- 5 minutes to read

Troubleshoot in Minutes with Search Field Links—Not Hours

Use Nodinite Business Process Modeling (BPM) with Search Field Links to dramatically reduce Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) by eliminating manual log correlation across disconnected systems.

graph TB A[fa:fa-diagram-project BPM Error Step] -->|Click| B[fa:fa-hashtag Order ID ORD-2024-10789] B -->|Search Field Link| C[fa:fa-timeline All Related Events] C --> D[fa:fa-address-card CRM - Order Created] C --> E[fa:fa-gear BizTalk - Order Validation] C --> F[fa:fa-shield-halved Credit Check - Score 720] C --> G[fa:fa-credit-card Payment Gateway - DECLINED] C --> H[fa:fa-clock Payment Retry - Queued] G -->|90 seconds| I[fa:fa-lightbulb Root Cause Found] style A fill:#ffebee,stroke:#d32f2f,stroke-width:2px style B fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:3px style C fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:3px style G fill:#ffebee,stroke:#d32f2f,stroke-width:2px style I fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#4caf50,stroke-width:3px

Click any business identifier in BPM to instantly see all related events across all systems—no manual correlation required.

What You Can Do

  • Click any business identifier to see related events across all systems—Order ID, Invoice Number, Customer ID, Tracking Number, Transaction GUID
  • Eliminate manual log correlation—instead of opening Azure Portal, BizTalk Admin Console, database tools, and file explorer separately, see everything in one view
  • Trace complete transaction history—from order creation in CRM → credit check in Azure Function → payment processing → inventory allocation → shipping notification
  • Identify root causes instantly—see which system failed, what data was processed, and what happened before/after the error
Capability Nodinite Search Field Links Traditional Manual Correlation Log Aggregation Tools
Troubleshooting Speed ✅ 90 seconds (click & view) ❌ 40+ minutes (7 manual steps) ⚠️ 10-15 minutes (if logs centralized)
Cross-System View ✅ All systems in one timeline ❌ Open each system separately ⚠️ Raw logs only (no business context)
Business Context ✅ Order ID, Customer ID, Invoice # visible ❌ Must extract from payloads manually ❌ Technical logs only
Self-Service ✅ Business analysts troubleshoot independently ❌ Requires DevOps/expert knowledge ⚠️ Requires log query expertise
Learning Curve ✅ Click business ID = instant results ❌ Must know which systems to check ⚠️ Must learn query language (KQL, Lucene)
Access Requirements ✅ ONE Nodinite login ❌ Azure Portal, BizTalk Console, DB tools, vendor portals ⚠️ Log aggregator access + system knowledge
Root Cause Time ✅ 90 seconds with full context ❌ 40+ minutes assuming expert knowledge ⚠️ 10-15 minutes with technical skills
MTTR Impact ✅ 96% reduction in resolution time ❌ High MTTR (hours) ⚠️ Medium MTTR (15-30 min)

Real-World Example

BPM shows red error on "Payment Processing" step. Click the Order ID → Search Field Links reveal the transaction crossed 6 systems successfully, but failed in the payment gateway with "Card Declined" message—total troubleshooting time: 90 seconds instead of 2 hours manually correlating logs.

graph TB A[fa:fa-triangle-exclamation Payment Error in BPM] --> B[fa:fa-server Open BizTalk Console] B --> C[fa:fa-cloud Open Azure Portal] C --> D[fa:fa-credit-card Open Payment Gateway Portal] D --> E[fa:fa-address-card Open CRM] E --> F[fa:fa-magnifying-glass Manual Correlation] F --> G[fa:fa-lightbulb Root Cause Found - 40 min] style A fill:#ffebee,stroke:#d32f2f,stroke-width:2px style F fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2px style G fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#4caf50,stroke-width:2px

Traditional approach: 40 minutes across 7 manual steps and 4+ different portals.

Problem: Payment Processing step shows error in BPM.

