Astera Data Stack
Version 9
Version 9
  • Welcome to Astera Data Stack Documentation
  • Release Notes
    • Astera 9.0 - Release Notes
  • Setting Up
    • System Requirements
    • Product Architecture
    • Installing Client and Server Applications
    • Connecting to a Astera Server using Lean Client
    • How to Connect to a Different Astera Server from the Lean Client
    • How to Set up a Server Certificate (.pfx) File in a New Environment
    • How to Build a Cluster Database and Create a Repository
    • How to Login from Lean Client
    • Licensing Model in Astera 9
    • User Roles and Access Control
    • Offline Activation of Astera Data Stack
  • Dataflows
    • Sources
      • Data Providers and File Formats Supported in Astera Data Stack
      • Setting Up Sources
      • Excel Workbook Source
      • COBOL File Source
      • Database Table Source
      • Delimited File Source
      • File System Items Source
      • Fixed Length File Source
      • Email Source
      • Report Source
      • SQL Query Source
      • XML/JSON File Source
      • PDF Form Source
    • Transformations
      • Introducing Transformations
      • Aggregate Transformation
      • Constant Value Transformation
      • Denormalize Transformation
      • Distinct Transformation
      • Expression Transformation
      • Filter Transformation
      • Join Transformation
      • List Lookup Transformation
      • Merge Transformation
      • Normalize Transformation
      • Passthru Transformation
      • Reconcile Transformation
      • Route Transformation
      • Sequence Generator
      • Sort Transformation
      • Sources as Transformations
      • Subflow Transformation
      • Switch Transformation
      • Tree Join Transformation
      • Tree Transform
      • Union Transformation
      • Data Cleanse Transformation
      • File Lookup Transformation
      • SQL Statement Lookup
      • Database Lookup
    • Destinations
      • Setting Up Destinations
      • Database Table Destination
      • Delimited File Destination
      • Excel Workbook Destination
      • Fixed Length File Destination
      • SQL Statement Destination
      • XML File Destination
    • Data Logging and Profiling
      • Creating Data Profile
      • Creating Field Profile
      • Data Quality Mode
      • Using Data Quality Rules in Astera
      • Record Level Log
    • Database Write Strategies
      • Data Driven
      • Source Diff Processor
      • Database Diff Processor
      • Dimension Loader - Database Write
    • Text Processors
      • Delimited Parser
      • Delimited Serializer
      • Language Parser
      • Fixed Length Parser
      • Fixed Length Serializer
      • XML/JSON Parser
      • XML JSON Serializer
    • Visualizations
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  • Workflows
    • What are Workflows?
    • Creating Workflows in Astera
    • Decision Task
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    • File Transfer Task
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    • 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
  • DATA MODEL
    • Creating a Data Warehousing Project
    • Data Models
      • Introducing Data Models
      • Opening a New Data Model
      • Data Modeler - UI Walkthrough
      • Reverse Engineering an Existing Database
      • Creating a Data Model from Scratch
      • General Entity Properties
      • Creating and Editing Relationships
      • Forward Engineering
      • Verifying a Data Model
    • Dimensional Modelling
      • Introducing Dimensional Models
      • Converting a Data Model to a Dimensional Model
      • Fact Entities
      • Dimension Entities
      • Date and Time Dimension
      • Verifying a Dimensional Model
    • Documentation
      • Generating Technical and Business Documentation for Data Models
      • Lineage and Impact Analysis
    • Deployment and Usage
      • Deploying a Data Model
      • Validate Metadata and Data Integrity
      • Using Astera Data Models in ETL Pipelines
      • Connecting an Astera Data Model to a Third Party Visualization Tool
  • Functions
    • Introducing Function Transformations
    • Custom Functions
    • Logical
      • Coalesce (Any value1, Any value2)
      • IsNotNull (AnyValue)
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      • IsValidSqlDate (Date)
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    • Conversion
      • GetDateComponents (DateWithOffset)
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      • HexToInteger (Any Value)
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      • ToDecimal (Any value)
      • ToReal (Any value)
      • ToDate (String dateStr)
      • TryParseDate (String, UnknownDate)
      • ToString (Any value)
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      • ToString (Any data, String format)
    • Math
      • Abs (Double)
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    • Financial
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      • Day (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • Day (Date dateTime)
      • DayOfWeekStr (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DayOfWeek (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • DayOfWeek (Date dateTime)
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      • FromJulianDate (Real julianDate)
      • DayOfYear (Date dateTime)
      • DaysInMonth(Integer year, Integer month)
      • DayOfYear (DateTimeWithOffset dateTime)
      • FromUnixEpoc
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      • 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
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    • Regular Expressions
      • ReplaceRegEx
      • ReplaceRegEx (Integer StartAt)
    • TimeSpan
      • Minutes
      • Hours
      • Days
      • Milliseconds
    • Matching
      • Soundex
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  • Report Model
    • User Guide
      • Report Model Tutorial
    • Report Model Interface
      • Report Options
      • Report Browser
      • Data Regions in Report Models
      • Region Properties Panel
      • Pattern Properties
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    • Use Cases
      • Applying Pattern to Line
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      • Auto Parsing
      • Connecting to Cloud Storage
      • Creating Multi Column Data Regions
      • Defining Region End Type as Specific Text and Regular Expression
      • Defining the Start Position of Data Fields
      • 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
      • Using Comma Separated Values to Define Start Position
    • Auto Generate Layout (Beta)
      • Setting Up AGL in Astera
      • UI Walkthrough Auto Generation of Layout, Fields and Table
      • Using Auto Generation Layout, Auto Create Fields, and Auto Create Table (Beta)
    • 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 Connection
        • Making API Calls with the REST Client Object in Astera
        • REST API Browser
        • Method Operations
        • Pagination
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        • Open APIs - Configuration Details
        • Authorizing Facebook APIs in Astera
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        • Authorizing Avaza APIs in Astera
        • Authorizing Square API in Astera
        • Authorizing ActiveCampaign API in Astera
        • Authorizing QuickBooks’ API in Astera
        • Accessing Astera's Server APIs Through a Third Party Tool
        • Astera's Server API Documentation
  • Project Management
    • Project Management
      • Deployment
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      • Connecting to Source Control
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  • Use Cases
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        • Building a Data Warehouse - A Step By Step Approach
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        • Reusing The Extraction Template for Similar Layout Files
  • Connectors
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    • Connecting to SAP HANA Database
    • Connecting to MariaDB Database
    • Connecting to Salesforce Database
    • Connecting to Salesforce - Legacy Database
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    • Connecting to Google Cloud SQL in Astera
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    • Connecting to PostgreSQL in Astera
    • Connecting to Netezza Database
    • Connecting to Oracle Database
    • Connecting to Microsoft Azure Databases
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  • Miscellaneous
    • Using Dynamic Layout Template Mapping in Astera
    • Synonym Dictionary File
    • SmartMatch Feature
    • Role Based Access Control in Astera
    • Updating Your License in Astera
    • Using Output Variables in Astera
    • Connection Vault
    • Safe Mode
    • Using the Data Source Browser in Astera
    • Pushdown Mode
    • Cloud Deployment
      • Deploying Astera on Microsoft Azure Cloud
      • Deploying Astera on Oracle Cloud
      • Deploying Astera on Amazon Web Services
    • Context Information
  • Best Practices
    • Overview of Cardinality in Data Modeling
    • Cardinality Errors FAQs
    • Astera Best Practices - Dataflows
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  1. Dataflows
  2. Database Write Strategies

