Astera Data Stack
Version 8
Version 8
  • Welcome to Astera Data Stack Documentation
  • Release Notes
    • Astera 8.0 - What's New, What's Fixed, and What's Improved
    • Astera 8.0 - Known Issues
    • Astera 8.1 - Release Notes
    • Astera 8.2 Release Notes
    • Astera 8.3 Release Notes
    • Astera 8.4 Release Notes
    • Astera 8.5 Release Notes
  • Getting Started
    • Astera 8 - Important Considerations
    • Astera 8 - System Requirements
    • Configuring the Server
    • Connecting to a Different Astera Server from the Lean Client
    • Connecting to an Astera Server using Lean Client
    • How to Build a Cluster Database and Create a Repository
    • How to Login from Lean Client
    • Setting up a Server Certificate (.pfx) File in a New Environment
    • Installing Client and Server Applications
    • Licensing Model in Astera 8
    • Migrating from Astera 7.x to Astera 8
    • UI Walkthrough - Astera 8.0
    • User Roles and Access Control
  • Dataflows
    • Sources
      • Data Providers and File Formats Supported in Astera
      • Setting Up Sources
      • COBOL File Source
      • Database Table Source
      • Data Model Query Source
      • Delimited File Source
      • Email Source
      • Excel Workbook Source
      • File Systems Item Source
      • Fixed Length File Source
      • PDF Form Source
      • Report Source
      • SQL Query Source
      • XML/JSON File Source
    • Transformations
      • Introducing Transformations
      • Aggregate Transformation
      • Constant Value Transformation
      • Data Cleanse Transformation
      • Denormalize Transformation
      • Distinct Transformation
      • Database Lookup Transformation
      • Expression Transformation
      • File Lookup Transformation
      • Filter Transformation
      • Join Transformation
      • List Lookup Transformation
      • Merge Transformation
      • Normalize Transformation
      • Passthru Transformation
      • Reconcile Transformation
      • Route Transformation
      • Sequence Generator Transformation
      • Sort Transformation
      • Sources as Transformations
      • Subflow Transformation
      • SQL Statement Lookup Transformation
      • Switch Transformation
      • Tree Join Transformation
      • Tree Transform
      • Union Transformation
    • Destinations
      • Setting Up Destinations
      • Database Table Destination
      • Delimited File Destination
      • Excel Workbook Destination
      • Fixed Length File Destination
      • SQL Statement Destination
      • XML/JSON File Destination
    • Data Logging and Profiling
      • Creating Data Profile
      • Creating Field Profile
      • Data Quality Mode
      • Record Level Log
      • Using Data Quality Rules in Astera
    • Database Write Strategies
      • Database Diff Processor
      • Data Driven Write Strategy
      • Dimension Loader - Database Write
      • Source Diff Processor
    • Text Processors
      • Delimited Parser
      • Delimited Serializer
      • Fixed Length Parser
      • Fixed Length Serializer
      • Language Parser
      • XML JSON Parser
      • XML JSON Serializer
    • Data Warehouse
      • Fact Table Loader
      • Dimension Table Loader
  • WORKFLOWS
    • What Are Workflows?
    • Using the Workflow Designer
    • Creating Workflows in Astera
    • Decision Task
    • EDI Acknowledgement Task
    • File System Task
    • File Transfer Task
    • OR Task
    • Run Dataflow Task
    • Run Program Task
    • Run SQL File Task
    • Run SQL Script Task
    • Run Workflow Task
    • Send Mail Task
    • Workflows with a Dynamic Destination Path
    • Customizing Workflows with Parameters
    • GPG-Integrated File Decryption in Astera
  • Subflows
    • Using Subflows in Astera
  • Functions
    • Introducing Function Transformations
    • Custom Functions
    • Logical
      • Coalesce (Any value1, Any value2)
      • IsNotNull (AnyValue)
      • IsRealNumber (AnyValue)
      • IsValidSqlDate (Date)
