Getting Help

Where to go when something is unclear, and what to include so the answer comes back quickly.

Before you ask

There are several areas you might want to check before reporting an issue.

  1. Have you been able to reproduce the unexpected behavior? Sometimes a connection can hiccup and trigger an odd (and unreproducible) result. You might consider trying to rerun the Stage again (if possible) to check whether it successfully executes the second time around. Be aware of the execution time and number of integrations being processed, as these may make rerunning the Stage non-viable.

  2. Job Status: check whether the Job state is reporting as incomplete or failed: if this is in progress, the Stage might still be in-flight and the Job state might not yet be updated.

  3. Stage Log files: if logging is enabled for the Project, open the logs directory in the Project Tree and find the Stage Log sub-directory (check the name for the correct stage, integration, and datetime stamp);

    1. review the meta.json file for any success or failure messages,

    2. open the stdout.log file in the Stage folder and look into the most recent reports at the end of the file,

    If both of these are still updating and do not contain Final Result information, the Stage may still be processing.

  4. Background Task History: if the waffle menu in the Header Bar offers Task Queue, it opens a page headed Background Task History listing every operation SLIM has run. Find yours by its Completed Datetime - what you just ran will be at the recent end - then check the Task Status and Agent Status columns. These report two different execution steps, so they may not agree; treat a failure in either as worth investigating. If either reads Running or In progress, the Stage is still processing or is queued to start.

    If Task Queue is not in your menu, skip this step. Everything it tells you about your Project is already in the Stage’s Activity Log and the log files above. What it adds is breadth: it spans every Project, which is how an experienced user tells the difference between your Project being stuck and the whole system being busy. If you have got this far without an answer, that breadth is what to ask for when you escalate.

If any of the above contain a failure message, check the stdout.log file for guidance on what to do next.

Depending on the Stage executing, there may be additional information available in the /migrations/<integration name>/ folder in the Project Tree on the Project Home Page.

Turn on diagnostic logging

If the Project Tree in the Project Home Page does not contain a directory called ‘logs’, Diagnostic Logging has not been enabled for the Project.

If you consider trying to recreate the unexpected behavior and want to enable Diagnostic Logging, the easiest approach is to request your SLIM Administrator update the setting on the Project.

Provide the Administrator with the Project Name and Team who has access, and they will be able to switch on the Logging via the Administrator tool.

What to include in a request for help

When contacting anyone for assistance, it’s important to capture specific details to help troubleshoot and resolve the issue.

If you can, document the following in as much detail as possible. Video/screen captures of unexpected behavior are extremely helpful.

  • The Project Name

  • The Stage demonstrating the unexpected behavior

  • A rough estimate of when the Stage ran, and when it started going awry

  • Any log files related to the specific operation you can capture or download: the stdout.log and meta.json files contain helpful information for tracking down any causes of unexpected behavior.

  • Any other documents produced by the Stage: check the Project Tree for these; if there are open questions or ambiguities that have not been resolved from the Analysis Stages, subsequent Stages may create an explanatory document suggesting how to resolve the gaps in data or open questions.

  • What happened vs. what you expected to happen.

Where to ask

There is a hierarchy of available resources depending on your SLIM engagement and contract terms with SnapLogic.

  1. Your local team senior or advanced user: this person may have some useful information and experience that will help explain or troubleshoot the issue.

  2. The SnapLogic Professional Services team working with you on the modernization project: the team will have experienced users with advanced or administrative access to your organization’s project, so will be able to investigate using advanced tools.

  3. SnapLogic Support: all SnapLogic customers have support contracts in place in case of unexpected behavior. Work with your organization’s SnapLogic Administrator to file a ticket with SnapLogic Support and they will be able to bring more insights into SLIM and how to resolve any issues.

See also