Each client request creates a new auditing context. The auditing context is the lifetime of the top-level service. Once the custom context identifier is set, Integration Server includes that value in each service audit record it logs in the current context. Calls to this service affect audit logging only for the current request.

This service is useful when Integration Server is configured to log to a database. When the server logs information about a service to the database, it includes the custom context identifier in the service log. Using the webMethods Monitor, you can use the custom value as search criteria to locate and view all corresponding service audit records.

If Integration Server is configured to log to a file system, the server writes the custom context identifier with the service audit records to a file. This file is not accessible with the webMethods Monitor. You cannot use the webMethods Monitor to query service records when logging to a file.

If this service is invoked without a specified value for id, Integration Server writes a null value for the custom context identifier field for all subsequent service audit records that it logs in the current context.