      • IsDate (AnyValue)
      • If (Boolean)
      • If (DateTime)
      • If (Double)
      • Exists
      • If (Int64)
      • If (String)
      • IsDate (str, strformat)
      • IsInteger (AnyValue)
      • IsNullOrWhitespace (StringValue)
      • IsNullorEmpty (StringValue)
      • IsNull (AnyValue)
      • IsNumeric (AnyValue)
    • Conversion
      • GetDateComponents (DateWithOffset)
      • ParseDate (Formats, Str)
      • GetDateComponents (Date)
      • HexToInteger (Any Value)
      • ToInteger (Any value)
      • ToDecimal (Any value)
      • ToReal (Any value)
      • ToDate (String dateStr)
      • TryParseDate (String, UnknownDate)
      • ToString (Any value)
      • ToString (DateValue)
      • ToString (Any data, String format)
    • Math
      • Abs (Double)
      • Abs (Decimal)
      • Ceiling (Real)
      • Ceiling(Decimal)
      • Floor (Decimal)
      • Floor (Real)
      • Max (Decimal)
      • Max (Date)
      • Min (Decimal)
      • Min (Date)
      • Max (Real)
      • Max (Integer)
      • Min (Real)
      • Pow (BaseExponent)
      • Min (Integer)
      • RandomReal (Int)
      • Round (Real)
      • Round (Real Integer)
      • Round (Decimal Integer)
      • Round (Decimal)
    • Financial
      • DDB
      • FV
      • IPmt
      • IPmt (FV)
      • Pmt
      • Pmt (FV)
      • PPmt
      • PPmt (FV)
      • PV (FV)
      • Rate
      • Rate (FV)
      • SLN
      • SYD
    • String
      • Center (String)
      • Chr (IntAscii)
      • Asc (String)
      • AddCDATAEnvelope
      • Concatenate (String)
      • ContainsAnyChar (String)
      • Contains (String)
      • Compact (String)
      • Find (Int64)
      • EndsWith (String)
      • FindIntStart (Int32)
      • Extract (String)
      • GetFindCount (Int64)
      • FindLast (Int64)
      • GetDigits (String)
      • GetLineFeed
      • Insert (String)
      • IsAlpha
      • GetToken
      • IndexOf
      • IsBlank
      • IsLower
      • IsUpper
      • IsSubstringOf
      • Length (String)
      • LeftOf (String)
      • Left (String)
      • IsValidName
      • Mid (String)
      • PadLeft
      • Mid (String Chars)
      • LSplit (String)
      • PadRight
      • ReplaceAllSpecialCharsWithSpace
      • RemoveChars (String str, StringCharsToRemove)
      • ReplaceLast
      • RightAlign
      • Reverse
      • Right (String)
      • RSplit (String)
      • SplitStringMultipleRecords
      • SplitStringMultipleRecords (2 Separators)
      • SplitString (3 separators)
      • SplitString
      • SplitStringMultipleRecords (3 Separators)
      • Trim
      • SubString (NoOfChars)
      • StripHtml
      • Trim (Start)
      • TrimExtraMiddleSpace
      • TrimEnd
      • PascalCaseWithSpace (String str)
      • Trim (String str)
      • ToLower(String str)
      • ToProper(String str)
      • ToUpper (String str)
      • Substring (String str, Integer startAt)
      • StartsWith (String str, String value)
      • RemoveAt (String str, Integer startAt, Integer noofChars)
      • Proper (String str)
      • Repeat (String str, Integer count)
      • ReplaceAll (String str, String lookFor, String replaceWith)
      • ReplaceFirst (String str, String lookFor, String replaceWith)
      • RightOf (String str, String lookFor)
      • RemoveChars (String str, String charsToRemove)
      • SplitString (String str, String separator1, String separator2)
    • Date Time
      • AddMinutes (DateTime)
      • AddDays (DateTimeOffset)
      • AddDays (DateTime)
      • AddHours (DateTime)
      • AddSeconds (DateTime)
      • AddMonths (DateTime)
      • AddMonths (DateTimeOffset)
      • AddMinutes (DateTimeOffset)
      • AddSeconds (DateTimeOffset)
      • AddYears (DateTimeOffset)
      • AddYears (DateTime)
      • Age (DateTime)
      • Age (DateTimeOffset)
      • CharToSeconds (Str)
      • DateDifferenceDays (DateTimeOffset)
      • DateDifferenceDays (DateTime)
      • DateDifferenceHours (DateTimeOffset)
