Manipulating Data in the Source File of Standard Data Feeds

You can manipulate the field values of the source data so that the data is updated when imported into the target. For example, you can use a calculated field to manipulate the original field value so the output string is different.

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Add child source fields

You can add a child source field to define structure for any of your data feed source fields.

Note: This option is available for all Archer-to-Archer standard data feeds and for other standard data feed transport methods in which you have specified the XML File Iterator as the navigation method.

  1. Go to the Source Definition tab > Source Data tab.

  2. To add a source field, in the Actions column, click Ellipsis and select Add Child.
  3. Enter a Source Field Name.
  4. From the list, select a Field Type.
  5. Select Selectedto include a Token to use for the next data feed run. To configure the token, see Define data tokens.

    Note: Only child source fields support tokens.

  6. Click Add New.

Modify field values from the source file

  1. Go to the Source Definition tab > Source Data tab.

  2. To modify a source field, in the Actions column, click Ellipsis and select Edit.
  3. Enter a Source Field Name.
  4. From the list, select Lookup Translation.

    5. Translation reconciles values from your source data to values that are acceptable in the Archer target application or questionnaire. Using an application as an intermediary ensures that the data feed converts all of the external data into the proper format before importing it to the destination application.

    You can use Lookup Translation to translate a value from the source file into another value. You would map a column in the source file to a field in an application (Original Value), and map a field in the target application (Translation Value) to another field in the same application. The Original Value and the Translation Value are required to be in the same application. Lookup Translation looks up the value of the source file in the application and, when found, stores the value (from the same record) that is mapped to the target application.

    Example: Mapping external values to internal values

    You may have a field in your external file with values of New York and California. However, the application into which you are importing the data only accepts state abbreviations. Using the Lookup Translation option, you can use a separate application to map your external values to the proper internal values, as shown in the following table.

    Source Data

    Original Value

    Translate Value

    Destination Application

    Field Name: State

    Field Name: State ID1

    Field Name: State ID2

    Field Name: State

    California

    California

    CA

    CA

    Texas

    Texas

    TX

    TX

    New York

    New York

    NY

    NY

    Florida

    Florida

    FL

    FL
  5. Select Selectedto include a Token to use for the next data feed run. To configure the token, see Define data tokens.

    Note: Only child source fields support tokens.

  6. In the Source Field to Translate field, select the source field.
  7. In the Translation Application list, select the application that translates the values.
  8. In the Exceptions list, select the function that the Data Feed Manager runs when a value generates an exception.

    9. Translation editor exception

    The selections from the Original Value and Translate Value lists must be different, or a warning message appears.

    The following table describes the options.

    Option

    Description

    Log Warning

    Writes an error to the log file, and the data feed does not import the value. The data feed does not update the translation application.

    Insert Raw Data

    Inserts the raw value from your source file in the target application if the data feed does not find a match.

    Original Value

    Identifies the field in the translation application that maps to the value from your external data file.

    Translation Value

    Identifies the field in the translation application that maps to the proper value in the target application or questionnaire.
  9. Click Update.

Add a calculated field in the source data

Calculations for the Data Feed Manager use the same calculation engine and syntax as the Application Builder. Apply calculations to source fields to generate new values dynamically, which can be populated in an application or questionnaire.

Note: You cannot reference fields in a calculation that are nested in different parent fields.

  1. Go to the Source Definition tab > Source Data tab.

  2. To add a source field, in the Actions column, click Ellipsis and select Add Child.
  3. Enter a Source Field Name.
  4. From the list, select Calculated Field.
  5. Select Selectedto include a Token to use for the next data feed run. To configure the token, see Define data tokens.

    Note: Only child source fields support tokens.

  6. In the Calculation Editor field, type your calculated formula and click Validate Syntax. If necessary, correct the formula before continuing.

    7. Important: When the source field in the calculated formula includes HTML tags and quotation marks (" "), Archer does not support the calculations.

  7. Click Add New.

Example: Common calculations

The following table provides example calculations.

Calculation

Description

CONCATENATE([TOLastName], ", ", [TOFirstName])

Combines the values of 2 fields into a single value

For example, the data feed merges the value “Doe” from the Last Name field and the value “John” from the First Name field into the value “Doe, John.”

If(LEN([Production IP])>0,[Production IP],If(LEN([Maintenance IP])>0,[Maintenance IP],[Backup IP]))

Runs a logical operation to determine which field to use as the source value

If the Production IP field is not empty, the data feed uses the value from this field. If the Production IP field is empty and the Maintenance IP field has a value, the data feed uses value from the Maintenance IP field. If both fields are empty, the data feed uses the Backup IP value.

Insert static text to a field value in the source data

Static Text adds an additional field to your data feed that adds context to the source data. For example, you can add a Static Text field that specifies the name of the source, such as the database name or threat feed.

In the Archer target application or questionnaire, you can create a field called Data Source. When the data feed completes, all records updated by this feed have the same value for the Data Source field. Using this option, you can quickly identify and report on records updated from a specific source

  1. Go to the Source Definition tab > Source Data tab.

  2. To add a source field, in the Actions column, click Ellipsis and select Add Child.
  3. Enter a Source Field Name.
  4. From the list, select Static Text and enter the text.
  5. Select Selectedto include a Token to use for the next data feed run. To configure the token, see Define data tokens.

    Note: Only child source fields support tokens.

  6. Click Add New.

  7. Do one of the following:

    • To continue configuring the data feed, go to the next task.
    • To finish setting up the feed later, click Save or Save and Close.