Configuring Runtime Variables
Runtime variables are basically process variables which can be imported into a process from an external file, and whose life-cycle is limited to the duration of the computation, as they are not persisted in the database.
The Runtime Variables task facilitates importing these variables from an external files, which is particularly useful when you have a large number of process variables whose values change frequently.
Prerequisites
The process must contain a task with a 2 column dataset, which has the names and values of attributes. This task can be imported as a Microsoft Excel file, but this format can cause issues if the "@" symbol is used in the file to reference other process variables; in this case a CSV file is preferable.
The task must have a high priority in the process, to ensure it is executed before other process tasks, in order to apply the correct values to process variables.
Each process can contain only one Runtime Variables task.
Along with the Options tab, where you can configure your task, the following additional tabs are provided:
Documentation tab where you can document your task,
Parametric options tab where you can configure process variables instead of fixed values. Parametric equivalents are expressed in italics in this page.
Procedure
Drag and drop the Runtime Variables task onto the stage.
Connect the Runtime Variables task to the task containing the two-column dataset with the process variables names and values.
Double click the task, and configure it as described in the table below.
Save and compute the task.
Runtime Variables options: | ||
Parameter Name | PO | Description |
|---|---|---|
Attribute for names | nameatt | Select the column that contains the process variable names from the drop-down list. |
Attribute for values | valueatt | Select the column that contains the process variable values from the drop-down list. |
Overwrite the current value if the variable is already defined | overwrite | If selected, any values defined in the process for process variables with the same name, will be overwritten by the values defined here. |
Once set, Runtime variables have priority over process variables at runtime.
Consequently, when a workflow is executed, variable values will be taken from:
the corresponding runtime variable, if present
the corresponding process variable, if present.
However, vault variables have priority over runtime variables.