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Fiona Sargeant

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Overview

Streams are a key model component. They represent a structured store of data within PhixFlow receiving data from one or more components, processing it then storing it.

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The tab toolbar has the following additional buttons: 

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When you make changes to streams and stream attributes, PhixFlow automatically publishes them to the stream data tables in the database; see Publishing Streams.

Stream Properties

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FieldDescription
NameThe name of the stream.
Enabled
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 to include the steam during analysis runs.
Static Data

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 to set the stream to hold static data. Static data is reference or "look up" data that is used as part of a stream calculation.

Updating a static stream

In general, static streams are not updated during an analysis run that is initiated on another stream in the model. The exception is when an incoming push pipe is triggered, as this will force the stream to update itself.

Instead, to update the data in a static stream you must run analysis directly on the stream via:

  • the model
  • a task plan.
PeriodSelect the time period for the stream. This can be either a regular period, or variable.
  • Transactional: allows multiple users to run independent analysis tasks at the same time.
  • Daily: generate or collect data every day.
  • Monthly: generate or collect data every month.
  • Variable: generate or collect data since the more recent run of the stream to the current date.

As transactional streams need a UID attribute, PhixFlow automatically creates this stream attribute if it does not already exist.

Default Data Range

This option affects the following items for which this is the backing stream:

  • stream views
  • dashboards
  • card layout components.

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If no option is is selected, PhixFlow assumes the default data range is All.

You can override this setting using the options Use Custom Data Range and Data Range available:

You cannot override this setting for a stream view.

Stream Type

Select the stream type. The type indicates the function that operates on the data.

  • Aggregate Stream
  • Calculate Stream
  • CalculateBySet Stream
  • Cartesian Stream
  • Merge Stream 
Supersede Items on Pipe

Select a loop pipe from the list of those available. 

A loop pipe links the stream back to itself. It compares new data records to the existing data records. If there is a repeated record PhixFlow uses the new one in the stream and marks  the old one as superseded.

Audit Manual Changes

This check box is available when the Period is Transactional.

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 to update and delete initiated by stream actions (not those carried out by analysis runs) will automatically mark the existing record as superseded and create a new stream set. The new versions of the updated records will be placed in the new stream set. Inserts will simply create a new stream set, and add the inserted record into that stream set.

When Audit Manual Changes is first set, the attributes UpdateAction, UpdatedByName, UpdatedByID and UpdatedTime will be created if they do not already exist. If you do not require these attributes, delete them. For the UpdatedByName attribute, PhixFlow creates a field of 250 characters. (In versions up to 8.0.4, the field was 50 characters long.)

UpdateAction must be set to the type of action, such as INSERT, UPDATE or DELETE. The other attributes will be populated if they exist on the stream:

  • UpdatedByName - the name of the user that performed the update, 
  • UpdatedByID - the internal id of the user that performed the update 
  • UpdatedTime - the date and time the update was made

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The grid contains a list of the stream attributes in the stream. This section has a toolbar with standard buttons and 

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The grid lists the attributes (data columns) in the stream data. To edit the properties of an attribute, double-click the attribute name to open the Stream Attributes properties.

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To add an existing attribute to the list:

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     to list the streams available in the repository.
  2. Expand a stream to show its attributes.
  3. Drag an attribute into this list to add it. 

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The grid contains a list of actions that use the stream. This section has a toolbar with standard buttons.

To edit the properties of an action, double-click the attribute name. To add an action to the list, click  

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. PhixFlow opens a new Action properties tab.

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The grid contains a list of stream item actions that can update the stream. This section has a toolbar with standard buttons.

To edit the properties of an action, double-click the attribute name. To add an action to the list, click  

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. PhixFlow opens a new to open the Stream Item Actions properties tab.

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The grid contains a list of the data views for this stream. This section has a toolbar with standard buttons.

o edit the properties of an stream view, double-click the attribute name to open its Stream View properties tab.

