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Logging Settings
  • 13 Dec 2022
  • 6 Minutes to read
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Logging Settings

  • Updated on 13 Dec 2022
  • 6 Minutes to read
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Advanced Content - Use Caution!
Contact a System Administrator to configure/adjust settings within this article to avoid platform errors and risk of downtime.

Additionally, Settings.xml should be backed up before making any changes to the Logging Settings.

Overview

Through various methods, Administrators are provided options that allow the configuration of various logging parameters such as Log File Size, API Call Timeouts, and Database Timeouts that are recorded in the Decisions Logs.

These settings affect Logs that are recorded in the Logging Tool (System > Administration > System Tools). The following article covers the respective function and configuration of each Logging Setting.

Available Logging Settings

Logging Setting NameDefault ValueDescription
LogAPICallsTaking
MoreThanSeconds		5Prompts for a time threshold (seconds) that if an API call exceeds will then be recorded in the log.

LogCheckFieldTypesFalseWhen set to True, verifies the types of fields used in WHERE clauses. Logs under CheckTypesLogger category at Debug, Warn, and Error if it finds mismatch levels
LogDebug/LogInfoFalseWhen set to True, records event types of this level in the log. Since these levels of event types occur frequently, users may experience performance and/or log size issues as the system continuously records them.
LogError/LogFatal/
LogWarn		TrueRecords these event types in the log by default as indicated by their True value. Setting this to False stops recording these events in the log.
It is recommended to keep these as True to aid any future troubleshooting. Errors and Fatal Errors are also logged as Windows Events for monitoring by external tools.
LogFileMaxSize10,485,760Prompts for the max file size (bytes) of a log.
The default 10,485,760 bytes equates to a maximum limit of about 10.49 MB.
The maximum configurable limit is maxInt32 aka 2,147,483,647 bytes aka 2.14 GB.
LogFlowStepsTaking
MoreThanMilliseconds		1000Prompts for a time threshold (milliseconds) that if a Flow step exceeds will then be recorded in the log.
The default 1,000 value equals one second, so any steps taking longer than this will be in the log.
LogMaxBackups10Prompts for the maximum amount of backups a Log file can create of itself.
For example, the Decisions Logs folder may contain some log files with the same name but with a number after the name. These numbered logs are backups made before a new log is created.
LogsDirectoryC:\Users\[Name]\Downloads\LogsPrompts for the file path Installer Logs will reside. This is usually located at the same place as the Installer. This cannot be changed.
LogSqlStatementsTaking
MoreThanSeconds		5Prompts for a time threshold (seconds) that if an SQL statement exceeds will then be recorded in the log.
CaptureAspNetLogsFalseEnables Kestrel Access Logging and generates Asp.net core Logs (file typically contains "Microsoft.AspNetCore" in the Logs/webserverlogs.
CaptureW3CLogsFalseEnables Kestrel Access Logging and generates W3C Logs in Logs/webserverlogs folder. If setting is not present in Settings.xml, the following may be added to enable it:
<CaptureW3CLogs>true</CaptureW3CLogs> 
AspNetLogsFileCountLimit30The number of files retained for AspNet Log; this is used by both CaptureW3CLogs as well as CaptureAspNetLogs. 
AspNetLogsFileSizeLimit104857600The max size (bytes) of each individual AspNetLog file; this is used by both CaptureW3Logs as well as CaptureAspNetLogs. 

Accessing and Editing Settings

Logging Settings can be accessed through one of the following methods:

Though many Settings can be accessed throughout each method, some Settings, such as ""LogSQLStatementsTakingMoreThanSeconds", require additional configuration or adjustment via Settings.xml or DecisionsServerInstaller.exe.

Decisions Installer 

  1. From DecisionsServerInstaller.exe, click EDIT SETTINGS.
  2. Navigate to Settings containing the word "Log". Adjust the Settings as desired in the column to the right of the Setting's name.

    Once Settings have been established as desired, click Save.
  3. After the Settings have been applied, click RESTART SERVICE. 

