Configure Dataflow attributes

Attributes are custom metadata that can be added to flows to better categorize them. Read the panel here below for some examples and details.

Examples and details about attributes

Attributes can be of any type and are configurable depending on Customers' needs:

• Confidentiality attribute, with values Secret, Public, and Reserved.

• Approved by attribute, with values CEO, CFO, HR, Team Leader.

• Error management attribute, with values Managed and To be managed.

• Tags attribute, with totally open values dynamically updated by users depending on the flow.

And so on.

Attributes are structured as dictionaries, i.e. lists of values that a specific attribute can have.

In Data One, 2 categories of attributes exist:

• 🚀 Dataflow model attributes: they are set when modeling flows and automatically spread on instances, they can be Open or Closed - see below - with single or multiple values, and they cannot be deleted.

• 🚀 Dataflow instance attributes: they are manually set on instances, they can have single or multiple values selected from a predefined list, and they can be deleted.

Only Administrators can create and define attributes.

Dataflow model attributes can be:

• Closed: they can only have the values set when the attribute was defined or modified. Choose this option when the range of possible attribute values is known up-front and you want to have strict control on the attribute content.

• Open: the values set when the attribute was defined or modified can be extended with new values when the flow is modeled. Choose this option when the range of possible values is not known up-front or its nature is dynamic.

Dataflow instance attributes are always Closed.

Moreover, all attributes can have multiple values or just a single value.

If you want users to be as free as possible, set the attribute to Open and allow multiple values. An example of using open attributes is TAGS with values dynamically added by users. If you want users to select values only from a pre-configured specific list of values, set the attribute to Closed and force them to select only from the list of values that you have defined.

The Administrator is in charge of configuring the attributes that the user will select when modeling a flow - in the Dataflow Modeler section - or when the instance of a flow needs to be filled in with extra information - in the Inquiry section.

To create attributes, go to Setup → Attributes, click the NEW button, and fill in the fields of the New Attribute dialog window.

Dataflow model attributes

Dataflow model attributes can be assigned when modeling a flow. To create a new Dataflow model attribute, fill in these fields:

• Status: set the toggle switch to on (the attribute is active) or off (the attribute is created but will not be listed among the attributes available).

• Name: assign a name to the attribute. E.g., Document Type.

• Description (optional): you can enter a description for the attribute you are creating.

• Category: select Dataflow model.

• Type: select if the dictionary must be:

  • Closed: the user can choose only from the list of values you are setting.

  • Open: the user can choose among the values you are setting and can also add new values.

• Multiple options: check this box if multiple attributes can be assigned to the flow when modeling it. Uncheck the box if only one attribute must be assigned.

• Mandatory: check this box if you want the user to enter/select at least one attribute and uncheck it if the user must be able to leave the model without attributes.

• Values: enter the values of the attribute and click the ADD button. You can add as many values as needed, by clicking the button every time you need to add a new field. E.g., DOCX, PDF, TXT.

If you need to edit the Attribute or any of its values, click the 3-dots icon and select the Edit option. The panel will appear allowing you to edit the selected attribute.

Once you have configured Dataflow model attributes and their values, users will find them in Design → Dataflow Models → Dataflow Modeler → DATAFLOW PROPERTIES panel → icon, where they can be used to categorize flows when modeling them.

See Dataflow Model attributes for details.

These attributes are spread on instances and cannot be deleted.

Dataflow instance attributes

Dataflow instance attributes can be assigned when the instance of a flow needs to be filled in with extra information. To create a new Dataflow instance attribute, fill in these fields:

• Status: set the toggle switch to on (the attribute is active) or off (the attribute is created but will not be listed among the attributes available).

• Name: assign a name to the attribute.

• Description (optional): you can enter a description for the attribute you are creating.

• Category: select Dataflow instance.

• Multiple options: check this box if multiple attributes can be assigned to the instance. Uncheck the box if only one attribute must be assigned.

• Values: enter the values of the attribute and click the ADD button. You can add as many values as needed, by clicking the button every time you need to add a new field.

Note that instance attributes are always Closed and the user must choose only from the list of values you are setting.

If you need to edit the attribute or any of its values, click the 3 dots icon and select the Edit option. The panel will appear allowing you to edit the selected attribute.

Once you have configured Dataflow instance attributes and their values, users will find them when opening the instance of a flow going to Monitoring → Dataflow inquiry → 3 dots icon → New Instance attribute.

These attributes can be used to add information to the instance.

See Dataflow Instance attributes for details.

To delete them, simply click the x on the right of the chip.