I am using DECS with OLE DB/MS SQL database. I followed the manual to the letter but I cant get my activity document running, it just keeps in starting up mode. I know that I have connection to my external database because I can successfully initialise my keys and create new documents. I don’t know what else to try.Please help. PS, I have found another similar question in this forum but no answer.
Subject: DECS Activity
If you can open your documents (assuming you have an “open” activity) and all the data appears, it’s ok 
I’m sure you know you have to refresh the view for the icon to change to ‘in process’ (F9)
But I agree that there are not enough logging options for the activity.
cheers,
Tom
Subject: RE: DECS Activity
yeah the thing is that the data appears when you first open the document after initialising the keys but after that the data does not reflect any changes in the SQl database nor does it do any updates. I did the refresh the view a number of times and it still stays in the starting mode.
Subject: RE: DECS Activity
How I understand it, is that data in the view (you selected ‘keep data in notesdatabase’ in the Decs administrator (it’s not called that)), will not be updated UNLESS you OPEN the document.
So a view refresh won’t help. You’ll need to open the documents to reflect the changes. I’m not sure how to do this via an agent (I don’t know for sure if the OPEN activity will be called for notes document objects, if the data is stored in the notesdatabase).
A workaround is to not work with a view, but with a full text search, or an agent that collects the data at runtime and presents the data in a document.
cheers,
Tom
Subject: RE: DECS Activity
All of your concerns are touching upon issues in DECS that lead to the introduction of the Virtual Document Activity in LEI 6. Here’s some background info:
Issue 1: DECS does not detect any additions to the table that its connected to. So if a new record is entered in your relational table, it’s invisible to DECS.
Solution: The Virtual Document Activity has a “virtualization” thread that polls your relational table for new records. When a new record is encountered, it populates some pre-defined fields in your table and the record appears in Notes.
An alternate solution is to create a script that will create key values in Notes for any new records in your relational table.
Issue 2: Any fields in a document that are being monitored by DECS are not visible in a view unless you select “Leave All (Selected) Real Time Fields in View.” When this is enabled, the View becomes “static” and does not reflect changes in your relational table. When this is not enabled, you cannot search or index DECS-enabled information.
Solution: With Virtual Documents, all real-time enabled fields are visible in a view, and can be searched or full-text indexed. Also, if a record is added to your monitored table, your view can reflect that after the virtualization interval has passed.
For more on Virtual Documents, check out the help files on LDD for LEI 6.5 - http://www-12.lotus.com/ldd/doc/lei/6.0.1a/leidoc.nsf.
Sarah
Subject: RE: DECS Activity
Well, since I went through something similiar, I’ll tell you my experience : I had nothing in the log until I started the DECS task.
I thought it was not needed in R6 any more!
Anyway, I have now full log messages, although I can’t see my extra fields from SQL Server.
Tell me how you manage with it.
Jean-Pierre