Datawatch Automator has a Visual Process Designer tool that allows you to create the process and define its work flow in a fast and convenient way. The Visual Process Designer visualizes mechanism of process components assembling by providing you with the library of various graphic elements and connectors and a workspace within which you can arrange them. Besides, the Process Designer can intuitively arrange the elements on the workspace.
Information on starting and finishing processes when executing processes are stored in process logs.
Processes
The Visual Process Designer tool allows you to create processes in easier and more convenient way than to apply the standard approach. You have full set of tools for process creation that is used in standard processes but you have greater capabilities to apply these tools and therefore set up more sophisticated scenarios.
Data acquisition, conversion and distribution is visualized in the Process Designer through use of graphic elements and connectors arranged by threads.
By using library of graphic elements and a workspace, you can quickly assemble different process components to set the required process. The created process can be represented as a graph in the Process Designer window.
Visual Process Designer interface
Visual Process Designer interface consists of upper line, Process Designer Library, Workspace panel, and Properties panel.
Upper line of the Process Designer contains name of the process (on the left) and the Designer Toolbar. You are allowed to change name of the process if needed.
The table below specifies buttons of the Visual Process Designer toolbar.
Button Name Description
Save You can choose the following options:
Save process: Save the specified work flow as a process.
Button Name Description
Save as template: Save the specified work flow as a template. Elements settings are not saved.
Save as template (retain data): Save the specified work flow as a template. Elements settings are saved.
New Click to open new workspace for creation new process. The workspace with the previous process will not be saved automatically.
Insert Template Click to open the list of existing templates. You can select the required template and add it to the workspace.
Triggers
Click to specify when the process will run.
You can choose the following types of process triggers:
Schedules Monitoring
Only one of them can be chosen at a time.
Schedules Trigger
A schedule is used to specify when, and at what interval the process will run. You can create a number of schedules but their launch time must differ.
To add a new schedule for a process:
1. Click the Triggers icon.
2. On the Process triggers dialog, select the Schedule radio button.
3. Click the Add schedule button.
4. Select the task execution frequency from the following options: One Time, Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly.
5. Set the time you want the process to run.
6. Set the start date of the process.
7. Select the appropriate time zone from the drop-down list.
8. Click the Ok button to save the schedule.
To delete a schedule:
1. Click the Triggers icon.
2. Click the Delete icon near the schedule you want to delete.
3. Click the Ok button to save process schedules.
Monitoring Trigger
When you specify monitoring settings for a process, you specify files that you want
Button Name Description
Automator to monitor a particular location for. When the file arrives in the specified location, Automator will trigger running of the associated process.
To specify a monitoring file:
1. Click the Triggers icon.
2. On the Process triggers dialog, select the Monitoring radio button.
3. To add a file from the process, expand the Process inputs sections and press the Add icon near the input path, which you want to add to the Monitoring Paths list.
4. To add a file not from the process, expand the Browse section, set file path and press the Apply button.
Note: If you're unsure of the file's exact name or if you want Automator to monitor for any file of a particular file type, you can use a wildcard character, either an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?), so that the arrival of any file of the specified type will trigger the running of the process. An asterisk may replace multiple characters while a question mark may replace any single character.) For example, adding *.prn to the end of the folder path instructs Automator to trigger the running of the associated process when any report file with a .prn extension arrives in the specified location.
5. Click the Ok button to save the process monitoring.
To delete a monitoring file:
1. Click the Triggers icon.
2. Click Delete icon near the file path you want to delete.
3. Click the Ok button to save process monitoring.
Save and Run Click to save the project and launch its execution.
Auto Arrange Click to let the Process Designer arrange graphic elements intuitively on your workspace.
Zoom In (+) Click to increase the size of some workspace area so that you can focus on areas of particular interest.
Zoom Out (-) Click to decrease the size of some workspace area so that you can return to a larger scope.
Clear Click to clear Visual Process Designer workspace Close Click to close Visual Process Designer
Major part of toolbar controls can be called using the context menu. The Process Designer context menu is called on the right click on the workspace area. You can use the following commands from the Process Designer context menu:
Insert Template Auto Arrange
Zoom In Zoom Out Clear
Show/Hide Grid
The context menu is also available for all graphic elements. You can use the following commands from the element context menu:
Duplicate – to duplicate the selected element.
Rename – to rename the selected element.
Delete – to delete the selected element.
Properties – to open properties of the selected element.
On the left panel, there is a Process Designer Library with graphic elements to denote different types of inputs, models, exporting jobs, prerequisites, etc. All items from this library can be used to assemble the required process.
To the left of the Process Designer Library, the Workspace panel is adjusted to where you can drag and drop graphic elements from the Library panel.
Single or double click on a particular graphic element opens panel with its properties. When displayed, the Property panel is located on the right part of the Process Designer window. Mandatory buttons of the Properties panel are as follows:
Ok – to save the changes made on the Properties panel and close the panel.
Apply – to save the changes made on the Properties panel and leave the panel to be expanded.
Cancel – to cancel the changes made on the Properties panel.
The Process Designer Library contains the following groups of the graphic elements:
Input Model Export Prerequisites Misc
Some library elements define the process work flow, and some not. For example, library elements from the Input and Model groups represent data, but not work flow.
Process work flow is defined by graphic elements in the following library groups:
Exports Prerequisites
Misc (with the exception of the Credential element)
Elements from the Input and Model groups do not define process work flow. Belonging to work flow is a benchmark why two types of connectors are used, namely:
Solid line connectors – for connecting work flow items
Dashed line connectors – for connecting non-work-flow items.
One more work flow (not data) indicator for a graphic element is availability of input and output pins of gray color on the element's icon ( ).
Connectors differ by color:
Gray connector – implementation of work flow stage is successful Red connector – implementation of work flow stage leads to failure
Instructions for process work flow building
There are no mandatory graphical elements that must be used for work flow building.
Starting work flow item is defined by absence of input connector. Process execution starts with the starting work flow item.
Final work flow item is defined by absence of output connector. Process execution finishes on processing final work flow item.
If there two or more starting items, execution starts synchronously and is divided in two parallel threads.
You can fork work flow using connectors if you need to branch one thread of process execution into two or more parallel threads.
Successful execution of work flow stage is defined by gray connector, unsuccessful execution of work flow stage is defined by red connector.
By pop-up colorful arrows, the Process Designer gives prompts that some work flow items are available for connecting with the particular item and some work flow items cannot be connected with the given item.
By pop-up single/double arrows, the Process Designer gives prompts that a particular work flow item can be connected with the single item only or with multiple items.
For export operations, output work flow item can be an input item for subsequent work flow item.
Every time you run a process, process log item is created. Refer to the Process Logs section for details.
If you save some process as a template, it will be saved in the list of templates and could not be found in the list of processes. In this case, settings for all data flow items will not be saved.