Understanding the Context for Changes
When viewing data about records, you can view the context for each change. The context describes how the change was made. For example, users and external systems can perform updates through the user interface, web services, SuiteScript, and a variety of other methods. Each method is considered a context. For a full list of contexts, see Available Context Values.
You can view context data in any of the following ways:
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Each change to a record is typically recorded in a system notes record. This record describes the context for the change, among other details. For help navigating to system notes records and using the System Notes search type, see Searching System Notes. For help finding system notes data using the Audit Trail feature, see Viewing an Audit Trail for a Record Type.
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When a record is deleted, you can typically view the context for the record’s deletion. You do this using the Deleted Record search type. For more information about this search type, see Searching for Deleted Records.
Context was introduced in Version 2014 Releases 2. Prior to this release, context data was not collected. For that reason, it is not possible to show the context for changes made before your account was upgraded to Version 2014 Release 2.
Available Context Values
The following table summarizes possible context values.
For further details about how the system assigns context values, see Usage Notes.
|
Context |
Change Initiated Through |
Corresponding Help Topic |
|---|---|---|
|
Bulk Processing |
Any of the pages in the user interface that let you mark multiple records for simultaneous processing. Such pages include the Authorize Commissions page (at Transactions > Commissions > Authorize Employee Commissions) and the Mark Work Orders Built page (at Transactions > Manufacturing > Mark Work Orders Built). |
— |
|
Campaign Response |
A campaign response |
|
|
CSV |
The CSV Import Assistant |
|
|
Mass Update |
The utility at Lists > Mass Update > Mass Updates |
|
|
Mobile |
The mobile interface. However, not all changes initiated through the mobile interface have this context label. For details, see Some Contexts Occur Within Other Contexts. |
— |
|
Scheduled Workflow |
A workflow configured to run at a specific time or interval. See also Workflow. |
|
|
Script (Client) |
A script that runs in the browser |
|
|
Script (Mass Update) |
A script that initiates a Mass Update |
|
|
Script (Portlet) |
A script rendered in the NetSuite dashboard |
|
|
Script (RESTlet) |
A script invoked by an HTTP request to a system-generated URL |
|
|
Script (Scheduled) |
A script configured to run at a specific time or interval |
|
|
Script (SSP Application) |
A script implemented using the SuiteScript Server Pages feature |
|
|
Script (Suitelet) |
A script that operates in a request-response model using extensions of the SuiteScript API |
|
|
Script (User Event) |
A script triggered by an action performed on a record |
|
|
Script (Workflow Action) |
A script invoked as a custom action from a workflow state |
|
|
UI |
The user interface. However, not all changes initiated through the user interface have this context label. For details, see Some Contexts Occur Within Other Contexts. |
— |
|
SOAP Web Services |
A SOAP web services request |
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|
Web Store |
A SuiteCommerce website |
|
|
Workflow |
A SuiteFlow workflow that occurs asynchronously. Examples include workflows initiated by SuiteScript and workflows invoked because they are subscribed to other records. If a workflow is triggered synchronously, by an event, the resulting changes generally share the same context as the triggering event. For examples, see Related Changes May Share a Single Context. Changes made by scheduled workflows have a context of Scheduled Workflow. |
Usage Notes
Be aware of the following conditions.
Some Contexts Occur Within Other Contexts
The list of available context values includes some contexts that occur within other contexts. For example, one context is UI, but other contexts are specific parts of the UI. In these cases, the system uses the more specific label. For example:
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All CSV imports are initiated through the user interface, but a change made by the Import Assistant is labeled CSV, not UI.
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If a user conducts a Mass Update from a mobile device, the context listed is Mass Update, not Mobile.
Related Changes May Share a Single Context
Note that if one change triggers another change, generally the system lists the same context for both changes, even if they occurred in different ways. The context listed is the context for the change that triggered the series of events.
The reason for this behavior is as follows: The system does not save a context value for each discrete field change. Rather, the system logs a context value for each operation, such as each save operation, which may include many field changes. However, a System Notes record is created for each field change, and each field change must list a context value. For this reason, if one change directly triggers a sequence of events resulting in subsequent changes, the system lists the same context for all changes.
The following hypothetical cases illustrate this concept:
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A scheduled workflow runs, changing Field A on a particular record. If that scheduled workflow triggers a SuiteScript that makes a change to Field B, the context for both changes is Scheduled Workflow.
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A user edits a record. The user’s actions trigger a workflow that makes other changes to the record. All changes have the same context, which is UI.
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The CSV Import Assistant is used to import a record. Some aspect of the new record triggers a workflow, which makes changes to the newly imported record. The context for all changes is CSV Import.