Reading Logs
  • 05 Jun 2023
  • 4 Minutes to read
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Reading Logs

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Article summary

Logs are records of events throughout the environment, often used as a reference for troubleshooting issues.

It is important to note that log messages consist of various components that require some knowledge to interpret them effectively. This article aims to provide guidance on reading and comprehending log messages, empowering end users to effectively utilize the information contained within the logs.

Log Levels

Log Levels declare the level of importance and severity of the error described in the log. The following default types are as follows:

Type NameDescription
InfoThis provides information to the user on an occurrence and is typically used outside of error tracking.
DebugThis catches most exceptions that do not fall under the other categories.
WarnThis tracks potential issues that do not impede the process from running. These are typically less critical issues.
ErrorThis tracks when a process cannot complete properly.
FatalThis is an environment-breaking level warning that stops a process (or multiple processes) from running.
Fatal and Error types are also logged as Windows events for monitoring by external tools.

Log Composition

Note that when viewing an individual log in the Decisions Studio, the log's components are separated and displayed vertically. If viewing the log via the Local File System, then the contents are cascaded horizontally instead.

The following section details the individual parts of a log as well as their respective functions.

Log Section NameDescription
Log NumberThe unique GUID is assigned to a Log. It allows users to reference a particular Log message quickly.
Time StampThis shows the time and date when the error occurred.
Log Level
By default, Decisions generate Logs with five distinct levels; Warn, Info, Debug, Error, and Fatal. These levels help to indicate the severity of an issue.
CategoryThis identifies which tool or part of Decisions is generating the issue. This is extremely helpful if the administrator is unsure of the origin of the issue.
Example categories may involve Rule Engine, Server, System, Security, AbstractDebugEntity, API Profiling, FlowStep, Database, and more.
Message
This shows the message for the error that occurred, stating what would appear for the error message in the Decisions environment if the problem were encountered there.
Thread IdThis shows which thread the Log occurred on. Threads are used to trace the execution of a series of Log events, although it cannot be inferred that previous Log messages in the film occur in the same execution context. 
CallTrackingIDIf the error involves an API call, it captures the ID of the call that produced the log.
ClientSessionIDCaptures the Client Session ID of the user when the issue occurs.
Session IDThis shows the Session ID for the user session where this issue occurred. 
Exception DetailsThis shows the exception message for the error that occurred, providing precise details of what happened when the occurrence was triggered.

Log components displayed vertically:

Log components displayed horizontally:


Performance Logs

Admin users have the ability to configure various logging parameters in Settings.xml that includes API calls timing, SQL timing, Flow Steps timing, etc.

Once configured in settings.xml, navigate to  System > Administration > System Tools > Logging. This will display a comprehensive Report of server logs. Above the Report viewer, in the search bar, search for the keyword 'took'. This will filter and display logs that indicate actions or processes that took a specific amount of time. By analyzing these logs, you can gain insights into potential performance bottlenecks or areas for improvement. 


Server Log Categories

The following list of Server Log Categories is pre-built into every Decisions instance:

Log Category NameDescription
Job Schedule WorkerLogging related to Scheduled Jobs.
Flow EngineLogging related to information on the Flow Engine. 
DecimalTypeConverterLogging related to Decimal type converter flows.
Service LayerLogging related to the Service Layer of the ORM.
DateTimeArrayEditorAttributeLogging related to the DateTime display format.
CssServiceLogging related to CSS Documents
FolderLogging related to Folders within the studio. Includes actions and subfolders retrieved.
TypeExtensionsLogging information for extensions method for System.Type
FormsLogging related to Form issues.
Service Layer (OData)Logging related to getting the related data from associated types.
ReportsLogging related to information on reports that have been run
ClientEventsLogging related to events based on the session.
ClusterLogging related to information on servers in a cluster.
DoubleConnectionStringConnectionLogging related to information on having a dual connection string setup
Rule EngineLogging related to information on the Rule Engine.
DocumentLogging related to imported documents.
ActionsLogging related to user actions.
PageLogging related to pages.
RepositoryProxyHelperLogging related to connecting to a Repository when looking for revisions.
License PolicyLogging related to information on licenses level and what they provide - i.e., Personal Licenses not allowing remote connections.
CodeBucketHelperLogging related to errors when compiling generated code.
AuditServiceLogging related to information on the audit listener.
ORMLogging related to the ORM Layer process.
AppStoreHelperLogging related to the Decisions Appstore endpoint.
GeneralLogging on starting sessions
ProcessorUtilitiesLogging regarding the Windows Server information.
Data UtilitiesLogging related to data objects.
ProfilerServiceLogging related to the Profiler.
Thread JobsLogging information on for Thread Jobs.
ReportHelperLogging information on Report changes.
BootInitializationLogging related to information when the system starts up.
LogCallEndAttributeLogging information on the end of calling a process. Shows the total time
AccountLogging related to Account information
RemoteRepositoryServiceLogging related to information on communication with a repository
JobScheduleLogging related to job schedule settings
InstanceDataLogging related to an instance of a multi-tenant server.
ModuleResourceLogging related to ModuleResource type.
TypeUtilitiesLogging related to information on datatype assemblies.
Configuration StorageLogging related to configuration data.
EntitiesLogging related to Entities
FlowStepLogging related to Flow steps that ran over the time set in the settings.xml file
AgentLogging information on agent-related items
ServerLogging information on the service host manager and port binding
CreateDataLogging information on the create data step
Unit TestsLogging information on Unit Tests.
AOPInformation about everything that happens within the portal. If this is on, it will bloat the logging section.
SecurityInformation on the current user context and verifying that the IP is local
ObjectsImporterLogging related to code buckets not compiling during the import process.
ApiThreadCleanerLogging related to cleaning up API threads.
RuleLogging related to the rule designer.
API ProfilingLogging related to API Call information
SystemLogging information related to system startup
DatabaseLogging related to the database connection and loading tables.
Decisions.CoreLogging related to the Decisions.Core module



For further information on Settings, visit the Decisions Forum.

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