SCCM Client Actions and What They Do

I compiled this list of the Client Actions for SCCM for my company's internal KB, but since my teammates tend to default to Google first, where there isn't an easily-found complete listing, I've decided to post it here. Hope it helps! Please feel free to fill in the blanks or add any info you think might also be useful!
 
SCCM Client Actions and What They Do!
Branch DP Maintenance Task- When initiated, this task will verify the prestaged package and download any packages that do not exist on the branch distribution point. A success status message is sent to the management point, and server records are updated to reflect the availability of the package on the branch distribution point.
Discovery Data Collection Cycle- forces the rediscovery of active clients that have been deleted/removed from the Configuration Manager database by the administrator or by a database maintenance task
Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle- force the client to update the machine’s policy, rather than waiting for the hourly automatic update (find programs advertised to the machine)
User Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle- force the client to update the user’s policy, rather than waiting for the hourly automatic update (find programs advertised to the user)
Software Updates Deployment Evaluation Cycle- When this action is started, active deployments (including those with past deadlines) will be evaluated or re-evaluated.
Software Updates Scan Cycle- Starts a software updates scan when run.
 
Not sure about Windows Installer Source List Update Cycle still, unfortunately.
 

Windows Installer Source List Update Cycle - In your Packages, when an .MSI is part of the source, on the Properties of a program inside that package is the tab "Windows Installer".  Import... the MSI information.
Once you've imported the MSI information for any/every MSI-based package, the next time the Source List Update Cycle runs, the DPs containing that source, for that client, will be appended to the existing possible source lists.
This should always be done--importing the MSI.  Here's why.  Depending upon how a vendor created their installation, and the product itself, potentially the original source of the install was discontinued, like a network share.  If for whatever reason an application needs to "self heal", if the first original source for that Windows-Installer based application cannot be found by the client, it will try the next ones on the list until it finds a valid source.
So, if you have your packages/programs setup to offer the Windows Installer Source, your clients will be able to find a source, even if other things are broken.
 
Small tip... when we first implemented this, there were a few applications that "all of the sudden" started reinstalling (according to the helpdesk).  What was really happening was they were broken, and they were finally able to heal.  Just something to warn your helpdesk of, in case you start to leverage this.  It is a good thing overall, but sometimes the unexpected is interpreted as a "problem", when really what happened was things were finally getting fixed.
 
This is from SMS2003:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/905796 , the description of it, but the functionality isn't different under CM07; so please do use it as a reference.
 
Here's another link, for CM07:  http://technet.microsoft..../library/bb892810.aspx

Thanks for filling in that blank SKissinger!

I wouldn't necessarily say that you should always enable Windows Installer source management for msi based applications - and here's why;  In many environments, client systems will find themselves connected to the network via slow or unreliable links such as VPN or remote ADSL links.  Windows Installer self-healing does not respect your slow/fast boundary configurations within ConfigMgr and so a large self healing application event can cause undesirable network traffic as it pulls down the files it needs to repair from a DP using SMB (not BITS/HTTP) which may not necessarily be one quick hop away.  Use with caution and consideration.
 
Andy