This page is for data modellers and application designers. It explains stream attribute data types.
Overview
All attributes have a data type. When loading data from a source, such as a file or database, PhixFlow applies the data type from the source. If there is no data type specified, PhixFlow applies the default type of string.
You can change the type of an attribute before the data has been loaded into the stream.
Once the stream contains stream-items (records), you may be able to change the attribute's data type, depending on the database on which PhixFlow runs. PhixFlow reports an error if you are not permitted to change the data type. In this case you can rollback all record-sets so that the stream no longer contains stream items; see Rollback.
String
Apply a string type to sequences of characters, such as letters, numerals, symbols and punctuation marks. By default string attribute types have a default length of 50. Specify a different string length in Basic Settings → Length.
Anchor Bigstring Bigstring
Bigstring
| Bigstring | |
| Bigstring |
Apply a bigstring type to text strings over 4000 characters long. Bigstring is a different data type to string. For PhixFlow instances that use an Oracle database, bigstrings:
...
The PhixFlow administrator can configure the length of a bigstring using System Configuration → System Tuning → Maximum Bigstring Size.
Integer
Apply an integer type to whole numbers (not a fractions or decimals) that can be positive, negative, or zero. By default integers have a precision of 10 digits. Specify a different integer length in the Basic Settings → Precision.
If you store a number with decimal places as an integer it will be truncated.
...
The PhixFlow administrator can configure the default number of decimal places is set in System Configuration → General Settings → Decimal places.
Long
Apply a long type to large integers with no decimal places. Todo-Fiona - full details
Date
Apply a date type to representations of a calendar day. Word formats, such as Tuesday the fourteenth of February are not recognised. However, three letter month abbreviations are recognised, for example: 14 Feb 2019.
...