When an Ultra Format Definition is updated, the system by default automatically updates persistent data when it is accessed, in order to reflect changes. You can either completely disable the automatic conversion, or enable it for only a selection of formats. You can also set default values for added fields.

The following agents and applications can handle persistent data:

Application	Handling
Database Collection Agent	Collected UDRs are updated.
Decoder (using MZ Tagged)	Processed UDRs are updated.
Aggregation Sessions	All UDRs belonging to the same format definition - historic and updated - are considered valid for comparison. If historic UDRs exist within old sessions, or the session format itself has been updated, the session and its content is updated the next time it is accessed.
ECS	UDRs are updated whenever they are read from ECS by the ECS collection agent or accessed through the ECS Inspector.

Note!

Attempts to collect, process or update historic UDR data when the automatic conversion for a specific format is disabled causes the workflow to abort (or return an exception, when done outside workflow processing).

Conversion Rules

If you remove fields from the format definition, they are deleted and cannot be retrieved. If you add fields, they are set to either 0 (zero), true (numeric types), false (boolean types), or null (all other types), by default. If you change the type of an existing field, it can cause the field content to be deleted. For example, if you change the type from string to int, the field is set to 0 (zero), provided that no valid default value is defined.

Only numerical types (int, long, etc) are directly interchangeable. If a numeric value exceeds the number of bytes allowed in the new type, it is truncated.

Disabling Automatic Conversion

In the Ultra Format Converter, you can disable the automatic conversion to new format versions, and instead define default values for UDR fields added in the new version.

Open the Ultra Format Converter by opening the Manage screen and selecting Ultra Format Converter.

Ultra Format Converter

Setting	Description
Convert	Select which UDR types you want to enable conversion for in this drop-down list. There are two options: All - All formats will be considered, regardless of the types listed (default). Selected Only - Only the formats listed in this window will be considered.
UDR Types	If you have selected to convert Selected Only in the Convert drop-down list, you add the UDR types you want to enable conversion for in this section.
Default Values	If you have added UDR types in the UDR Types section above, you can select to add default values to the fields in the selected UDR type(s) in this section. This may be useful if fields have been added to the format, or the type of an existing field has been changed. The latter case is especially useful since the old field values are reset if the types are not interchangeable. Note! It is not possible to assign values to old, already existing fields. It can be configured but will not take effect.