Source Diff Processor

PreviousData DrivenNextDatabase Diff Processor

Last updated 11 months ago

The Source Diff Processor object is one of the Database Write Strategies offered in the Astera Data Stack. It works like the Database Diff Processor, however, unlike the Database Diff Processor, it is used to perform write actions (such as Insert, Update and Delete) on file destinations.

It stores a snapshot of your data processed in the first run in a CDC file. So, the next time you run it, it will only import the new records.

Use Case

We have a sample Employees dataset coming in from an Excel Workbook Source. Initially, we had records of 10 employees but later on, 2 more were added to the source dataset.

We wish to apply a database write strategy that can read the data incrementally from file sources. To achieve this, we will use the Source Diff Processor in Astera.

Working with Source Diff Processor

  1. Drag and drop the Source Diff Processor object from Toolbox > Database Write Strategy > Source Diff Processor onto the dataflow designer and map the source data to it.

  1. Right-click on the Source Diff Processor object’s header and select Properties.

  1. A Layout Builder window will open where you can modify your layout. Click Next.

  1. The next window is the Incremental Write Options window.

Here, you have to specify the Record Matching field. This field is used to match and compare the incoming and existing records. We will select EmployeeID as the Record Matching field.

  • Case Sensitive – Check this option if you want to compare records on a case-sensitive basis.

  • Sort Input – Check this option if you want to sort the incoming data.

  • Now, if the incoming dataset has a new record with a new EmployeeID i.e. the ID is not present in the existing file which is being compared against the incoming file, Astera will perform the INSERT action.

  • If the EmployeeID is already present in the existing file, Astera will compare the records against that ID and will perform an UPDATE action in the fields where the information has been updated.

  • If the EmployeeID is there in the existing file, but not present in the incoming file, it means that the particular record has been deleted. In this case, Astera will perform the DELETE action.

In the Output Options section, you can either select the Single Output option or One Port for Each Action.

Single Output:

The Single Output option is selected if you wish to load your data into the destination without modifying it further on the basis of individual write actions.

If you select Single Output, the database action such as INSERT, UPDATE, SKIP, or ERROR will be chosen by the database write strategy’s logic rather than being specified by the user. Using a Single Output is recommended when a database write strategy is applied.

One Port for Each Action:

One Port for Each Action is used when you want to further transform or log your data. If you select One Port for Each Action, you will get separate nodes for each Diff action in the Source Diff Processor’s object.

In this example, we will select Single Output.

The third section in the Incremental Write Options window is the Incremental Transfer Information File Path option. Here, you must specify the file path where you want to store information related to the last run.

Now, if you have worked with Excel Workbook and Database Table Sources in Astera, you would have noticed that the Database Table Source object gives you the option to read incremental changes.

However, no such option is available in Excel or other file source objects. This option in the Source Diff Processor enables you to read incrementally from different file formats such as Excel, Delimited, and Fixed Length.

Click OK.

  1. Now, right-click on the Source Diff Processor object’s header and select Preview Output.

Output preview for Single Output:

Output preview if One Port for Each Action is selected:

You can now write your data to any destination or perform any transformation on the dataset.

This concludes using the Source Diff Processor write strategy in Astera.