Data apply rule

Description

Data apply rules control the order in which related tables are processed in the target environment and how modification rules are propagated.

When tables are related to one another in that the values in particular columns are the same, it can be important to specify in which order the tables are filled. XDM recognizes foreign key relationships and automatically applies changes in the correct order so as to maintain relational integrity.

However, tables can be related through references which are not defined as foreign keys on the database. For instance, tables can be related through triggers which are defined for column changes. These may need to be initiated in a specific order. In this case data apply rules can be used to define the order in which the tables are filled. Data apply rules are also important when a modification rule alters a column value in one table and this needs to be propagated to related tables.

When adapting foreign key logic, keep in mind, that data apply rules model the processing order. First the base table is processed by an INSERT operation, then the referenced table. So data apply rules are defined in the reverse direction to that of a database foreign key.

Concepts and more information

Properties

The table below documents the available properties for data apply rules. The 'name' column displays the property name as it can be used in Groovy and Java Scripts.

Name

Type

Default

Description

Active

active

Boolean

true

Specifies whether the rule is active and therefore used, or inactive and therefore ignored, when a task is executed.

Columns

columns

String

n/a

Specifies a comma separated list of columns from the base table that define the rule relationship.

Description

description

String

n/a

An optional description for this object. The description can contain multiple lines to give more context on the configured object. The description is not used in a technical context.

Name

displayName

String

n/a

Specifies the name of the object. The name is used to display and identify the object in lists. The name can contain any valid UTF-8 characters. This field is mandatory.

Name pattern

namePattern

String

n/a

Specifies the base table in the relationship defined by this rule.

This table is processed first in an INSERT operation, and second in a DELETE operation. Do not confuse this with the base table of a database foreign key.

Referenced application model

referencedApplicationModel

ApplicationModel

n/a

Specifies the application model from which the referenced table will be selected. This need only be supplied if it is different from that of the base table.

Referenced columns

referencedColumns

String

n/a

Specifies a comma separated list of columns from the referenced table corresponding to the column list for the base table in the rule.

Referenced modelling version

referencedModellingVersion

String

n/a

Referenced table

referencedTableName

String

n/a

Specifies the referenced table in the relationship defined by this rule.

This table is processed second in an INSERT operation, and first in a DELETE operation. Do not confuse this with the referenced table of a database foreign key.

Referenced schema

referencedTableSchema

String

n/a

Specifies the schema of the referenced table in the rule. The value is automatically set to the modelling schema of the referenced application model version. This value cannot be edited.

Schema pattern

schemaPattern

String

%

Specifies the schema of the base table in the rule. The value is automatically set to the modelling schema of the application model version in which this rule is defined. This value cannot be edited.

Tags

tags

Tag

n/a

Contains the tags that apply to this object. These tags can be used in the search to find objects quickly and effortlessly.

Actions

The available actions are described below. Some actions apply to the list, while others are specific to selected data apply rules.

List Actions

The following actions are available on the data apply rules list. If the action is disabled a tooltip will provide the exact reason for the deactivation. The required permissions are described in detail for each action.

  • Bulk Delete

  • Create

  • Export CSV

  • Import CSV

  • List History

Delete the selected objects.

The following options are available:

Cascade

Recursively delete depending objects.

When using cascade, dependent objects are deleted first also with cascade enabled. Thus, a cascade deletion is a recursive function that deeply searches for dependent objects and deletes them first. There is only a confirmation for the first object. The dependent objects are deleted without confirmation but only when the user has the DELETE permission.

This feature is only available in development mode. More information about development mode can be found in the chapter User Settings. It should be used with caution.

An object in the result list can have two different states, these are:

DELETED

The object could be deleted.

NOT_DELETED

The object could be not deleted. This may be because the executing person does not have a delete permission on the object or the object is still referenced by others. A detailed reason can be determined with the help of the error message. If the object is still in use, these objects are also displayed.