Manual steps required:

  1. Open BizTalk Admin Console → search for OrderID in suspended messages (5 minutes)
  2. Find related message → extract correlation ID from context properties (3 minutes)
  3. Open Azure Portal → search Azure Function logs for correlation ID (8 minutes)
  4. Find Azure Function call → extract payment gateway transaction ID from payload (4 minutes)
  5. Open payment gateway vendor portal → search for transaction ID (10 minutes)
  6. Review payment gateway error response → identify "Card Declined - Insufficient Funds" (2 minutes)
  7. Cross-reference with CRM → verify customer contact info to notify them (8 minutes)

Total time: 40 minutes (assuming you know which systems to check and have access to all portals)

graph LR A[fa:fa-triangle-exclamation Payment Error] -->|Click Order ID| B[fa:fa-timeline All Events] B --> C[fa:fa-circle-check CRM Success] B --> D[fa:fa-circle-check BizTalk Success] B --> E[fa:fa-circle-check Credit Check Success] B --> F[fa:fa-circle-xmark Payment DECLINED] F -->|90 seconds| G[fa:fa-lightbulb Root Cause + Customer Info] style A fill:#ffebee,stroke:#d32f2f,stroke-width:2px style B fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:3px style F fill:#ffebee,stroke:#d32f2f,stroke-width:2px style G fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#4caf50,stroke-width:3px

Search Field Links approach: 90 seconds with one click to see all related events.

Problem: Payment Processing step shows error in BPM.

Streamlined troubleshooting:

  1. Click Order ID "ORD-2024-10789" in BPM error step (2 seconds)
  2. Search Field Links display all related events across all systems in timeline view:
    • 10:15:03 - Order Created (CRM) - Success
    • 10:15:05 - Order Validation (BizTalk) - Success
    • 10:15:08 - Credit Check (Azure Function) - Success, Score: 720
    • 10:15:12 - Payment Authorization (Payment Gateway) - Error: Card Declined - Insufficient Funds
    • 10:15:12 - Payment Retry (Payment Service) - Queued, waiting 5 minutes
  3. Click on Payment Gateway event → view full request/response payload showing card number (last 4 digits), amount, decline reason (30 seconds)
  4. Click on Customer ID link → see customer contact info from CRM (email, phone) for immediate notification (20 seconds)

Total time: 90 seconds with complete root cause analysis and customer contact information

The Difference

  • 40 minutes → 90 seconds (96% faster troubleshooting)
  • 7 manual tools → 1 unified interface
  • Requires system expert knowledge → Self-service for business analysts
  • High MTTR → Low MTTR
  • Reactive firefighting → Proactive resolution

How It Works

graph TB A[fa:fa-server All Systems Log Events] --> B[fa:fa-database Log Database] B --> C[fa:fa-search-plus Search Field Expressions Extract IDs] C --> D[fa:fa-hashtag Order ID: ORD-2024-10789] C --> E[fa:fa-user Customer ID: CUST-5432] C --> F[fa:fa-file-invoice Invoice #: INV-88776] D --> G[fa:fa-link Search Field Links Enabled] E --> G F --> G G --> H[fa:fa-diagram-project BPM Shows Error] H -->|User Clicks ID| I[fa:fa-timeline All Related Events] style A fill:#e3f2fd,stroke:#2196f3,stroke-width:2px style C fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800,stroke-width:2px style G fill:#f3e5f5,stroke:#9c27b0,stroke-width:2px style I fill:#e8f5e9,stroke:#4caf50,stroke-width:3px

Search Field Expressions extract business identifiers from payloads, enabling instant cross-system correlation via clickable links.

Search Field Links work by connecting business identifiers across all logged events:

  1. Events are logged from all systems (CRM, ERP, payment gateway, warehouse, etc.)
  2. Search Field Expressions extract business data from message payloads (Order ID, Customer ID, Invoice Number, etc.)
  3. BPM displays process steps with color-coded status (green/yellow/red)
  4. Click any business identifier in an error step
  5. See all related events instantly—every system that touched that Order ID, Customer ID, or transaction

No manual correlation. No hunting through multiple log sources. No requiring tribal knowledge of which systems interact.

Configuration Requirements

To enable rapid troubleshooting with Search Field Links:

  1. Message Types - Define business transaction types for all logging points
  2. Search Field Expressions - Configure extraction of business identifiers from message payloads
  3. Search Fields - Create Search Fields with Links enabled for navigation
  4. Log Status Codes - Set appropriate status codes (Success, Warning, Error) in your logging

Business Benefits

  • 96% Faster Troubleshooting: Reduce MTTR from hours to minutes
  • Lower Support Costs: Business analysts troubleshoot without escalating to DevOps
  • Better Customer Experience: Resolve issues before customers complain
  • Reduced Downtime: Faster root cause identification = faster fixes
  • Self-Service Analytics: Business users investigate process issues independently
  • Unified Interface: ONE Nodinite login replaces 7+ separate tools/portals

Next Step

Ready to implement rapid troubleshooting? Start with Search Field configuration:

Search Fields – Configure business data extraction for correlation
Search Field Expressions – Extract business identifiers from payloads
Search Field Links Guide – Enable click-through navigation