Managing Configuration Items › Manage Staged Transactions › Populating the TWA › How to Load Data into the TWA Using GRLoader › EMPTY

EMPTY

GRLoader supports the update_if_null option in the XML which clears a field in the CMDB. The following example clears the owner field for server1. Without that attribute, the owner field is not affected. When using the TWA, you can use the keyword EMPTY instead.

Example: update_if_null XML

<ci>
<name>server1</name>
<owner update_if_null="yes"></owner>
</ci>

In the TWA, the database value is cleared by specifying the keyword EMPTY as the string value. The equivalent transaction in the work area is:

The keyword value can be set by using the grloader.emptyvalue configuration option:

grloader.emptyvalue=xxxx  

xxxx represents any string that typically does not appear in the work area data.

How To Simulate TWA Operations

You can predetermine whether a set of transactions can create new CIs or relationships (and therefore create new ambiguities for other CIs) by using the following options:

–simci

Simulates processing CI transactions only. Can be used to determine whether transactions create or update CIs. When the -simci option is used, GRLoader performs data validation.

–simrel

Simulates processing relationship transactions only. Can be used to determine whether relationship transactions create or update relationships. The –simrel option checks relationships for the existence of the provider and dependent CIs, validates relationship types, and so on.

The output from simulation mode is directed to the TWA or to the _err.xml file. In normal load mode, the _err.xml file contains the CI input and a comment indicating whether the CI was inserted or updated. When simulation is used, the GRLoader message on the CI Transaction List indicates whether the CI or relationship was inserted or updated, with other relevant error messages. The transaction state remains unchanged.

Simulation can also be enabled in a configuration file by using the grloader.simulateloadci and grloader.simulateloadrelation options.

Note: If the GRLoader input creates CIs and relationships at the same time, the –simrel option can only process actual CIs, not CIs that are scheduled to be created. Because of this limitation, -simci and –simrel are mutually exclusive.