Data Nodes
A Data Node is a building block of roleALPHA that holds content — people, roles, OKRs, risks, time tracking and so on. Under Settings → Organisation → Data Nodes, tenant admins decide themselves which of them their tenant uses and where they run. Every Data Node is included in the contract; there is nothing to book.
The overview
Section titled “The overview”The page shows each Data Node with a switch, its site (“Runs on”), its state and its content (how many objects it holds). It is grouped into:
| Group | What belongs to it |
|---|---|
| Base — always active | Only People. No other Data Node works without it; its switch is locked. |
| Modules | Roles, Org chart, Value creation, OKRs, Projects, Policies, Cost centres, Drawings, IT landscape, Meetings, Risks, Competences, Demands, AI agents. |
| Additional services | Automator, Validator, Aggregator, Context, Data sources, Org Intelligence, Time tracking. |
A new tenant starts with People, Roles, Org chart and Value creation. That is a default — apart from People, each of them can be switched off.
States
Section titled “States”| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| running | Switched on and visible to everyone with the matching permission. |
| being set up · n/4 | Switched on, the site is catching up. Not visible yet. |
| not set up | Setup failed. Nothing was switched on. |
| switched off | Hidden. The data is kept and returns unchanged when activated. |
| not active | Never switched on. |
| moving | Currently changing its site. |
The state is always shown as a word next to the coloured dot — the colour alone carries no meaning.
Switching on
Section titled “Switching on”Activate opens a dialog. There you choose
- where the Data Node should run — one of the sites your tenant may use. Its data will live there too. The recommended site is the one where the Data Nodes it links to run. If a site is operated by roleALPHA, the dialog says that the data will then not be in your data centre.
- whether the Data Node is also shared with rALPH and connected AI applications. This starts off; it is the same setting as AI settings → Data sharing.
Then it is set up in four steps:
- The site takes over the configuration.
- The service starts.
- The service responds.
- It is switched on in the menu.
This usually takes a few minutes; you do not need to keep the window open. Your users only see the Data Node after step 4. If a step fails, nothing is switched on — the row names the reason, and you can try again or choose another site.
If your tenant has no site of its own, there is nothing to choose and nothing to wait for: the Data Node is available immediately.
A Data Node that ran before is switched on again at its old site — that is where its data is. To run it elsewhere, switch it on and move it afterwards.
Switching off
Section titled “Switching off”Switching off deletes nothing. The data stays on the site; activating again brings objects, relationships, permissions and history back unchanged. Permanent deletion only happens via Settings → Data retention.
Before switching off, the dialog shows exactly what changes: how many objects and relationships disappear, that Automator and Validator rules pause, whether the AI no longer sees the Data Node — and which other active Data Nodes lose links. To confirm, you type its name. The switch in the row opens the same dialog; nothing is ever switched off without asking.
Links between Data Nodes
Section titled “Links between Data Nodes”Some Data Nodes hold relationships to others: a demand requires a role, a competence belongs to people. If the counterpart is missing, the Data Node keeps working — it only lacks these links. Switching off is never blocked by this, but the activate and switch-off dialogs name who is affected. The same information is at the top of every module page in the “Dependencies” box.
| Data Node | Links to | Linked from |
|---|---|---|
| People | — | Competences (via HAS_COMPETENCE), Demands (via REQUESTS_MEMBER) |
| Roles | — | AI agents (via AGENT_FULFILLS_ROLE), Competences (via REQUIRES), Demands (via ORIGINATES_FROM, REQUIRES_ROLE) |
| Value creation | — | AI agents (via AGENT_SUPPORTS_PROCESS), Competences (via ASSESSED_IN), Demands (via ORIGINATES_FROM) |
| OKRs | — | Demands (via ORIGINATES_FROM) |
| Projects | — | Demands (via ORIGINATES_FROM) |
| Policies | — | AI agents (via AGENT_BOUND_BY_POLICY) |
| Cost centres | — | Demands (via ORIGINATES_FROM) |
| Competences | Demands (via REQUIRES), People (via HAS_COMPETENCE), Value creation (via ASSESSED_IN), Roles (via REQUIRES) | AI agents (via AGENT_USES_COMPETENCE) |
| Demands | AI agents (via REQUESTS_MEMBER), Cost centres (via ORIGINATES_FROM), OKRs (via ORIGINATES_FROM), People (via REQUESTS_MEMBER), Value creation (via ORIGINATES_FROM), Projects (via ORIGINATES_FROM), Roles (via ORIGINATES_FROM, REQUIRES_ROLE) | Competences (via REQUIRES) |
| AI agents | Competences (via AGENT_USES_COMPETENCE), Policies (via AGENT_BOUND_BY_POLICY), Value creation (via AGENT_SUPPORTS_PROCESS), Roles (via AGENT_FULFILLS_ROLE) | Demands (via REQUESTS_MEMBER) |
If a linked Data Node is missing, the other one keeps working — it only lacks these links. Switching off is never blocked by this, but the dialog names who is affected.
Changing the site
Section titled “Changing the site”Change site moves a Data Node with all its data. Two ways:
| Way | What happens |
|---|---|
| With a way back (recommended) | The old site stays for 7 days as a fallback. You can go back — without losing data. Afterwards it is cleaned up automatically. |
| Direct | Faster and without double space. The old site is emptied as soon as the check succeeds. |
During the transfer the Data Node is briefly read-only; drafts wait and are submitted afterwards. Moves start immediately; scheduling them for later is not available yet.
Where your data lives
Section titled “Where your data lives”On the right, the page shows each site your tenant may use: whether it is reachable, who operates it and what runs on it. Whoever operates a site determines the operating model of the Data Nodes on it:
| Operator | Operating model |
|---|---|
| roleALPHA | M1 — fully managed |
| You (own server) | M2 — hybrid |
| Your host | M3 — customer cloud |
Sign-in and administration (Core) always stay with roleALPHA. The load (memory, disk, CPU) is reported by the site itself; without a report it says “No measurement”, never 0 %.
roleALPHA operations connects another site — such as your own server. It then appears here, and you decide what runs on it.
Change log
Section titled “Change log”Every switch on, switch off and move is logged: who, when, from which site to which, with the operating model before and after. The latest change is shown at the bottom of the page; Change log expands the list. Under the data processing agreement, the choice of site counts as your documented instruction.
Changes made by roleALPHA on your behalf
Section titled “Changes made by roleALPHA on your behalf”At your request – for example in support – roleALPHA operations can change Data Nodes, AI settings or the company profile for you. This never happens silently: roleALPHA has to give a reason every time, and a change without a reason is rejected. The log then shows the entry with the name of the person who acted and the note “on behalf of roleALPHA: ‹reason›”. Merely viewing your settings is not logged this way.
Who may do this?
Section titled “Who may do this?”Reading and changing is reserved for tenant admins (permission admin:tenant). The former
“Service Registry” page has been merged into this one.