ESB Trackable Fields

Question

I am trying to utilize the Trackable Fields feature in ESB 10.1.3.1 and am having a large number of problems getting it to work. Among the issues are:
1)     When I add a trackable field and select the message type (request or response), the dropdown box displays both options but when I select one, the option I selected disappears.
2)     Even though the selection disappears, it seems to know which I selected, because when I go into the Expression Builder, it tries to bring up the correct XML structure. I say tries, because it’s not working. It seems to not display the first element defined in a complex type, and if that element happens to be a complex type itself, then it can’t display that entire portion of the document.
3)     After running an instance and reviewing the instance data, the trackable fields are not captured. The details tab shows “no data” under tracking data.
4)     Often after I edit the service to add or modify tracking fields and then run additional instances, the details show a pencil icon and the message “Service have been updated since the instance was processed”. This is even though I’ve updated the fields FIRST and then run the instance.
5)     When you delete a service, you lose all trackable fields you’ve set up since they aren’t defined in your deployment, limiting their usefulness for production needs.
…richard

Answer 1

Hi Richard,
I can answer some of your questions I think ...
When you define a trackable field in ESB, you need to make sure you've clicked the apply-button for each trackable field.
If you choose a specific operation or message in the dropdowns you can use the expression builder to choose which variable or information you want to track.
If you want to show data defined in a complex type, you just need to drill down in the expression builder to the attribute in the complex type you want to track.
If you want to show an element from a collection you will probably need a specific function or xpath expression to be able to get a specific element from the list.
After running the instance, the trackable fields are captured, but you need to make sure you select the wright operation in the instance menu.
Let's say I have a routing service with two adapters defined, a file and db adapter, and I've defined trackable fields on the db adapter. In the instance window you have to select the db adapter and then the trackable fields for the db adapter will be shown.
Indeed if you redeploy the esb services or delete the service, the trackable fields won't be available anymore. How to add these properties into the deployment process is a very good question.