Viewing log messages for metadata import problems

If the problem that you are experiencing occurs primarily or exclusively when you import metadata, collect diagnostic data from the IBM® InfoSphere® Information Analyzer logs and connector access service (CAS) logs, which you can use to diagnose and resolve the problem.

Procedure

Configure the InfoSphere Information Analyzer and CAS logging components. To complete this step, you must have suite administrator authority.

Figure 1. In the Web console, use the Connector Access and Information Analyzer logging components when you troubleshoot metadata import problems

A screen capture of the Web console that shows the logging components that are useful to troubleshoot metadata import problems. In the AdministrationLog ManagementLogging Components tab, the following logging components are highlighted in the Select a Component to Work With panel: Connector Access and Information Analyzer

In the IBM InfoSphere Information Server Web console, select the Connector Access logging component and click Manage Configurations.
Select the active configuration and click Open.
The default active configuration is ConnectorAcces.WARN.

Set the severity levels to All for the categories that are shown in the following table.

Table 1. Categories to use in the Connector Access logging component when you troubleshoot metadata import problems
Category name	Severity level to use for troubleshooting	Default severity level
ISF	All	All
ISF-CAS	All	Warn
ISF-CAS-CLIENT	All	Warn
ISF-CAS-HANDLER	All	Warn
ISF-CAS-NATIVE	All	Warn
ISF-CAS-SERVER	All	Warn

Figure 2. A screen capture of the Web console that shows the severity levels for the categories in the Connector Access logging component configuration. The categories that are set to All are useful when you troubleshoot metadata import problems.

A screen capture that shows the default configuration, ConnectorAccess.WARN, in the open state. The Threshold field is set to All. The following categories are listed, and show the severity levels that are set to All: ISF, ISF-CAS, ISF-CAS-CLIENT, ISF-CAS-NATIVE, ISF-CAS-SERVER. The cursor hovers over the Save and Close button.

Save and close the Connector Access configuration.
Select the Information Analyzer logging component and click Manage Configurations.
Select the active configuration and click Open.
The default active configuration is InformationAnalyzer.WARN.

Set the severity levels to All for the categories that are shown in the following table.

Table 2. Categories to use in the Information Analyzer logging component when you troubleshoot metadata import problems
Category name	Severity level to use for troubleshooting	Default severity level
IBM	All	All
IBM-IA	All	Warn
IBM-IA-HANDLER	All	Warn
IBM-IA-SERVER	All	Warn

Figure 3. A screen capture of the Web console that shows the severity levels for the categories in the Information Analyzer logging component configuration. The categories that are set to All are useful when you troubleshoot metadata import problems.

A screen capture that shows the default configuration, InformationAnalyzer.WARN, in the open state. The Threshold field is set to All. The following categories are listed: IBM, IBM-IA, IBM-IA-HANDLER, IBM-IA-IADB-QUERY, IBM-IA-REPORTS, IBM-IA-SERVER, and IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY. The severity level is set to All for the following categories: IBM, IBM-IA, IBM-IA-HANDLER, and IBM-IA-SERVER. The severity level is set to Warn for the following categories: IBM-IA-IADB-QUERY, IBM-IA-REPORTS, and IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY. The cursor hovers over the Save and Close button.

Save and close the Information Analyzer configuration.

Note: Even if Threshold is set to All, the categories in the logging components also need to be set to All to write the events in that category to the log file. For example, if the IBM-IA-HANDLER category name is set to the severity level, Warn, the IBM-IA-HANDLER category does not write all events to the Information Analyzer logging component, even if Threshold is set to All.

In the IBM InfoSphere Information Server console, run the import metadata task that you want to troubleshoot.
View the InfoSphere Information Analyzer logs.
1. In the IBM InfoSphere Information Server console, select Operate > Log Views.
2. Select All > Shared > IA_With_CAS_Log and click View Log.
  By default, this log view is installed and the following categories are selected by default: IBM > IA > SERVER, HANDLER and ISF > CAS > CLIENT, HANDLER, NATIVE, SERVER. Also, all severity levels are selected by default, which makes the logs useful for debugging purposes.
  
  Figure 4. The IBM InfoSphere Information Server console that shows the categories that are selected by default in the IA_With_CAS_Log log view
3. Click Refresh to generate a refreshed view of the log events.
4. To specify different parameters for the log, change the filter results that are specified and click Filter. The View Log pane shows the events that are specified in the Filter Results pane.
If you need to do further troubleshooting, you can raise the severity level for the IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY category to All. To complete this step, you must have suite administrator authority.
The IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY category logs events that occur when a query is sent to the metadata repository tier. This tier is involved when you import metadata.
1. In the IBM InfoSphere Information Server Web console, select the Information Analyzer logging component and click Manage Configurations.
2. Select the active configuration and click Open.
  The default active configuration is InformationAnalyzer.WARN.
3. For the IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY category, set the severity level to All.
  Figure 5. A screen capture of the Web console that shows the severity levels for the categories in the Information Analyzer logging component configuration. In addition to other categories that log all severity levels, the IBM-IA-XMETA-QUERY category can be useful when you troubleshoot metadata import problems.
4. Save and close the Information Analyzer configuration.
5. After you change the configuration, run the import metadata task that you want to troubleshoot.
6. In the IBM InfoSphere Information Server console, select the IA_With_CAS_Log and click Open.
7. In the Categories panel, select XMETA > QUERY.
8. Click Save and Close.
9. Select the IA_With_CAS_Log and click View Log.
After you view the log messages, in the IBM InfoSphere Information Server Web console, return the severity levels to their original levels to conserve disk space.
When you no longer need the log messages, a suite administrator can purge messages through a log view. Messages can be purged by using the IBM InfoSphere Information Server console or the IBM InfoSphere Information Server Web console.
Messages that are purged through a log view purges those messages from the system. Those messages are not available for any other log view that was set up to view messages from the same logging components and categories. For example, suppose you purge messages from the IA_Log log view that have a timestamp within the last 10 days, and 100 messages from the IBM > IA > SERVER, HANDLER categories are purged. Those same 100 purged messages are unavailable to the IA_With_CAS_Log log view because the IA_With_CAS_Log is also set up to view messages from the IBM > IA > SERVER, HANDLER categories.