Define an Update a Business Object Action

Use the Update a Business Object Action to update Field values in the active Business Object.

For example, click a link on an Incident to update its status to a set value (example: Resolved).

This Action is executed against whichever Business Object is active, either a Business Object association or a Business Object from another Action (Create a New Business Object or Go To a Record) preceding this Action. For example, if the One-Step Action is associated with Incident, the Incident Business Object is the active object (this Action runs against Incident). If a Create a New Business Object Action is added to create a Problem record (preceding this Action), the Problem Business Object becomes the active object (the Action runs against Problem). If the active Business Object changes (example: The Action was initially defined to run against Incident, but a Create a New Business Object Action makes Problem the active Business Object), a warning appears. The Action properties might need to be modified to reflect the newly active Business Object.

To define an Update a Business Object Action for a One-Step Action:

  1. Open the One-Step Editor.
  2. Add an Update a Business Object Action to the Designer Board.
  3. Click the General page.
  4. Define general properties for the Update a Business Object Action:
    Option Description
    Name Provide a display name for the Action (this is how the Action is identified within the One-Step Action).
    Business Object Shows the Business Object that the Action will update.
    Reload Business Object Before Update Reloads the active Business Object before the Action updates it. If this check box is selected, the Business Object is refreshed from the database so that the Action updates the latest version of the Business Object.

    The Reload Business Object Before Update check box is not available for Update Actions that are configured as children of Step Through Children Actions.

    Save Business Object After Action

    Select the check box to automatically save updates to the Business Object after the Action executes.

    If the check box is cleared, updates to the Business Object are not automatically saved.

    Users are prompted to save their changes if they navigate from the Business Object, however. This includes changes made by the Action and any changes made by Users before they ran the One-Step. The One-Step Action continues to run whether or not they choose to save their changes. In the Browser Client and Portal, this occurs after the last Action is executed for the One-Step Action.

    If the One-Step Action is run from the Scheduling Server or an Automation Process, there is no Prompt to save changes and they may be lost.

  5. Click the Fields page.
  6. Define options for selected Business Object Fields:
  7. Filter the Fields tree:
    OptionDescription
    Search Control Editor Search Control Quickly locate a Field whose Name and Description contain a specific word or phrase (example: OwnedBy).
    Only Show Set Fields Show Set Fields Shows only those Fields that have values set. This is useful when going back to edit the Action to quickly see which Field values are set by the Action.
    Ignore Folders Ignore Folders Button Ignores the organizational folders and displays all Fields at the root of the list.
    Show Field Values Action Catalog Icon (Small) Opens a window that shows the Fields and values from the currently open record. Click a Field, and then click the Select button (selecting a Field in the window also selects it in the Fields tree). The Show Field Values button Action Catalog Icon (Small) is only available if a currently open record is the same as the Business Object the Action is defined to execute against (example: An Incident record is currently open, and the Action is defined to execute against an Incident).
  8. Select a Field in the Fields tree, and then select one of the following options:
    Option Description
    Don't Set Field (Default)The Action does not have a set value. However, if the Field has a default or auto-populated value, that value is used.
    Clear ValueThe Action clears any default or auto-populated value that gets assigned to the Field when the Business Object is updated.
    Set ValueThe Action sets a specific value. Provide text, or click the Selector button to insert a Token (Field, System Function, Prompt, Expression, Stored Value, Metric, Counter, etc.). The available Fields in the Token Selector reflect the current Business Object (the Business Object being updated or created by the Action).

    If the Field is validated, the Legal Values button is available to allow selection of a valid value.

    TemplateThe Action creates a custom defined value. Provide text. Click the Selector button or right-click in the Template field to insert Tokens (example: Fields, System Functions, Prompts, Expressions, Stored Values, Metrics, and Counters) directly into the text. The available Fields in the Token Selector reflect the One-Step Business Object context (from the One-Step association or from a preceding Create a Business Object Action or Go To a Record Action).

    The option to Show Field Values is available in the Tokens menu if a currently open record is the same as the Business Object the Action is defined to execute against (example: An Incident record is currently open, and the Action is defined to execute against an Incident). Select this option to open a window that shows the Fields and values contained in the currently open record. Click a Field, and then click the Select button to insert the Field as a Token.

    Append to Current ValueThe Action appends a Set Value or Template Value to any default value defined for the Field. To avoid duplication of data, this option is disabled if the Field selected in the Fields tree is also inserted as a Token in the Template field.
  9. Define the Annotations for a One-Step Action.
  10. Click Save.