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FieldDescription
Stream Download LimitThe maximum number of records that a user can download from a stream view or card view on this stream. If no value is set, PhixFlow uses the default limit set in System Configuration→ System Tuning → Default Download File Limit.
Allow Unlimited Downloads

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 to restrict all users to the Stream Download Limit.

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to display a User Groups section. Specify user groups whose members can download unlimited data from a stream view or card view on this stream. For example, members of the Administrators user group may need to download all data.

User Groups

Available when Allow Unlimited Downloads is ticked.

Use this section to select the user groups whose members can download an unlimited number of records.

This section has a toolbar with standard buttons and 

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The grid contains a list of user groups that are exempt from the Stream Download Limit. To add a user group to the list:

  1. Click
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     to list all the user groups in the repository.
  2. Drag user groups into this list to add them to the role. 

To remove user groups, use the

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 in the toolbar.

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Store Stream Views

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Access Permissions

By default, the permissions to access stream data is set in System Configuration →  Allow access to data by default. You can add specific user groups to restrict access to the stream; see Common Properties → Access Permissions.

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FieldDescription
Advanced PropertiesOnly use this field with advice from PhixFlow support. 
Database View

Use this option if your database administrator wants to query stream data in the PhixFlow database.

Enter a string in the format v_xxxx. When the stream is published to the database, PhixFlow creates a  stream view. If the stream is deleted, the next system task that runs will clear the associated stream view from the database.

By default, this field is blank and no stream view is created in the database.

See also Configuring Access to Database Views.

Storage Options
Index Scheme 
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This determines how indexes on the stream are organised. 
  • All: indexes on the stream are optimised for selecting from all stream sets (non-historied reads).
  • Latest: indexes on the stream are optimised for selecting from the latest stream set (i.e. for historied reads).
  • Superseded: indexes on the stream are optimised for self-updating streams which have a mostly superseded records.
  • None: no indexes are created on the stream.
  • Partitioned: this index scheme is specific to partitioned streams; see Storage Type below. Partitioned streams must use this index scheme, and only partitioned streams can use it.
Storage TypeSpecifies how data for the Stream should be stored:
  • Database: Store the data in a regular table within the PhixFlow database. This is the most common option
  • Database (Partitioned): Store the data in a partitioned table within the PhixFlow database. This option provides improved performance for rollback and archiving of very large Streamsets. The option is only available if "partitioning" is available within your database installation.
  • In Memory: Data for the Stream will not be written to the database. This option can be used (for example) when you want to aggregate large amounts of unsorted data which can then be written to a stored Stream.
Data Generation Options
Start DateThe date that this stream starts. Data will be populated into the stream from this date onwards.
In Memory Cache SizeThe size of the cache that will be maintained when you are using an in-memory stream. See How To: Summarise unsorted data with In Memory Streams.
Allow Partial Set ProcessingIf ticked, when analysis reaches the end of a buffer block it submits the candidate set for processing, even if the next buffer block has a different key.
Prevent Parallel Processing

This field only appears if the Period is set to Transactional. If ticked, it ensures that only a single stream set can be generated at a time even if the stream receives several concurrent requests to generate data.

This can be useful where you want to make sure that two analysis runs don't attempt to update the same records at the same time e.g. as a result of two people selecting the same records in a view and then hitting the same action button at the same time to process those records.

Run Alone

If this flag is ticked then whenever the analysis engine needs to generate data for this stream it will first wait for all running tasks to complete before it starts.

Any additional analysis tasks submitted while this stream is waiting to start, or while it is generating data, will wait until this stream has completed its analysis before they start.

Key TolerancesWhen building a candidate set, data can be grouped together using a specific key value, e.g. Account Number. If the key value is a number, setting a key tolerance will identify numbers within the given tolerance as the the same key value.
Default ViewThe default view selected for the stream. See help on Views for details of creating views on streams.
Last Run Date (Read only)The date and time that analysis was last run for this stream. This date is taken from the "to date" of the most recent stream set for this stream.
Last Run ByThe user that last ran this stream.

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