent Details section on the Common Properties page for more details.

Basic Settings

FieldDescription
NameEnter the name for the action node.
Show in the Repository

An application can have many actionflows, and an individual actionflow can have many nodes. This can lead to many items being listed under Actionflow in the repository. Use this option to omit the node from the repository.

 to display this node in the repository.

 to omit this node from the repository.

Type
  • Auto Insert/Update
    Insert or update records using the following condition:
    • If the incoming connection passes in the primary key of an existing record, this save node updates the record in the attached table
    • If the incoming connection does not pass in the primary key of an existing record, this save node inserts a new record.
  • Insert
    Always insert a new record into the attached table
  • Update
    Will always update a record for the attached table. For a record to update successfully a primary key must be provided.
Table

The table in which the records will be updated. This table must have a Period of Transactional.

Auto Save Attributes

 Tick to save unmapped attributes from the driving input form or view, matched by identifier.

  • If an attribute on the target table has not been mapped, the save node checks for a value using the identifier. This finds the attribute associated with a field that was created by dropping the attribute onto a form.
  • If there are multiple values for an attribute, the save node will report an error.
  • If there are no values for an attribute, it will not be updated. 

Mapped Attributes

A list of attributes to be updated manually. Click  to show the list of attributes for the table. Drag the attributes you want to add to the save node into this list.

In the list:

  • to edit the attribute's properties, double-click an attribute; see View Attribute
  • to delete an attribute, right-click and select  Delete  

Attributes not added to this list will not be changed unless 'Auto Save Attributes' is ticked. If a record is being inserted and an attribute is not present in the save node, the default value for this field will be _NULL

Advanced Settings

FieldDescription
Prioritise throughput over ordering

When enabled, records are processed in parallel to optimise performance. This means the order records are processed is nondeterministic.

When disabled (default), records are processed in the order they are provided.

Description

We recommend that you always enter a description to explain the purpose of this item.

 Security Tab

Access Permissions

See the Common Properties page, Access Permissions section.

 Audit Tab

Audit Summary

See the Common Properties page, Audit Summary section.

Sections on this page

Learn More

For links to all pages in this topic, see Understanding Actionflows. 


Terminology changes in progress

As part of the redesign of PhixFlow, we are changing the following terms:

dashboard → screen   
stream → table
stream attributes → attributes
stream item → record
stream set → recordset
stream view → view
stream item action → record-action 
stream action → table-action
driver class → database driver