Investigating System Messages

While the Executions view is perfect for analyzing specific tasks, troubleshooting broader system behavior often requires looking at global events. The Messages view lists archived Automic Automation system messages.

This view provides a critical audit trail for your infrastructure. Each message records vital information, including a type code, a message number, the originating Client and host, a timestamp, and the full message text. This makes it easy for administrators to trace system-wide warnings, past Agent disconnects, or login failures without querying the live production database.

Navigating the Messages Workspace

To switch to this workspace and begin your audit:

Click the Messages button in the top menu bar. The data grid loads your system messages, displaying fields such as the date and time of the message, the component that created it, and the message category and type.
Sort the data. Click any column header to sort chronologically, alphabetically, or by severity type to bubble the most critical errors to the top.
Customize your view. Click the column chooser (the table icon) at the top right of the grid to show or hide fields so you can focus only on the data points relevant to your investigation.

Note: Because system messages are standalone audit entries and do not generate child log files like tasks do, double-clicking a message row does not open a secondary reports view. All information is contained directly within the main grid and the Details panel.

Filtering Messages

Archived databases can contain millions of system messages. To find exactly what you are looking for, you must narrow down the records.

Click Filter in the toolbar to open the search criteria panel.
Adjust the default search fields to narrow your focus. Key filters include:
- Time Frame: Define a specific date and time range to isolate an incident. The Time Frame filter matches on the message timestamp only.
- Source: Filter by the component that generated the message (such as the Automation Engine).
- Type: Filter by the severity or category of the message (such as Information, Warning, or Error).
- Message: Search for specific strings, error codes, or run IDs within the message text.
If you need to narrow your search further, click + Add Filter Criteria to include optional fields such as Host, User, or Department.

Inspecting Complete Message Details

If you have hidden several columns to keep your list clean, but you occasionally need to see the full context of a specific message, use the Details panel:

Select a message row in the list.
Click Details in the top right toolbar.
The side panel slides out to display all recorded fields for that specific message simultaneously, ensuring you can read long message texts without having to scroll horizontally across the main table.

By utilizing these precise filters and the Details panel, you can rapidly reconstruct past system events, identify the root cause of historical infrastructure issues, and verify that your system audits are comprehensive and accurate.