Configuration Properties

Use the MES XML Command configuration properties to define command settings, environment details, security options, and XML variables required for executing database operations within a workflow. Configuration properties are optional unless indicated as required.

Generate Command

Required. The Generate Command property settings create the schema definitions for the input/output XML variables, which are then used to run database operations such as create, read, update, and delete (SendXMLCmd/GetDS) at activity run time.

1. Select the field button to open the Generate Command dialog.

2. Complete the settings, described below.

3. Select the Generate XML Variables button to generate the XML content for the command.

   To see the generated XML content, use the Configuration Initialize Variables control.

   

   The following settings are available:

   • Unique Environment Name: The Unique Environment Name (UEN) for the MES workflow repository connection that is being used (the UEN is configured using the Workflow Connector Configuration utility). When a UEN is entered here, the associated MES Middleware service must be running to retrieve the list of Stateless API/SP References.

   • Stateless API/SP Reference: Use this control to search for and select the Stateless API method (such as Util.UtilExec.Add, Prod.Item.Add, Prod.Job.Add, Core.UserName.Add) or stored procedure name (such as SP_SA_SHIFT, SP_S_ENT_ATTR, SP_U_ENT). To search for a method or stored procedure name, start typing the name in the field. To clear the current search, delete the text and retype the new text. For more information on the Stateless API, refer to the MES Stateless API Reference.chm file, provided as part of the MES installation.

   • Object Name: If a known Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected in the Stateless API/SP Reference field, this field is auto-populated and is not available for edit. If an unknown Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected, enter the appropriate object name here. For example, if you have a custom SP called sp_i_myTable that inserts data into a custom table of myTable, then the object name is myTable.

   • Command: If a known Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected in the Stateless API/SP Reference field, this field is auto-populated and is not available for edit. If an unknown Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected, enter the appropriate command here. When using a custom SP, this can be one of the standard write commands such as Add, Delete, Update or UpdateSpecific or a custom command that is appended with the object name to the SP that will be called. For example an SP of sp_i_myTable_AddOne could be called with the object name of myTable and command of AddOne.

   • Message Type: If a known Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected in the Stateless API/SP Reference field, this field is auto-populated and is not available for edit. If an unknown Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected, enter the appropriate message here. When using a custom SP, this can be the same as the command or can be one of the standard message types of Exec or GetSpec. Use Exec when the output data type will be XML and use GetSpec when the output data type returns a Dataset and the command is anything other than GetAll or GetByKey.

   • Output Data Type: If a known Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected in the Stateless API/SP Reference field, this field is auto-populated and is not available for edit. If an unknown Stateless API method or stored procedure is selected, select one of the following to specify the data type of the command:

     XML: The SendXMLCmd command will be executed and the return data will be stored in the output XML variable.

     Dataset: The GetDS command will be executed and the return data will be stored in the output XML variable. Use this option when a custom SP returns a dataset.

   • Generate Input XML Variable: The input XML variable name that holds the schema for the Stateless API method or stored procedure's input parameters.

   • Generate Output XML Variable: The output XML variable name that holds the schema for the Stateless API method or stored procedure's output parameters.

Unique Environment Name

Required. The Unique Environment Name (UEN) for the MES workflow repository connection (the UEN is configured using the Workflow Connector Configuration utility). This field is auto‑populated with the Unique Environment Name entry in the Generate Command settings. If this property is left empty, the UEN will be taken from the event XML passed along with the event context raised from the MES middleware.

XML Command

Required. The input XML variable. This field is auto-populated by the Generate Command settings.

At run time, the MES middleware executes the SendXML or GetDS command.

Initialize Variable(s)

This property initializes the XML variables that are created using the Generate Command settings. The Input XML variable’s node values are initialized here. For a valid unknown stored procedure, the Object Name, Command, and Message Type must be initialized through this property. Also, for scenarios such as querying a table for data using a GetAll command, all the filter criteria must be set here.

Output Data Type

The output data type. This field is auto-populated by the Generate Command settings.

Output Variable

The output XML variable. This field is auto-populated by the Generate Command settings.

Maximum Number of Rows

The maximum number of rows to be allowed in the returned dataset. To ensure data retrieval performance, it is recommended to set this number to get a small number of data rows returned from the MES middleware.

Note that if this limit truncates the number of rows in the returned dataset, the system variable ^<Activity Name>MaxRowReached will be set to true.

Security

The user name and password to be used for authentication to access the MES middleware. If a username and password are not specified, the session username and password will be used for authentication.

Retry Count

The number of command retries to be made if a communication error occurs. If the error is due to invalid data, the command will not be retried.

Retry Wait Time

The amount of time to wait, in seconds, before retrying the command if an error occurs.

Suppress Workflow Event

This property can be used to avoid looping behavior when called from the MES middleware Pre‑ or Post‑Hook mechanism. If Yes is selected, the property will not call the same workflow from the Pre‑ or Post‑Hook mechanism.

For example, consider the scenario when a Pre‑Hook for sp_i_Item calls a workflow. This workflow in turn tries adding data using the same stored procedure through the MES XML Command activity. In such a scenario, setting Suppress Workflow Event to Yes will avoid multiple and indefinite looping behavior.

Ignore Empty XML Nodes

This property applies to UpdateSpecific and DeleteAll commands. By default, if values are not specified in the Input XML Variable property when updating a row or deleting all rows in a table, then null values are added. To not have null values added for empty XML nodes, set this property to Yes.

Log XML Transaction

If set to true, the Input XML variable and the results are logged into the Process Execution View.

Execute command as part of a transaction

When this property is set to true, the MES XML Command activity will be executed as part of the current open transaction. If no such transaction is started prior to this activity, an exception is thrown to the caller.