ACT_RU_* vs ACT_HI_* — the cheat sheet
Query routing
| Question | Family | Endpoint |
|---|---|---|
| open tasks / pools / inbox | runtime | /query/tasks |
| where are the tokens now | runtime | /runtime/executions |
| stuck async work | runtime | /management/deadletter-jobs, timer-jobs |
| completed instances, outcomes | history | /history/historic-process-instances |
| step timeline, durations | history | /history/historic-activity-instances |
| who claimed/completed a task | history | /history/historic-task-instances (+ identity links) |
| variable values of a finished case | history | /history/historic-variable-instances |
| which definition version decided case X | history | PROC_DEF_ID_ on the historic instance |
Key tables
- Runtime:
ACT_RU_EXECUTION(tokens),ACT_RU_TASK,ACT_RU_VARIABLE,ACT_RU_JOB/ACT_RU_TIMER_JOB/ACT_RU_DEADLETTER_JOB. - History:
ACT_HI_PROCINST,ACT_HI_ACTINST,ACT_HI_TASKINST,ACT_HI_VARINST,ACT_HI_IDENTITYLINK.
“The instance disappeared” — triage
/history/historic-process-instances?processInstanceId=X- has
endTime→ it completed. Read the outcome variables from history. Done. deleteReasonset → it was terminated/cancelled. The reason field says by what.
- has
- No history row at all → it never started. Check the caller’s error handling.
- History row open but no runtime row → you’re on the wrong engine or schema. Check the datasource before anything else.
Two standing rules
- A row leaving runtime is success. Alert on runtime rows that stay (old instances, deep pools, due jobs), never on rows leaving.
- History grows forever until lesson 02’s retention decision is made. If nobody owns retention, the DBA eventually owns an outage.