Page Comparison

Adds functionality to a screen. Actionflows (9.0 and later) or table-actions and record-actions (8.3 and earlier) define a set of operations that work on records or open screens.

• Configuring Actions

For an analysis model, where you need to combine data, use an aggregate attribute that reads data from a pipe.

• Using an Aggregate Table

A model that logically represents a business process / control flow using objects that represent data (tables) and processes. You can run the model to process the data. 

• Analysis Model

An object that contains an ordered list of other objects.

• Arrays

PhixFlow provides an extensive list of Attribute Functions which may be used within all expression strings.

• Functions

PhixFlow records information about changes to data. You can see summary or more details. 

A summary of all audited action performed on PhixFlow objects. Can be viewed in the System Console.

• Audit Summary

Candidate sets are a fundamental concept of function calculation in PhixFlow.

Every time a function calculation is carried out, all the required input data is brought together and organised into sets of data - one set for each Key group.

The Key groups are worked out using the Pipe Grouping Attributes defined on input Pipe for each table.

The database that stores the PhixFlow schema and all processed data.

A Chart displays data in table form, or in one of a number of graphs styles.

Refers to the comparator types that can be used in a filter, e.g. greater than, starts with.

A modelling object that loads data. This can be a file, data from a database, or data from a external site.

In many places on the PhixFlow interface you can:

• hover your mouse pointer
• right-click

to display a popup menu with more options.

A CSV (comma-separated variable) file is a plain text file where each line in the file consists of a number of fields separated by commas ','. If fields may contain spaces, commas or double quotes, they should be enclosed in double quotes '"'. A double quote may be represented by 2 double quotes.

A CSV file is always encoded using a specific character set. On Windows this is typically Cp1282, and on Unix/Linux US7ASCII, though the following are sometimes used: UTF-8, UTF-16, ISO-8859-1.

A CSV file typically has an extension '.csv'.

A CSV file can be created directly in a plain text editor (e.g. Wordpad/Notepad), in Excel (by saving as a CSV), or by some other application.

Whenever an analysis model is run it will carry out a number of tasks e.g. read a number of files, generate a number of recordsets, export a number of files. It is possible to configure an analysis model so that in a single analysis session it will actually run several times. When a model is configured in this way, each time it runs is termed a 'cycle' and all of the items processed or generated during that cycle (i.e. the files processed, recordsets created, files exported etc) are flagged with the cycle number. This cycle number is visible in the Log File for that analysis run on each of the relevant tabs showing files and recordsets processed.

The most common reason for configuring a model in this way is to allow a number of files to be processed in a single analysis session but to have the results from each file saved in a separate recordset. In this way, whenever a file fails to process the user can simply rollback the recordsets associated with that file rather than rolling back all of the recordsets associated with all of the files for the whole analysis session.

To achieve this, a model is configured with a push pipe from the final table in the model pointing back to itself. This push pipe is then given positive offsets. The file collector at the start of the model is then configured to process a single file at a time. When this model is run the file collector will read in one file, process it to create a recordsets (or a chain of recordsets if there are several tables in the model) and will flag the file processed, the recordsets generated and any associated output files with the cycle number 1. When the last table in the model has finished producing its recordset it will send a notification to itself down the push pipe. This notification (because of the positive offsets) will be taken as a signal to create another recordsets which will effectively cause the whole model to run again. This second run of the model will be deemed to be cycle 2 and all files processed, recordsets produced or files output will be flagged with this cycle number.

When later viewing the log files the user can see which items were processed in which cycle and can choose how many cycles to roll back. In the case where the last file processed was unsuccessful the user can therefore choose to only roll back the last cycle.

• Rollback or Repeat Cycles Window

A screen allows the user to gather into a single view a set of charts. This grouping of related reports and statistics provides the user with preconfigured overviews of selected areas, making all the data that is required to view and monitor the health of the system both accessible and easy to read.

• Designing Screens

A Data Grid is a particular type of view which displays the data in a table format.

• View

Used to gather information from a external database, defined as a datasource. It holds the SQL that will be sent to the datasource to retrieve data.

• Database Collector Details
• Datasource

Used to write information from PhixFlow to external databases.

• Database Exporter Details

Defines a connection to an external database.

• Datasource Details

Allows for multiple connections for individual database instances to be configured for a specific datasource.

• Datasource

A Directed Pipe is used as a secondary input to a Merge Table.

Primary Pipes to a Merge are implemented by reading all input records from all Primary Pipes in a single operation, ordered by the Group-By fields. The primary pipes determine the key values of the Candidate Sets that will be generated.

A Directed pipe is implemented after the Primary Pipes have run, by reading records matching each Candidate Set grouping key in turn. This can result in a significant performance improvement in certain circumstances.

A Pipe can be marked as a Directed Pipe on the Pipe Details / Advanced tab.

• Pipe Details

An expression returns a value, usually by manipulating or transforming input data, although some expressions can be very simple: e.g. the expression "hello" always returns the string "hello" and requires no input.

• Expressions and PhixScripts

Modelling objects that you use to import or export files.

