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This page is for data modellers. It provides an introduction to tables and pipes.

Overview

In an analysis model, a dataset is represented by a table. A table is a bit like an Excel spreadsheet, in that it contains a set of data with:

  • columns - these are the attributes
  • rows - these are the data records.

In PhixFlow you connect two tables with a pipe. A pipe sends data from the input table to the output table. Pipes also connect other types of modelling object, such as a datasource or file exporter. Usually, a pipe has default settings. This means it passes all attributes and records onto the next object. However, you can use the pipe properties to control which attributes and records from the input object you want to pass through.

When you run an analysis model, PhixFlow uses information in each object's properties to process the data. This means each table and pipe can transform the data in the analysis model. With each analysis run, the data in a table can change, so PhixFlow keeps a  snapshot for each run. The snapshot is called a recordset.  If there is a problem in the analysis run, you can delete the new recordset by rolling back the run. PhixFlow reverts the data to the selected, previous recordset. You can also copy or move data from a recordset.

To look at the data in a table, you use a view. The default view shows data in a grid. You can also create different views such as graphs and charts. View properties have lots of options to control which attributes are included in the view, and how to sort the records.

This topic includes:

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Streams and Time Periods

In any given moment, a streams contains a set of records. This is the record-set. You can set the time period over which PhixFlow collects records. The period can be:

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For non-transactional periods, PhixFlow checks for incomplete record-sets and reports an error if it finds them. However, pipes from transactional streams allow incomplete record-sets, as data is constantly changing.

Publishing Streams

When you make changes to a stream's properties or its attributes, PhixFlow publishes the changes to the PhixFlow database. This happens automatically in the background. Publishing many streams or streams with many attributes can take some time, and may slow performance.

If the stream properties are set incorrectly, PhixFlow will not be able to publish the stream to the database. If this happens, the  System Console will report the publishing error. PhixFlow will also display an error message if you try to interact with the stream, for example to view its data or to run analysis. You must correct the stream properties, so that PhixFlow can retry publishing the stream. 

During the publishing process, PhixFlow may create temporary streams in its database. These are kept for a period, then automatically removed when a system task runs. For information about:


To ensure that PhixFlow can publish data changes, its database must have enough space to hold a copy of the largest table. For the different databases, the space needs to be in:

  • Oracle: temporary table space
  • SQL Server: temporary file group
  • MySQL: the file system.

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