IM InfoSphere Identity Insight, Version 8.0

Configuring the cep.xml event rules file

The information configured in the cep.xml event rules file determines how Event Manager and the CEP engine process incoming event data, and what responses are returned to your client application, the pipeline, the entity database, and the Visualizer. Event rules are a big part of the information contained in the cep.xml file, but the rules are not the only required information. There are several other elements and settings that must also be included to properly process events through Event Manager.

Your product includes a starting cep.xml event rules file that contains the necessary elements and settings, already configured for you. If you import the starting cep.xml file, you do not need to configure or change these elements or settings, but you can focus on configuring the event business rules and adding the rules to the cep.xml file. Because event rules are unique to each organization, the starting cep.xml file doe not include any pre-configured event rules (or situation types).

Required elements and settings for the cep.xml file

This information is provided for your reference. If you choose to not to import the provided starting cep.xml file, but rather create your own file from scratch, use this information to assure that the file contains all the required elements and settings. If the cep.xml event rules file that you export to use with Event Manager is not complete (does not include this information), Event Manager cannot process incoming event data.
Event classes
Event classes describe the different event structures that the CEP engine needs to be aware of. To process events, the following event classes must be part of the cep.xml event rules file:
EAS_START.event
This event class becomes the Event Manager lifespan initiator, or the signal to the CEP engine to start processing the event.
EAS_STOP.event
This event class becomes the Event Manager lifespan terminator, or the signal to the CEP engine to stop processing the event.
EVENT.event
This event class is the basis for every event business rule that you create. It contains the information that maps the incoming event record data to the Event Manager table (GEM_EVENT) and to the EVENT data segment.
Lifespan
In CEP, a lifespan is a time interval during which particular event rules are relevant. Because the pipeline processes near real-time data, the only real purpose of the lifespan is to signal the beginning and end of an event record.
The lifespan information required for Event Manager processing includes the following elements:
EAS_START
This element is the required lifespan initator and signals the start of an event. You set this lifespan element in the Event Initiators table on the Lifespan: Initiators tab.
EAS_STOP
This element is the required lifespan terminator and signals the end of an event. You select the terminator selection for Terminate By Event on the Lifespan: Terminators & Keys tab.
UMF_LOG_IDgrouping key
A UMF_LOG_ID is a unique sequential number assigned to each record as it is processed. In a CEP project, the UMF_LOG_ID grouping key ensures that all incoming records with the same UMF_LOG_ID are processed together. This grouping key is assigned to all event classes and lifespan indicators.
EVENT.event attributes
The required attributes for this event class map directly to the EVENT data segment, which are the fields in the GEM_EVENT table in the entity database. If any of these required attributes are missing from the EVENT.event, event processing fails. You might see one or more error messages, such as errors that mention 'invalid or malformed XML' or 'missing information in the CEP configuration XML file'.
Specify these attributes on the Situation: General & Event tab of each event rule.


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Last updated: 2011