This page guides you through the overview, installation, and use of Cinchy's MDQE function.
MDQE, which stands for Metadata Quality Exceptions, can send out notifications based on a set of rules and the “exceptions” that break them. This powerful tool can be used to send notifications for exceptions such as:
Healthchecks returning a critical status
Upcoming Project Due Dates/Timelines
Client Risk Ratings reaching a high threshold
Tracking Ticket Urgency or Status markers
Unfulfilled and Pending Tasks/Deliverables
Etc.
In a nutshell, MDQE monitors for specific changes in data, and then pushes out notifications when that change occurs.
You will need to have the Cinchy CLI installed.
Request the installation package from the Cinchy Support team.
To install MDQE in your Cinchy environment, follow the below steps:
Download the MDQE Installation package.
Unzip the file.
Open an instance of Powershell as an Administrator and navigate to the path where you extracted the MDQE package in step 2 > Metadata Quality Exceptions V.x > Metadata Quality Exceptions.
Run the following command to install all MDQE components in your environment, using the table below as a parameter guide.
5. Within the MDQE file package, navigate to the Powershell - DQE Orchestration folder.
6. Extract the contents.
7. Navigate to the _config.json file and update the parameter values using the below as a guide. Make sure to save when finished.
In the environment where you installed MDQE, search for and open the [Cinchy MDQE].[Rules] table.
Using the “Create Rule” view and the following data, create your Rule:
Use the “Invalid Rules” view to correct Rules with have syntax errors
All exceptions can be viewed in the [Cinchy MDQE].[Data Quality Exceptions] table
The Default view only displays exceptions assigned to the currently logged in user.
The All Data view displays all exceptions. This is only visible with admin privileges.
Ways to debug your rules:
If your Powershell scripts aren't running: Run the script files in the Powershell - DQE Orchestration folder using an IDE to make sure that all the configurations are correct.
Check to see if your bugged Rule is part of the “Invalid Rules” view.
If you have admin privileges, check to see if an equivalent SQL statement has been created in the [Rules CQL] table.
Check if there is a row for the Rule’s Signature value in the [Cinchy].[Formatting Rules] table.
You can use the Windows Task Scheduler to run MDQE jobs at regular intervals.
Navigate to your MDQE installation package > Windows Task Scheduler Jobs folder.
Import the files into the Windows Task Scheduler, updating the parameters accordingly.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
-s
The base URL of your Cinchy instance, without the protocol.
-sso
The base URL of your Cinchy SSO, without the protocol.
-u
Username. We recommend creating a new, specific user for this install. Example: CinchyDQE
-p
The password for the user designated above.
-c
This refers to the path where you have your CLI installed.
-d
This refers to a temporary path for storing error logs.
-h
This flag must be added for environments set up with https.
CinchyServerProtocol
Defaulted to HTTPS
CinchyServer
The base URL of your Cinchy instance. Example: Cinchy.net
CinchyServerSSO
The base URL of your Cinchy SSO. Example: Cinchy.net/SSO
APIClientSecret
You can find this value in the Integrated Clients table > mdqe row > Guid column in your Cinchy instance.
CinchyCLIPath
The path to your CLI. Example: C:\Cinchy CLI\Cinchy CLI v4.12.0.564
CinchyCLITempPath
The path for storing error logs. Example: C:\Cinchy CLI\Cinchy CLI Error
MailServer
The server that will be sending out your email notifications. Example: smtp.office365.com.
MailPort
The port number for your chosen email server. Example: 25.
MailFrom
The email account that notifications will come from. Example: MDQEnotifications@outlook.com
Mail Subject
A subject line for outbound emails. Example: Data Quality Exception found.
MailUser
The username for the email address above. This may be the same as the address itself. Example: MDQEnotifications@outlook.com
MailPswd
The password for the email account above.
Name
The name of your rule. This must be unique across the rules.
Example: Project Timeline Start Date Exception
Table
Table: The table on which the exception scenario needs to be evaluated Example: Projects
Table Columns
The columns in the table that should be highlighted in the case of an exception Example: Start Date
Signature
The CQL for your exception condition. Example: [Start Date] is null
Description
A description of the rule. Example: This exception will trigger if the start date of a project is left blank.
User Assignment
This is the owner of the exception. You will use this when you want to assign the rule to a Cinchy user. Example: John Smith
Severity
Choose from the drop down list. Example: Low Note : In case you would like to define your own severity, use [Cinchy MDQE].[Severity] table. You would need admin privileges to view this table
Send Notifications
Choose from the drop down list. Use “Never” if you do not want email notifications sent out. Example: Daily Note : In case you would like to define your own Notification frequency, use [Cinchy MDQE].[Notification schedule] table.You would need admin privileges to view this table