Parent Group

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

Command for Incremental Load

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

The DAC maintains a last refresh timestamp whenever a table is changed during the ETL process. (You can view this timestamp under Setup > Physical Data Sources > Refresh Dates.) If a table has a timestamp, the command appearing in this column is executed. If a table does not have a timestamp, the command for a full load is executed. 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

Task phase of the ETL process. This information is primarily used for dependency generation. Certain phases, such as Change Capture and Query Index Creation, are not available for you to assign to a task. 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 - internal change capture. If you are using multiple Siebel transactional sources, you cannot change the behavior of the change capture process. This task requires change capture tables to be created on the other sources also. When adding additional Siebel sources, go to Design > Tables, right-click and select Change Capture Tasks. This action generates change capture tasks. Use this same action to disable or delete change capture tasks.
• IMG_SYNC - internal change capture. If you are using multiple Siebel transactional sources, you can create this task for the additional tasks for doing similar change capture sync processes. You cannot change the behavior of the change capture sync process. This task requires change capture tables to be created on the other sources also. This task should be used with discretion for Siebel sources only.
• QUERY_INDEX - internal data warehouse. This task allows you to alter when the Query indices are created. The DAC server drops all indices before loading when the CreateQueyIndexesAtTheEnd setting is set to True. When this setting is set to False, all the indices, regardless of the index type, get created as part of the task that does the loading.
• UPDATE_ETL_PARAM - internal data warehouse. This task is used only to update W_PARAM_G from the DAC server. This task populates the system properties to the W_PARAM_G table in the data warehouse by querying values defined in the DAC repository. Because only one data warehouse per DAC repository is supported, this execution type should not be chosen for any task.

Priority

Indicates the order in which the task runs. If two or more tasks have the same priority, the order occurs randomly.

Pre-SQL for Full Load

The SQL script (derived from a SQL or XML file) that is executed before the specified task when the task is participating in a full load.

Pre-SQL for Incremental Load

The SQL script (derived from a SQL or XML file) that is executed before the specified task when the task is participating in an incremental load.

Post-SQL for Full Load

The SQL script (derived from a SQL or XML file) that is executed after the specified task when the specified task is participating in a full load.

Post-SQL for Incremental Load

The SQL script (derived from a SQL or XML file) that is executed after the specified task when the specified task is participating in an incremental load.

Build Image

Applicable for Siebel transactional sources only. Indicates the change capture for the primary/auxiliary source tables will be executed.

Analyze Tables

The DAC automatically analyzes tables when tasks truncate tables. By selecting this check box, however, you can force the DAC to analyze tables even when they are not truncated.

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.

Source Tables

Displays the list of tables from which the selected task extracts data.

It includes the following properties:

• Type. Table type. Possible values are:
  • Primary. Indicates whether the table is a primary source of data.
  • Auxiliary. Indicates whether the table is a secondary source of data.
  • Lookup. Indicates whether the table is a lookup table.
• Data Source. When a data source is not specified, the default is the task's primary source.

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.

Target Tables

Displays the list of tables into which the selected task loads data.

It includes the following properties:

• Data Source. If no data source is specified, this value defaults to the task's primary target.
• Truncate Always. Indicates the target tables will be truncated regardless of whether a full or incremental load is occurring. Any indices registered for this table are dropped before the command is executed and are recreated after the command completes successfully. When indices are dropped and created, the table is analyzed so that the index statistics are up-to-date.
• Truncate for Full Load. Indicates the target tables will be truncated only when a full load is occurring. Any indices registered for this table are dropped before the command is executed and are recreated after the command completes successfully. When indices 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.

Conditional Tables

Displays the tables that, if included in an execution plan, cause the optional task selected in the top pane to be executed.

For example, the Order Item fact table is a conditional table associated with the optional task called UpdateRecencyCat in Person Dimension. The UpdateRecencyCat in Person Dimension task is executed only when the Order Item fact table is included in an execution plan.

Phase Dependency

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.

For instructions on setting a phase dependency, see Setting a Task Phase Dependency.

This child tab includes the following properties.

• Action. The action to be taken in relation to the phase dependency. Possible values are:
  • 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. Possible values are:
  • 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 Execution Plans > All Dependencies and viewing the specified task's predecessor tasks.
• Phase. The ETL phase that will apply to the Action and Grain properties.

Configuration Tags

Displays the configuration tags to which the selected task belongs. It also allows you to associate the selected task with a configuration tag.

It includes the following properties:

• Include Tasks. This field is read-only. It indicates whether the configuration tag tasks will be executed with the selected subject area.
• Context Disabled. If this check box is selected, the configuration tag is globally disabled.

Parameters

Displays the parameters associated with the selected task. It allows you to configure task level parameters. This parameter takes precedence over source system parameters when the name is the same.

• Data Type. Possible values are Text, Timestamp, and SQL.
• Value. The value of the parameter.