Automate/Improve Resetting Next Item Index for Lists

ddreyer

Problem:

There is no automated or pre-emptive way to reset the “Next item index” on a list without first clearing the list.

Issues Caused:

When using a data hub with a large data set that is refreshed daily, we regularly exhaust the item index. This causes the import process to fail and results in refreshing of all downstream models being halted. We then must manually reset the next item index and re-run the import process which can take hours.

We also can not pre-emptively reset the next item index ahead of the failure without first clearing the list and causing a similar downtime on all models reliant on the data hub.

Ideal Solution:

Allow resetting the next item index as an action. This action could then be included in the process which refreshes (clears and imports to) the list.

This would allow the next item index to be reset every time the list is refreshed and solve the problem.

Alternate Solutions:

If the ideal solution is not implementable, I’ll also offer a couple of alternatives.

• If possible, have the next item index loop around to 1 automatically when it crosses 999,999,999.
• Have the next item index be resettable to 1 without having to clear the list. (Not an automated solution, but at least would allow for pre-emptively managing the problem)

amanafirad

We have in-house automated this. Basically, a Python code monitors the lists and identifies any list that's approaching swiftly to the limit (a regression plot extrapolates the days remaining). Then we're notified about that list and then the code automatically identifies the modules that use the respective list and emails us a table with all the modules using the list. We establish an early engagement meeting with the involved parties. Then we run another script that copies all the affected modules and automatically resets the index for that list and notifies us. After testing the data then we copy back all the data to the main modules.

Hope this helps.

Let me know if this is not clear! :D