Settings.xml File

  1. From C:\Program Files\Decisions\Decisions Server, open Settings.xml in a text editor (ex: Notepad).  
  2. Change the value(s) between the respective Logging open/close tags.

    For example, <LogMaxBackups>10</LogMaxBackups> may be changed to <LogMaxBackups>15</LogMaxBackups>.
  3. Save and close the text editor.
  4. Restart Decisions. 

System Settings 

  1. From the Studio, navigate to the Settings Folder. 
  2. Open Logging Settings. 
  3. A list of levels that define how the logs will be stored will be displayed. From the list, right click the logging level and select Edit. In this case, File System was used.
  4. A dialog box will open covering settings that can be used to define the log settings. Below is a breakdown of each property that can be found for any level. Once the settings have been defined, click OK.
PropertyDescription
Use Global SettingAvailable for any logging level that is not Global. If enabled, properties defined for the logging level will be overwritten by what is defined under the Global level.
LevelsThis setting defines what information will be recorded within the logs. By default, only Warning, Error, and Fatal are enabled.

VerboseProvides more information to the user

DebugThis catches most exceptions that do not fall under the other categories

InformationThis information to the user on an occurrence is typically used outside of error tracking.

WarningThis 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 environment-breaking level warning stops a process (or multiple processes) from running.
Log CategoriesSelecting Add will open another dialog box, where log categories can be selected. If a category is defined, then only information from the related category will appear. 
Log Usage DataAvailable only at the File System level, this field controls whether heartbeat data will be included in the Decisions.Web.Core logs. This field is enabled by default.
Log File Max SizeAvailable only at the File System level. Defines the max file size for the log file. When the max size is reached for a log file, a new file will be generated.
Log File Backup LimitAvailable only at the File System level.  Defines the max amount of generated log files stored on the file system. When the limit is reached, the oldest log file will be deleted from the File System.

LogSettings.json

The LogSettings.json file can be found in the C:\Program Files\Decisions\FileStorage\Primary\Settings folder in the File System

This file is used to control the behavior of Logging events at the Local level within the File System. Log Category Settings like Category Name or Level can be adjusted in this file.

After using the Log step, a new Category is automatically created in the LogCategorySettings. The given name for this Category is the name that was previously defined in the Properties tab of the Log step within the Flow. 


Enabling Web Server Logs in Self Hosted Environments

  1. Navigate to C:\\Program Files\Decisions\Decisions Server. 
  2. As an Administrator, Open Settings.XML using a text editor (ex: Notepad). 
  3. Change the <CaptureAspNetLogs>...</CaptureAspNetLogs> value from false to true. 
  4. Save and close Settings.xml.
  5. Restart Decisions.


Enable Console Logging

In addition to viewing the logs within Decisions, Logs can be recorded and displayed in a console. This feature can be used for instances of Decisions running in containers, allowing logs to be viewed from the console window. 

To view logs within a console, the specified logging levels will need to be enabled, along with having Decisions initiated from a console if it is not currently hosted in a container. If Decisions is currently hosted as a container, then the first two steps can be skipped.

  1. Stop the Decisions Service.
  2. Launch a command prompt and navigate to the Decisions Server folder. Run Decisions.Web.Core.exe.
  3. In Decisions, navigate to System > Settings > Logging Settings.
  4. Left click on Logging Settings, then right click on Console > Edit
  5. Enable or disable specific log levels. Levels that are enabled will appear in the logs.


Encrypting Session IDs for Logs

For versions 8.5 and above, Session IDs found in log files can be encrypted within a log file. This is done through the ObfuscateSessionIDInLogs property in the Settings.xml. However, this property will need to be manually added for versions upgrading to 8.5+.

  1. To add the property, run the Decisions Installer.
  2. Once the Installer has opened, select Edit Settings
  3. Locate ObfuscateSessionIDInLogs property and set the property to True. 
  4. Save and Restart Decisions.

Once the environment has been restarted, the property will appear in the Settings.xml. Once enabled, any logs which contain a Session ID will be encrypted.

For further information on Settings, visit the Decisions Forum.
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