Version 23.4.8839

• Overview
• Connector Configuration
  • Settings Tab
    • Connector Settings
    • Validation
    • Advanced
    • Message
    • Logging
    • Miscellaneous
  • Automation Tab
    • Performance
  • Alerts Tab
    • Connector Email Settings
    • Service Level Agreement (SLA) Settings
• Validation Rules

Validate connectors perform an XML or message header validation step in order to catch invalid XML or message headers before they cause an error later in the flow.

Overview

Validate connectors are configured with one or more rules that determine whether input XML or message headers are considered valid. Valid input successfully passes through the connector, while XML files or message headers that fail validation throw an error and are not passed along in the flow.

For each configured rule, the connector checks the value from the input XML or message header against the target value to see if it is considered valid. See Validation Rules for details.

Connector Configuration

This section contains all of the configurable connector properties.

Settings Tab

Connector Settings

• Connector Id The static, unique identifier for the connector.
• Connector Type Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.
• Connector Description An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.
• Sample File (optional) A file that represents the structure of the XML being validated. If you upload a sample file, the rules editor displays a tree representation of the document so you can easily find the XPath you need.

Validation

Use the Validation section to add and configure rules and groups of rules. Input XML and message headers are considered valid if they conform to all of the configured rules. See Validation Rules for instructions on defining rules.

Advanced

• Processing Delay The amount of time (in seconds) by which the processing of files placed in the Input folder is delayed. This is a legacy setting. Best practice is to use a File connector to manage local file systems instead of this setting.

Message

Message settings determine how the connector searches for messages and manages them after processing. You can save messages to your Sent folder or you can group them based on a Sent folder scheme, as described below.

• Save to Sent Folder A toggle that instructs the connector to keep a copy of sent messages in the Sent folder.
• Sent Folder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Sent folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all sent files for the week in that folder. The blank setting instructs the connector to save all files directly in the Sent folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders can help keep files organized and improve performance.

Logging

• Log Level The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to Debug.
• Log Subfolder Scheme Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. For example, the Weekly option instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. The blank setting tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.
• Log Messages Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the Input or Output tabs.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.

• Other Settings Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example, setting1=value1;setting2=value2). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.

Automation Tab

Settings related to the automatic processing of files by the connector.

• Send Whether messages arriving at the connector are automatically processed.

Performance

Settings related to the allocation of resources to the connector.

• Max Workers The maximum number of worker threads consumed from the threadpool to process files on this connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.
• Max Files The maximum number of files sent by each thread assigned to the connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the Settings > Automation page.

Alerts Tab

Settings related to configuring alerts and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Connector Email Settings

Before you can execute SLAs, you need to set up email alerts for notifications. Clicking Configure Alerts opens a new browser window to the Settings page where you can set up system-wide alerts. See Alerts for more information.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Settings

SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. CData Arc sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as At Risk, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as Violated. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.

To define an SLA, click Add Expected Volume Criteria.

• If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.
• Set Expect at least to the minimum number of transactions (the volume) you expect to be processed, then use the Every fields to specify the time frame.
• By default, the SLA is in effect every day. To change that, uncheck Everyday then check the boxes for the days of the week you want.
• Use And set status to ‘At Risk’ to indicate when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
• By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check Send an ‘At Risk’ notification.

The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.

Validation Rules

You can build complex validations by defining individual rules and/or groups of rules. For readability, expand the Rules section by clicking the expander icon on the right side of the bar.

To add a validation rule, click Add Rule or Add Group.

When you build your rules, use the dropdowns to make your selections and choose your operator. You can choose from the following:

• Input XML
  • Value: The value at the XPath being evaluated
  • Data Type: The data type of the value (String, Number, DateTime)
  • Occurrences: The number of times the XPath occurs in the document
• Message Header
  • Value: The value of the message header being evaluated
  • Data Type: The data type of the value (String, Number, DateTime)

When you select an XPath for a rule, if you have uploaded a sample file, the editor displays a tree representation of the document so you can easily find the XPath you need, as shown in the image below.

You can reorder rules and groups. Click the handle and drag the object to a new location.

Input XML is only considered valid if all validation rules (or groups of rules) are satisfied. If the XPath configured in a rule is not found in the input XML, the validation automatically fails. In other words, if the connector is unable to read a value for a rule’s XPath, the input file does not pass the rule.