Update Data Records

The Update Data Records action task updates records in the OL Connect Database using values from the current Metadata or from JSON.
Each of the OL Connect Content Creation tasks can do the same, if the Update Records from Metadata option is enabled for that task.
The Update Data Records task can be useful when data needs to be updated multiple times before actually generating content, for instance when Postal Address Cleansing and Sorting is a two-pass process.

Input

The current Job File is not used by this task. In order to update values in the Connect database, the task requires that the current Metadata contains record IDs, or that the given JSON contains a JSON Record Data List (see: Types of JSON in Workflow and ).

Processing

The records, of which the IDs are found in the source data, are updated either from the Metadata or from JSON.

Note: Date strings conforming to ISO 8601 are parsed and stored in the OL Connect database as Unix timestamps, i.e. the total number of seconds from the starting time of UTC (Universal Time, Coordinated) to the current time (with zero time zone offset). For instance: 1675950179.

Output

The Job File is not changed by this task.

Task properties

General Tab

• Update Source: Select the data source from which the records in the Connect database will be updated.
  • Metadata: Select this option to use the current content of the Metadata.
  • JSON: Enter a JSON string, or a variable containing JSON. (See Variable task properties.) The task expects a JSON Record Data List; see: Types of JSON in Workflow.

OL Connect Proxy Tab

This tab is common to all OL Connect tasks and defines where to process the jobs sent through these tasks. When these fields are empty, they use the defaults set in the OL Connect preferences.

Note: Defaults are not used unless the configuration is sent to the Workflow service.

• OL Connect Proxy Address: Enter the machine name or IP Address where the OL Connect Server resides.

• Port: Enter the port to use to communicate with the OL Connect Server. Default: 9340

• User name: Enter the user name expected by the OL Connect Server.

• Password: Enter the password expected by the OL Connect Server for the above user name.

On Error Tab

For a description of the options on the On Error tab see Using the On Error tab.

Miscellaneous Tab

The Miscellaneous tab is common to all tasks.

It contains a text area (Task comments) that lets you write comments about the task. These comments are saved when the dialog is closed with the OK button and are displayed in The Task Comments Pane.

Check the option Use as step description to display the text next to the icon of the plugin in the Process area.

The tab also provides an option to highlight the task in The Process area with the default color, set in the Preferences (see Colors), or the color selected or defined under Highlight color on this tab.
To revert the selected highlight color to the default color, open this tab, turn the Highlight option off and close the dialog with the OK button; then turn highlighting back on.
Highlighting can also be turned on and off via the task's contextual menu and with the Highlight button on the View ribbon.