Recovering deleted KD articles and categories
Article ID: 71727
Updated On:
Products
SUPPORT AUTOMATION- SERVER
CA Service Desk Manager - Unified Self Service
CA Service Desk Manager
CA Service Management - Asset Portfolio Management
CA Service Management - Service Desk Manager
Issue/Introduction
Knowledge administrators may accidentally delete Knowledge content in Knowledge Categories. This article discusses methods and strategies to recover from such a loss.
Environment
Release: .CA Service Desk Manager 17.3.X
Resolution
Knowledge documents are stored in the SKELETONS table while Knowledge Categories are defined in the O_INDEX table.
When one deletes the above materials, the following happens in the background:
- For KD articles, the given entry in the SKELETONS table is marked with an ACTIVE_STATE attribute of "-100" which denotes it as being deleted. A value of "0" or higher marks the article as active to varying degrees.
- For Knowledge Categories, the corresponding entry in the O_INDEX table is deleted outright (a SQL statement is issued to delete the entry altogether).
Also, the end user will be advised that the deletion of the Knowledge Article and Category cannot be reverted. The following are two possible approaches to restore from a deletion.
The first and preferred method is that to restore from a backup of the database. This will restore the original structure of the knowledge articles and associated categories as well as restore the original categories themselves.
Barring a DB restore of the database, the second approach is the manual restoration of the category and KD materials, which will require several DB and app level changes to do the following:
1. Re-create the given category (app level creation activity)
2. Restore the deleted KD materials (DB level change to change the value of ACTIVE_STATE attribute from "-100" to "0" in the SKELETONS table per affected entry)
(please see advisory under "Additional Information")
3. Associate the given KDs back to the category (app level creation)
If KD articles are restored via the above method, they will appear in the TOP category.
As of this Knowledge article's publication, there is no option available to undo changes made to KD's and their categories which involve their deletion.
When one deletes the above materials, the following happens in the background:
- For KD articles, the given entry in the SKELETONS table is marked with an ACTIVE_STATE attribute of "-100" which denotes it as being deleted. A value of "0" or higher marks the article as active to varying degrees.
- For Knowledge Categories, the corresponding entry in the O_INDEX table is deleted outright (a SQL statement is issued to delete the entry altogether).
Also, the end user will be advised that the deletion of the Knowledge Article and Category cannot be reverted. The following are two possible approaches to restore from a deletion.
The first and preferred method is that to restore from a backup of the database. This will restore the original structure of the knowledge articles and associated categories as well as restore the original categories themselves.
Barring a DB restore of the database, the second approach is the manual restoration of the category and KD materials, which will require several DB and app level changes to do the following:
1. Re-create the given category (app level creation activity)
2. Restore the deleted KD materials (DB level change to change the value of ACTIVE_STATE attribute from "-100" to "0" in the SKELETONS table per affected entry)
(please see advisory under "Additional Information")
3. Associate the given KDs back to the category (app level creation)
If KD articles are restored via the above method, they will appear in the TOP category.
As of this Knowledge article's publication, there is no option available to undo changes made to KD's and their categories which involve their deletion.
Additional Information
Before engaging in any attempt to restore the deleted KD materials, please be sure to backup the entire Service Desk MDB database.
The changes associated with direct DB manipulation are generally unsupported. Please consult with a DBA before making any such changes.
The changes associated with direct DB manipulation are generally unsupported. Please consult with a DBA before making any such changes.
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