The following permissions are required on the list:

  • READ

  • WRITE

Creates a new object in the current list. Depending on the object type either a popup dialog is shown for the most important settings, or the complete object is shown in edit mode. The dialog provides the option to create the object and remain in the current list or to switch to the newly created object in edit mode to perform further changes.

The following permissions are required on the list:

  • CREATE

Exports the current list in CSV format. This will start a download operation for your browser.

The following permissions are required on the list:

  • READ

Creates new objects in the list from a CSV file. The format must comply with the format produced by the export. All imported objects will be added to the list. The import terminates with an error message if an object with the same name already exists and Replace rules is set to false.

Replace rules

The Replace rules option determines whether a rule is appended or replaced. If set to true, all current rules will be replaced with the new rules, otherwise the new rules are appended to the existing rules.

The following permissions are required on the list:

  • WRITE

The history list tracks all modifications made to objects within it. A new record is added each time an object is created, edited, or deleted. A record indicates who made the change, which object was affected, and when the change was made.

For more information about the concept of the history refer to the history concepts.

The following permissions are required on the list:

  • READ

Object Actions

The following actions are available on specific data apply rules. In order to execute the action, the user must possess the necessary permissions for the object. The permissions required for each action are described individually. If the user does not have these permissions, the action will be disabled and the tooltip will provide the exact reason for the deactivation.

  • Check

  • Delete

  • Duplicate

  • Edit

  • Object History

This action validates the object and its dependencies, reporting configuration errors that could cause issues during task or workflow execution. The validation will cascade through the child objects of the checked objects and objects referenced by them.

For instance, if an installed application of an environment is checked, the check will process the application model, the specified version, the connection, modification sets, and involved modification methods. If an object has rules, all active rules will be checked. The modeling connection and version, including their modification sets and methods, will also be checked. Deactivated objects will not be included in recursive checks, but can be checked individually if the check is executed on the object itself.

Checks often require additional information from the context of the objects being checked, such as necessary connections or custom parameter values. The check will gather information from the objects being checked and use it to perform checks on child objects. Any required additional information must be provided before the check begins. The check queries the user to provide these missing information.

Database object checks

For all rules which reference database objects such as tables, columns, etc, the check verifies that the those objects exist in the database system. If a connection can be inferred from the context, then this connection is used. If no connection is available in the context, it must be specified before the check is executed.

Connection checks

For objects which configure access to external systems, such as connections or storage locations, the configuration check verifies that access can be established using the given credentials. Furthermore, additional operations on database connections are performed to check whether the credential user has the necessary authorization to access relevant database objects. In particular, the credential user’s permission to read source tables and write to target tables is verified. Similarly, for storage locations the check verifies that the credential user has permission to write to the working directory.

Code checks

For all entities containing code segments, such as modification methods or condition scripts, the syntax for the code is checked. This does not check, however, whether at run time all necessary variables are likely to be available.

The following permissions are required:

  • READ

Delete the object. If the object is still used by another entity, an error message is displayed, and the object is not deleted. The delete operation must be confirmed in a separate popup.

The following options are available:

Cascade

Recursively delete depending objects.

When using cascade, dependent objects are deleted first also with cascade enabled. Thus, a cascade deletion is a recursive function that deeply searches for dependent objects and deletes them first. There is only a confirmation for the first object. The dependent objects are deleted without confirmation but only when the user has the DELETE permission.

This feature is only available in development mode. More information about development mode can be found in the chapter User Settings. It should be used with caution.

The following permissions are required:

  • READ

  • WRITE

Will create an exact copy of the current object with a different display name in the same list. Users can decide whether they want to copy child objects like rules, permissions or tasks. It is only possible to select complete classes of objects and not to select individual child objects. Copied child-objects will preserve their display name. The default is to copy all child objects.

The following permissions are required:

  • READ

  • WRITE

Opens the current entity in edit mode.

The following permissions are required:

  • READ

  • WRITE

The history displays all changes made to the respective XDM object, including any changes made to its rules.

Each change record includes information about the operation performed (e.g. CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE), the timestamp, and the user responsible for the change.

For more information about the concept of the history refer to the history concepts.

The following permissions are required:

  • READ