# Stages

Stages are a snapshot of the data either at the time of being sent or received. The Stage stores the snapshot of data, which is what facilitates the asynchronous exchange of Messages. Having that data called out into separate fields provides a clean & clear view of the data being sent/received, which in turn can provide a clearer picture of the cause of any potential discrepancies in the mapping of data that is being translated\*/transformed\*\*.

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*\*Translated: a movement of data*

*\*\*Transformed: a movement and a change of data*
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{% hint style="info" %}
The data being sent for each Message is mapped using the Field records.  For more information, see the '[Fields](https://docs.sharelogic.com/unifi/3.0/configuration/fields)' & '[Field Maps](https://docs.sharelogic.com/unifi/3.0/configuration/field-maps)' pages.
{% endhint %}

## Fields <a href="#fields" id="fields"></a>

The following table gives a description of the fields that are visible on the Stage record:

| Field              | Type          | Description                                                                                                          |
| ------------------ | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Number             | String        | The unique Stage identifier.                                                                                         |
| Internal reference | String        | The ServiceNow ticket reference.                                                                                     |
| External reference | String        | The external system’s ticket reference.                                                                              |
| Direction          | Choice        | The direction this record is travelling in.                                                                          |
| Integration        | Reference     | The integration this record belongs to.                                                                              |
| Transaction        | Reference     | The transaction this record belongs to.                                                                              |
| Message            | Reference     | The message used to process this record.                                                                             |
| Domain             | Reference     | The domain this record belongs to.                                                                                   |
| Staged Data fields | String/Object | The fields that correlate to the data being sent/received. They are uniquely and dynamically configured per Message. |

The following is an example of a Stage record:

![](https://2404534899-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MQBk35gIi557UHt7QlJ%2F-MfJ9DPySVzI7iPFf76C%2F-MfJCMLM7SN398vkNykT%2FStages%201.png?alt=media\&token=950154f7-dc51-49c6-87f1-9f6dc79a521d)