      • DateDifferenceHours (DateTime)
      • DateDifferenceMonths (DateTimeOffset)
      • DateDifferenceMonths (DateTime)
      • DatePart (DateTimeOffset)
      • DatePart (DateTime)
      • DateDifferenceYears (DateTimeOffset)
      • DateDifferenceYears (DateTime)
      • Month (DateTime)
      • Month (DateTimeOffset)
      • Now
      • Quarter (DateTime)
      • Quarter (DateTimeOffset)
      • Second (DateTime)
      • Second (DateTimeOffset)
      • SecondsToChar (String)
      • TimeToInteger (DateTime)
      • TimeToInteger (DateTimeOffset)
      • ToDate Date (DateTime)
      • ToDate DateTime (DateTime)
      • ToDateString (DateTime)
      • ToDateTimeOffset-Date (DateTimeOffset)
      • ToDate DateTime (DateTimeOffset)
      • ToDateString (DateTimeOffset)
      • Today
      • ToLocal (DateTime)
      • ToJulianDate (DateTime)
      • ToJulianDayNumber (DateTime)
      • ToTicks (Date dateTime)
      • ToTicks (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • ToUnixEpoc (Date dateTime)
      • ToUtc (Date dateTime)
      • UnixTimeStampToDateTime (Real unixTimeStamp)
      • UtcNow ()
      • Week (Date dateTime)
      • Week (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • Year (Date dateTime)
      • Year (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DateToJulian (Date dateTime, Integer length)
      • DateTimeOffsetUtcNow ()
      • DateTimeOffsetNow ()
      • Day (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • Day (Date dateTime)
      • DayOfWeekStr (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DayOfWeek (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DayOfWeek (Date dateTime)
      • DateToJulian (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime, Integer length)
      • DayOfWeekStr (Date dateTime)
      • FromJulianDate (Real julianDate)
      • DayOfYear (Date dateTime)
      • DaysInMonth(Integer year, Integer month)
      • DayOfYear (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • FromUnixEpoc
      • FromJulianDayNumber (Integer julianDayNumber)
      • FromTicksUtc(Integer ticks)
      • FromTicksLocal(Integer ticks)
      • Hour (Date dateTime)
      • Hour (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • Minute (Date dateTime)
      • JulianToDate (String julianDate)
      • Minute (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DateToIntegerYYYYMMDD (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DateToIntegerYYYYMMDD (Date dateTime)
    • Files
      • AppendTextToFile (String filePath, String text)
      • CopyFile (String sourceFilePath, String destFilePath, Boolean overWrite)
      • CreateDateTime (String filePath)
      • DeleteFile (String filePath)
      • DirectoryExists (String filePath)
      • FileExists (String filePath)
      • FileLength (String filePath)
      • FileLineCount (String filePath)
      • GetDirectory (String filePath)
      • GetEDIFileMetaData (String filePath)
      • GetExcelWorksheets (String excelFilePath)
      • GetFileExtension (String filePath)
      • GetFileInfo (String filePath)
      • GetFileName (String filePath)
      • GetFileNameWithoutExtension (String filePath)
      • LastUpdateDateTime (String filePath)
      • MoveFile (String filePath, String newDirectory)
      • ReadFileBytes (String filePath)
      • ReadFileFirstLine (String filePath)
      • ReadFileText (String filePath)
      • ReadFileText (String filePath, String codePage)
      • WriteBytesToFile (String filePath, ByteArray bytes)
      • WriteTextToFile (String filePath, String text)
    • Date Time With Offset
      • ToDateTimeOffsetFromDateTime (dateTime String)
      • ToUtc (DateTimeWithOffset)
      • ToDateTimeOffsetFromDateTime
      • ToDateTimeOffset (String dateTimeOffsetStr)
      • ToDateTimeFromDateTimeOffset
    • GUID
      • NewGuid
    • Encoding
      • ToBytes
      • FromBytes
      • UrlEncode
      • UrlDecode
    • Regular Expressions
      • ReplaceRegEx