• File Collector
• File Exporter

Filters are made up of a set of clauses; each clause in turn contains a number of conditions. These conditions must be satisfied for data to be passed through a pipe or returned in a filtered list.

• Filter Details

If you move your mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen the PhixFlow Form Bar will appear. Contains links to all open forms (both open and minimised).

• Form Bar

A file system that is reachable via the FTP protocol.

• FTP Site Details

Groups the pipe data into candidate set, forms key for candidate set. However if data is coming from database or file collector, order by fields need to be specified in the collector SQL.

• Group By Attribute

Hypertext transfer protocol - the language of the internet. In the context of PhixFlow, it means using standard internet communication as means of importing and exporting data.

Modelling objects available for importing or exporting data from s web sitea website, web service or some other target that allows XML, HTML or JSON communication. Configure import using a datasouredatasource/datasource instance to a collector. Configure export using an exporter and a datasource.

• HTTP Datasource
• HTTP Exporter
• HTTP Collector
• HTTP Datasource Instance
• XML Namespace

Pre-defined variables for use in PhixFlow Expressions.

• Internal Variable Definitions

The display language of the user.

• Language

A record of a task or action completed in PhixFlow, including any messages output and details about recordsets created.

• System Console

Within each log list, log messages are output by the Analysis Engine as it performs analysis.

• Log Message Details

A macro is a user-defined function that can be called from other expressions

A macro can be called with parameters. These parameters are available within the body of the macro as $arg.

• Macro Details

The individual objects that make up an analysis modelemodel, e.g. tables, file collectors etc. These elements are added via drag and drop controls and context menus.

Where a list is displaying more data than can be viewed in the display grid, paging allows the user to scroll through the whole list, e.g. log messages, recordset data.

A period is set on a Table. This can be either a regular period, or variable. There are four possible settings:

• 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 table to the current date.
• Transactional: allows multiple users to run independent analysis tasks at the same time.

A pipe is a connector that links two elements in a PhixFlow model.

• Pipe Details

Privileges are used to define what actions can be performed in PhixFlow; see Privileges.

A record set is a list of records returned, usually by a pipe, where each record consists of named attributes, each with a value.

• Arrays and Record Sets

Represents an action that once completed will cause the enclosing view to be refreshed.

• Table-Action

Roles represent the type of access required to do specific tasks (e.g. Designer, Operator etc). Roles are assigned to User Groups (or vice versa); see Roles.

Deletes a specified set of recordset from a table and updates the tidemarks for that table.

• Table
• Rollback Recordsets

A Sequence is used to generate a numeric sequence of values.

The Sequence lets you define the properties of the sequence e.g. the starting value.

The nextValue function returns the next value in the sequence each time it is called.

The curValue function returns the most recent value returned by nextValue.

• Sequence Details

SQL query used to retrieve data from, or SQL or PL/SQL statement used to update data in, a datasource.

• Database Collector
• Database Exporter

Represent a structured store of data within PhixFlow receiving data from one or more components, processing it then storing it.  Tables have different types, that PhixFlow processes differently. The types are: aggregate, calculate, calculate by set, cartesian or merge. There is an equivalent table in the PhixFlow database schema.

• Table properties
• Understanding Tables and Pipes

Each table-action attribute defines the new value to be assigned to a single field of a recordrecord. The new value is defined as an expression, which can refer to the original values of the record

When a table-action is applied, each attribute's expression is evaluated in turn and the result is saved back to the record.

• Table-Action

Define the type, precision and expressions of how each individual attribute is calculated based on the inputs to the table.

• Table

Like an Excel spreadsheet, a PhixFlow table has attributes that represent columns and records that represent rows. 

Used to customise the display of data in one or more recordsets.

• View properties

Attribute used in a viewview. Each attribute has a role that defines how the data will be displayed.

• View Attribute

A set of data items for a given period.

• Managing Recordsets

Where all general system wide properties are configured in PhixFlow.

• System Configuration

Use a task plan to automate running an analysis model, actions or housekeeping tasks. You can also back-out data updates using a rollback task. 

• Using Tasks and Task Plans
• Task Plans

You can configure how long to keep data or log messages.

• System Configuration
• Deleting Old Data 

Users represent the individuals working in the organisation that will be logging onto PhixFlow and performing tasks. Users are assigned to User Groups.

• User Details

Users belong to User Groups that represent the area of the business they work in (e.g. Customer Service, Finance, Billing Support etc.) User Groups are assigned to Roles (or vice versa).

• User Group Details

Specifies the PhixFlow user that will be notified of the completion of a task plan based on a set of rules.

• User Notification Rule

When parsing an XML response, the XPath on an HTTP collector determines the node in the XML response that will cause an output record to be generated. In general, XML node names are relative to namespaces, and are referred to by namespace aliases. An XPath can use any XML Namespace alias defined by the HTTP datasource linked to the HTTP collector.

An XPath expression on an HTTP collector determines the node in the XML response that will cause an output record to be generated.

An XPath is a '/'-separated list of node names.

If any of the node names in the XPath use non-default namespaces, these may be defined in XML namespace.