Use trigger fields with scheduled tasks

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Many agent connectors allow you to configure an optional trigger field. A trigger field can be any field that identifies a new or modified source record for a task that runs on a regular schedule.

One of the most common trigger fields is a timestamp that identifies when a record was last updated. Another common trigger field is a record ID number that increments each time a new record is added.

The first time an agent connector is run, all records are retrieved. The last value retrieved from the source data is stored as the trigger value. The next time the agent connector runs, it retrieves only records whose trigger value is greater than that stored value.

EXAMPLE   The records in a data source include a timestamp field named LastUpdated. The latest value in that field is 08:00 May 15, 2021. This date is stored as the trigger value. The next time the agent connector is scheduled to run, it retrieves only records with a LastUpdated value of 08:01 May 15, 2021 or later. The stored trigger value is then updated to reflect the latest LastUpdated value to serve as the trigger value for the next scheduled run.

Resetting the trigger field

At some point you might want to reset the trigger field. Resetting the trigger field means that you put the trigger value back to zero and start again. When the trigger field is reset, the agent connector once again retrieves all the records from the data source instead of only the new and modified ones.

Some reasons why a reset is desirable is if some changes in the source data did not update the trigger field, or if you need to refresh your database to correct corrupted data.

After the trigger field is reset and all records are retrieved, it goes back to saving the last trigger value and retrieving only new and modified records the next time it runs.

Procedure

Reset the trigger field on a scheduled recurring task

  1. On the Data Task Management page (Application Management > Data Management > Data Task Management), select the Tasks tab.
  2. Hover over the task whose trigger field you want to reset. Four buttons appear next to the task name .
  3. Click Reset Trigger Field .