      • ReplaceRegEx (Integer StartAt)
    • TimeSpan
      • Minutes
      • Hours
      • Days
      • Milliseconds
    • Matching
      • Soundex
      • DoubleMetaphone
      • RefinedSoundex
  • Report Model
    • User Guide
      • Report Model Tutorial
    • Report Model Interface
      • Field Properties Panel
      • Region Properties Panel
      • Report Browser
      • Report Options
    • Use Cases
      • Applying Pattern to Line
      • Auto Creating Data Regions and Fields
      • Auto-Parsing
      • Creating Multi-Column Data Regions
      • Floating Patterns and Floating Fields
      • How To Work With PDF Scaling Factor in a Report Model
      • Line Count
      • Pattern Count
      • Pattern is a Regular Expression
    • Exporting Options
      • Exporting a Report Model
      • Exporting Report Model to a Dataflow
    • Miscellaneous
      • Importing Monarch Models
      • Microsoft Word and Rich Text Format Support
      • Working With Problematic PDF Files
  • API Flows
    • API Consumption
      • Consume
        • REST API Browser
        • Making HTTP Requests Through REST API Browser
        • Using REST Client Outside of the Scope of the Project
      • Authorize
        • Authorizing ActiveCampaign API in Astera
        • Authorizing Astera Server APIs
        • Authorizing Avaza APIs in Astera
        • Authorizing Facebook APIs in Astera
        • Authorizing QuickBooks API in Astera
        • Authorizing Square API in Astera
        • Open APIs - Configuration Details
  • Project Management
    • Project Management
      • Astera's Project Explorer
      • Connecting to Source Control
      • Deployment
      • Server Monitoring and Job Management
    • Job Scheduling
      • Scheduling Jobs on the Server
      • Job Monitor
  • Use Cases
    • End-to-End Use Cases
      • Data Integration
        • Using Astera to Create and Orchestrate an ETL Process for Partner Onboarding
      • Data Warehousing
        • Building a Data Warehouse - A Step-By-Step Approach
      • Data Extraction
        • Reusing The Extraction Template for Similar Layout Files
  • Connectors
    • Connecting to Amazon Aurora Database
    • Connecting to Amazon RDS Databases
    • Connecting to Amazon Redshift Database
    • Connecting to Cloud Storage
    • Connecting to Google Cloud SQL in Astera
    • Connecting to MariaDB Database
    • Connecting to Microsoft Azure Databases
    • Connecting to MySQL Database
    • Connecting to Netezza Database
    • Connecting to Oracle Database
    • Connecting to PostgreSQL in Astera
    • Connecting to Salesforce Database
    • Connecting to Salesforce - Legacy Database
    • Connecting to SAP HANA Database
    • Connecting to Snowflake Database
    • Connecting to Vertica Database
    • Setting Up IBM DB2 iSeries Connectivity in Astera
  • Miscellaneous
    • Cloud Deployment
      • Deploying Astera on Amazon Web Services
      • Deploying Astera on Microsoft Azure Cloud
      • Deploying Astera on Oracle Cloud
    • Context Information
    • Pushdown Mode
    • Role Based Access Control in Astera
    • Safe Mode
    • Server Command Line Utility
    • SmartMatch Feature
    • Synonym Dictionary File
    • Updating Your License in Astera
    • Using Dynamic Layout/Template Mapping in Astera
    • Using Output Variables in Astera
    • Using the Data Source Browser in Astera
  • Best Practices
    • Astera Best Practices - Dataflows
    • Overview of Cardinality in Data Modeling
    • Cardinality Errors FAQs
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On this page
  • Running Astera 7 and Astera 8 Server Side-By-Side
  • Server URI
  • Additional Considerations
  • User and Security Management
  • Legacy Providers
  • Data Preview
  • Repository Database Provider Support
  • Linux Support
  • .NetCore vs .Net4.7
  • Server Restart (via Services)
  • New Service Name
  • Schedule Objects vs. Imported Schedules
  • SOAP
  • Name and Address Parser
  1. Getting Started

