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Opalis Integration Server > Building Policies > Building a Policy

Building a Policy
This section describes how to build Policies.
Plan your automation
When building a Policy, it is important to have a defined procedure that answers the questions "when will the Policy run?" and "what actions will be taken?" The answer to the first question will correspond to the Monitor objects that will be used to trigger the Policy. The answer to the second question will determine the objects that will be used to take the resulting actions.
You must also understand what data you will need from each action that is taken.
Step 1 - Create a new Policy
Once you have determined what will be automated you can start building, testing, and deploying your Policy.
Note: By default, all new policies are created using the Pipeline databus.
To create a new Policy:
1.
Open the Client. This is found in Start > All Programs > Opalis Software > Opalis Integration Server > Opalis Integration Server Client.
2.
Click the Policies folder.
3.
Click the icon. A new Policy tab will appear in the workspace with a generic name.
4.
Right-click the Policy tab and select Rename.
5.
Rename the Policy and press Enter.
Step 2 - Add objects
There are two types of objects, Monitors and Actions. Monitor objects are triggered from an external source and are used to start policies. Actions are triggered by other objects and will carry out required procedures in response to the event detected by the Monitor. The names of the Monitor objects always begin with the word "Monitor", while the names of the Action objects are descriptive of the action that the object performs.
From the Objects window, drag and drop a Monitor object to the Policy. For example, the Monitor Date/Time object.
Note: You may need to check out the Policy before you are able to drag objects to it.
From the Objects window, drag and drop an action object to the Policy. For example, the Send Email object.
Once your object has been put on the workspace, double-click it to configure it. For more information about configuring individual objects, click the Help button on the configuration dialog of that object.
Step 3 - Link the objects together
Once you have placed a Monitor and Action object on the workspace, create a link from the Monitor object to the Action object.
To create a link, click and drag the right arrow of the Monitor object. Drop the link on the desired Action object. See Link Properties for more information.
You have now created a Policy and are ready to test it.
Step 4 - Test your Policy
Once you have finished building the Policy, you can test it using the Policy Testing Console. The Policy Testing Console enables you to verify each object in the Policy as it executes in test mode.
To test a Policy:
1.
In the Client, open the Policy that you want to test in the workspace.
2.
Click the Test button. The Policy Testing Console appears.
3.
To run through the Policy from beginning to end, without stopping, click Run.
4.
To run through the Policy one object at a time, click Step Over. When the Policy Testing Console pauses at the next object, click Next to continue.
For a complete description of Policy Testing Console functionality, including the ability to add breakpoints, see Policy Testing Console.
If the Policy Testing Console indicates that there are errors in the Policy, close the Policy Testing Console, return to the Policy in the Client, make adjustments, and test the Policy again.
Step 5 - Check in your Policy
Once you have finished creating and testing a Policy, you must check in your changes to commit them to the Datastore.
To check in your changes, click the Policy tab and select Check In. You may be required to add a comment about the changes that were made to the Policy.
To turn off check-in comments:
1.
In the Client, click the Options menu, and select Configure.
2.
Uncheck the Prompt for comment on check in check box.
3.
Click Finish.
To enable automatic check out:
Automatic check out enables you to work on your Policy without needing to click the Check Out button.
1.
In the Client, click the Options menu, and select Configure.
2.
Check the Automatic check out box.
3.
Click Finish.
Step 6 - Start your Policy
Once you have committed your changes, you must start the Policy so that it can be executed. If the Policy begins with a Monitor object, the Monitor object will wait indefinitely to be triggered by an external source. Once a Monitor object has been triggered, the Policy runs and the Monitor begins waiting for another trigger. If your policy does not begin with a Monitor object, then it will run once and then stop.
To start your Policy, click the Policy tab and click the Start button. The Policy starts on the Action Server that was assigned to it, or the default Action Server.
Note: You can only create 1 workflow in each Policy.

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