Variables

Overview

Variables are values that can be dynamically inserted when the sync job is run. The variables you define here can be referenced in fields in other parts of your sync config (using the @ prefix) and when the job is run you can be prompted for their values.

The execution variables are either passed in at the time of execution or calculated through a formula. The value of the name attribute is passed in as command line option, param-values. (Optional, if the path to the source file to load is specified in the path attribute of the source element or calculated column formula don't reference execution variables)

Image 1: Connections UI

While in the UI the term is variables, please note that the paired XML configuration will refer to the term as parameters.

Supported Formulas

You can choose to just use plain text in the Name field of the Variable or you can use a calculated formula.

The following formulas are currently supported by Connections.

• FILENAME(<some-path>, <some-regex>): The FILENAME formula takes in two variables:

  1. A reference to the first parameter (like a file path)

  2. A regular expression that includes a match group. The first match group's value is assigned to the variable. The FILENAME function applies the regex only to the name of the file (excluding the directory structure).

• FILEPATH(<some-path>, <some-regex>): The FILEPATH formula takes in two variables:

  1. A reference to the first parameter (like a file path)

  2. A regular expression that includes a match group. The first match group's value is assigned to the variable. The FILEPATH function executes the regex against the full file path (including the directory structure).

• GUID(): The GUID formula uses a random GUID for that variable's value. Use GUID() to generate a unique identifier to use during the context the sync. For example, use it to track changes made from a particular sync.

• GETSECRETVALUE(domain, secretname): The GETSECRETVALUE formula can be used to call a secret from the Cinchy Secrets Table. This secret can then be used anywhere variables are supported where you may need to insert sensitive information, such as a connection string, Access Key ID, or within a REST URL, Body, or Header.

• ENV(<place-environment-variable-here>): The ENV formula uses an environment variable available in the connections/worker pods as the value of the variable.

We don't recommend using the ENV formula for credentials.

Examples

Below are the three Variable examples shown in the Connections experience, followed by the relevant XML:

Example 1

A name attribute reference an execution variable (Image 2). You can use this when pulling in a local file for an Excel sync and specify the path to your file on your machine.

Image 2: Example 1

Example 2

The FILEPATH function takes in two variables:

1. A reference to the first variable, such as a file path.

2. A regular expression that includes a match group (Image 3). The first match group's value is assigned to the variable. FILEPATH function executes regex against the full file path (including the directory structure). For the full formula, see the XML example below.

Image 3: Example 2

Example 3

The FILENAME function takes in two variables:

1. A reference to the first variable, such as a file path.

2. A regular expression that includes a match group (Image 4). The first match group's value is what gets assigned to the variable. FILENAME function applies the regex only to the name of the file (excluding the directory structure).

Image 4: Example 3

Example 4

The ENV formula uses an environment variable available in the connections/worker pods as the value of the variable (Image 5). An example use case for this would be a situation where the URLs used in a REST API sync is different across environments -- instead of manually updating the syncs with the various URLs, you can use this formula to automatically calculated it from your pod configuration files.

Image 5: Example 4

XML examples

Example 5: The GETSECRETVALUE formula (Image 6) is input as a variable for a REST Source and is used to call a secret from the Cinchy Secrets Table.

Image 6: Example 5

This secret can then be used in the REST Header (Image 7).

Image 7: Example 5

XML examples

While in the UI the term is variables, the paired XML configuration uses the term parameters.

<Parameters>
	<!-- Example 1 -->
	<Parameter name="file_path" />
	<!-- Example 2 -->
	<Parameter name="lob" 
		formula="FILEPATH('@file_path', '^.*[\\/](.{3})[\\/].*xls')" /> 
	<!-- Example 3 -->
	<Parameter name="business_date" formula="FILENAME('@file_path', 
		'^.*_Transaction_Detail_Report_(\d{8})\.xls$|^TRDTRX-(\d{8})-\d{4}[ap]m.xls$')" />
       <!-- Example 4 -->
         <Parameter name="URL" formula="ENV(&apos;API_URL&apos;)"/>
</Parameters>

Appendix A

This section details how to configure your platform to use Environment Variables.

Configure environment variables in IIS

To create or change environment variables on Windows:

1. On the Windows taskbar, right-click the Windows Icon > System.

2. In the Settings window, click Related Settings > Advanced System Settings > Environment Variables (Image 8).

Image 8: Environment Variables

3. Under System Variables, click New to create your new environment variable (Image 9).

Image 9: New Environment Variable

Configure environment variables in Kubernetes

To configure an environment variable in Kubernetes, do the following:

Add the variable to your cluster

1. Navigate to your cinchy.kubernetes\environment\_kustomizations\_template\instance\_template\connections\kustomization.yaml file.

2. Under patchesJson6902 > patch, add your environment variable as shown in the code snippet below. Input your own namespace and variable name where indicated.

patchesJson6902:
- target:
  [...]
  patch: |-
    - op: replace
      path: /spec/template/spec/containers/0/env/1/name
      value: <<your namespace>>-YOUR_VARIABLE

Add the variable to your pod

1. Navigate to your platform_components/connections/connections-app.yaml file.

2. Under Spec > Template > Spec > Containers > ENV, add in your environment variable. This addition depends on what value you are using as an environment variable. The below code snippet shows a basic example:

        env:
          - name: ENV_VARIABLE_NAME
            value: ENV_VARIABLE_VALUE

1. Make the same change to the platform_components/worker/worker-app.yaml file.

2. Push and merge your changes.