Astera 8 - Important Considerations

PreviousAstera 8.5 Release NotesNextAstera 8 - System Requirements

Last updated 10 months ago

There are some important considerations that you need to take into account when working with Astera 8. In this article, we are covering all the instances where Astera 8 differs from the Astera 7 lineup.

Running Astera 7 and Astera 8 Server Side-By-Side

You can run the Astera 7 and Astera 8 servers in parallel since they are configured to use different port numbers by default. Note that these port numbers may be different in your environment, so you are advised to check with your network administrator.

  • Port 9259 – for Astera 7

  • Port 9260 – for Astera 8

Server URI

Astera 8 uses HTTPS (HTTP over SSL) protocol to connect Astera clients to the server. to read more about how to connect an Astera server using the Server URI.

Additional Considerations

  • Firewalls: In Astera 8, HTTPS protocol is used to establish a more secure connection, compared to the .Net remoting protocol used in Astera 7.x. This allows remote Astera clients to connect to the server across AD/Windows domains and even across Cloud/WAN. This also requires that the appropriate ports are open in your network configuration for SSL connectivity to work.

  • Self-Signed Certificates: The Astera server installer creates a self-signed certificate during server installation. The certificate file must be present in the server’s application directory for the server to start. Click to learn more about how to set up a self-signed server certificate in Astera 8.

  • Port Number: The Astera 8 server runs on Port 9260.

  • Client-Server Connectivity: The Astera 8 client cannot be connected to the Astera 7.x server, and likewise, the Astera 7.x client cannot be connected to the Astera 8 server.

User and Security Management

Windows/AD-based domain and local user accounts are not supported in Astera 8. Astera 8 brings its own security framework. This means that you will need to define users, roles, and permissions to resources manually as part of the 7.6 to 8 migration.

You can create and manage user roles, add new users, define and/or delete roles, and edit role resources, all in a dedicated window in the Astera client. To manage different users in the Astera client, go to Server Explorer, right-click on ‘DEFAULT’ and select User List from the context menu.

This will open a new window where you can register a new user, activate or delete users, and edit their roles.

To manage user roles in Astera 8, go to Server Explorer, right-click on ‘DEFAULT’, and select Role List from the context menu.

Legacy Providers

DB2 and Oracle legacy database providers are not supported in Astera 8. However, you can natively connect to Oracle and DB2 databases using the Database Table source in the Astera 8 client.

For these connections to work, you need to make sure the appropriate database driver is installed on the machine that runs the Astera server. The client machines no longer require those drivers, which simplifies product rollout and management. For more information on installing and configuring Oracle and DB2 drivers, please refer to these articles.

Data Preview

The instant Data Preview feature that was offered as part of the Astera client in previous releases has now been shifted over to the server in Astera 8. Now when a user wants to preview the data, the data request is processed on the server and the data is then displayed by the Astera client in the data preview window.

This is particularly beneficial in cases of complex network environments or where multiple clients are connected to a single server. Users no longer need to install the data providers on their workstations, instead, the data providers can be installed directly on the server.

Repository Database Provider Support

Astera 8 supports MS SQL Server and PostgreSQL database providers for repositories.

Linux Support

Linux support has been included in Astera 8. With this update, the Astera Integration Server can now be deployed on different versions of Linux (Ubuntu and Centos).

.NetCore vs .Net4.7

Astera 8 is built on .NETCore architecture compared to Astera 7.x line which was built on .Net 4.7. This has brought about a significant performance increase in Astera 8, up to 25% faster than the previous releases.

Server Restart (via Services)

In Astera 8, there’s no functionality to start or stop a server from the Server Explorer in the Astera client. To restart a server in Astera 8, go to Services > Server > Restart.

New Service Name

The service name for Astera 8 has been changed. Astera.TransferService.exe will continue to be the service name for Astera 7, whereas the service name for Astera 8 will be identified as ‘Astera.TransferServiceWebApi.exe.’

Schedule Objects vs. Imported Schedules

There are two different types of schedules in Astera 8:

  • Imported Schedules – create schedules by importing existing jobs using a ‘.Sched’ file.

  • Schedule Objects – go to the Virtualization menu > Caching Schedules. This schedule is created by adding a new schedule in the Scheduler window and is saved in an XML file with ‘.Schd’ extension.

SOAP

SOAP transformation is not currently supported in Astera 8.

Name and Address Parser

The Name and Address Parser functionality has not been included in this release of Astera 8. This was offered as a third-party feature in Astera 7 and previous releases. We’re currently working on making improvements to this functionality and it will be reintroduced in the coming releases of Astera 8 with more enhanced features and improved performance.

This will open a new window where you can create and . Astera 8.0 features intuitive, permission, and access-related functions.).

Learn more about managing user roles .

Click here
here
manage different user roles
here
Setting Up Oracle ODP.Net Connectivity in Astera
Setting Up IBM DB2/iSeries Connectivity in Astera