Siebel Business Process Framework: Task UI Guide > Developing a Task UI > Developing a Task UI That Uses Transient Data >

Overview of Transient Data

Transient data is a type of data that is relevant for a limited time period. In a task UI, this time period is the duration of a task instance. The answer to the following question that Siebel CRM displays in a task UI is a typical example of transient data:

What would you like to do next?

A transient business component (TBC) is a type of business component whose records exist only during the duration of a task instance. It allows you to configure Siebel CRM to create data that is specific to a task instance that it can display and that the user can edit and access in a task UI. Using a transient business component is conditional, depending on your data manipulation requirements.

Transient data is dynamic and is tied to a transient business component in a task UI. Siebel CRM accesses the records of a transient business component only in the context of a specific task UI or subtask.

A task UI can assign transient data to the input method arguments of a task step or to a task property through the output argument of a task step.

In contrast to a business component, a transient business component stores data that Siebel CRM requires for the duration of the task instance but that it can discard when the user finishes the task UI. Siebel CRM might require this data to support the following situations:

• To perform an intermediate calculation.
• To store information about the decisions the user makes.
• To temporarily store data. For more information, see Storing Data Temporarily While Gathering the Information Required to Create a Complete Record.
• For other purposes where Siebel CRM does not need to store data in the Siebel database.

For examples, see the following topics:

• For an example that uses transient data, see Example of Developing a Task UI That Assists with Adding an Opportunity and an Activity.
• For an example that does not use transient data, see Example of Developing a Task UI That Assists with Adding an Opportunity.

Characteristics of a Transient Business Component

The following characteristics describe a transient business component:

• Stores transient data, including data that controls task flow.
• Defined in a way that is similar to how you define a business component except that it references the S_TU_LOG table and is of the transient type.
• Deployed the same way that you deploy a business component, which is through the SRF (Siebel Repository File).
• Cleared after a commit step or when the user finishes a task UI.
• Supports a calculated field. The Calculated Field property indicates if the transient business component calculates the value of the field. If set to TRUE, then the transient business component calculates the value.
• Does not support multivalue fields.
• Does not support an explicit join.
• Is not stored in the Siebel database.
• Does not support an insert, copy, or delete operations on a business component record. You can use a business component to insert, copy, or delete a business component record.

How Siebel CRM Manages Transient Data

Siebel Tools automatically enters in the following properties of a transient business component when you create it. These properties are not editable:

• The Name property specifies the Siebel database column for the table.
• The Join properties define a logical join between the base table of a business component and another table. If Siebel CRM creates a new record, then it automatically enters data in the Join properties according to the Type and Text length properties.

Siebel CRM forces all columns to active at run time to avoid problems with field activation.

Siebel CRM stores transient data in the S_TU_LOG table and, if necessary, in S_TU_LOG_X_* extension tables:

• The TASK_ID_VAL column stores the task instance ID.
• The BC_NAME column stores the name of the business component.

Siebel CRM finishes using a transient business component, and then a background service cleans the S_TU_LOG table according to the value in the TASK_ID_VAL column. If a task UI is running on a Siebel Mobile Web Client that is connected to a local database, then Siebel CRM deletes the transient data as soon as the task UI finishes.

For more information, see Creating a Transient Business Component.