DeleteRelatedEntityAction

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Purpose

This action automatically deletes related entities from the database when triggered by another entity's operation. It's primarily designed to work with EAGenerateEntityFromEntityAction to clean up automatically-generated records.

When to Use This Action

  • Cleanup Operations: When you need to delete records that were automatically created by another action
  • Data Integrity: To maintain referential integrity by removing dependent records
  • Business Rule Enforcement: When certain entities should be deleted based on changes to their parent entities

How It Works

  1. Target Identification: Uses a SQL query to find the specific entity to delete
  2. Entity Lookup: Retrieves the target entity using its ID and type
  3. Safe Deletion: Performs deletion through the business layer (not direct SQL)

Parameters Required

Parameter 1: Target Type

  • What it is: The type of entity you want to delete
  • Format: Entity type name from your system's entity definitions
  • Note: Must match an existing entity type in the system

Parameter 2: Finder SQL

  • What it is: SQL query to find the entity to delete
  • Must return: The ID of the entity to delete as the first column
  • Placeholders: Use {id} to reference the source entity's ID
  • Template: select id from [TableName] where [foreignKeyColumn]={id}

SQL Query Examples

Important: The following are template examples. You must verify that the table names and column names exist in your system before using them.

select id from [TableName] where [foreignKeyColumn]={id}

Template with additional conditions

select id from [TableName] where [foreignKeyColumn]={id} and [statusColumn]='GENERATED'

Template with ordering (when multiple records exist)

select id from [TableName] where [foreignKeyColumn]={id} order by [dateColumn] desc

Important Safety Notes

⚠️ CRITICAL WARNINGS:

  1. Business Layer Deletion: This action uses proper business deletion methods, which means:

    • Validation rules are respected
    • Related records are handled properly
    • Audit trails are maintained
    • Business logic is executed

  2. Single Entity Only: Only deletes the FIRST entity found by your SQL query, even if multiple records match

  3. No Undo: Once deleted, the entity goes to the system's recycle bin and can only be restored by system administrators

  4. Dependency Checks: The deletion will fail if other entities depend on the target entity

Common Use Cases

General Pattern: Cleanup Auto-Generated Entities

When a main entity changes state, delete related entities that were automatically created:

  • Target Type: [RelatedEntityType]
  • SQL: select id from [RelatedTable] where [foreignKey]={id} and [sourceColumn]='AUTO_GENERATED'

General Pattern: Remove Draft/Temporary Records

When a main document is finalized, remove temporary working copies:

  • Target Type: [TempEntityType]
  • SQL: select id from [TempTable] where [parentKey]={id} and [statusColumn]='DRAFT'

Note: Replace bracketed placeholders with actual table names, entity types, and column names from your system.

Testing Your Configuration

Before using in production, test your SQL query directly:

  1. Run the SQL manually replacing {id} with a real ID
  2. Verify it returns only the ID column
  3. Ensure it finds the correct entity to delete
  4. Check that deletion won't break other business processes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No entity found to delete"

  • Check your SQL syntax
  • Verify the entity ID exists
  • Confirm the target entity type is correct

"Deletion failed"

  • Another entity might reference the target entity
  • Business validation rules might prevent deletion
  • Check system logs for detailed error messages

"Multiple entities match but only one deleted"

  • This is expected behavior
  • Add ORDER BY clause to control which entity is selected
  • Consider using more specific WHERE conditions
  • EAGenerateEntityFromEntityAction: Creates entities that this action can clean up
  • EAUpdateRelatedEntityAction: Updates related entities instead of deleting them

Module: core
Full Class Name: com.namasoft.infor.domainbase.util.actions.DeleteRelatedEntityAction