Dataflow Automation

What's covered in this article

• What is Dataflow Automation?
• What is a Dataflow Automation built-in function?
• What are the available built-in functions?

What is Dataflow Automation?

Dataflow Automation provides organizations Big Data capabilities including long term storage, data management, processing and integration without having to invest millions of dollars and a dedicated team. With Zerion Dataflows, centralize data throughout your organization and leverage your data in ways never imagined. 

Click here for more information on Dataflow Automation.

What is a Dataflow Automation built-in function?

The built-in functions of Dataflow Automation are primarily used for transforming data. You can apply each built-in function using the following syntax: dataflow.functionName() or dataflow.library.functionName().

These built-in functions can be used in either the Transform Code or Transform Return section; however, it is recommended to always create a custom function in the Transform Code, even for simple transformations.

What are the available built-in functions?

The following is a list of each of the built-in functions. Please click on each for more details.

• toKeysLowerCase()
• toKeysUpperCase()
• Date.addTime()
• Date.subtractTime()
• Date.toDateString()
• Date.toUTCString()

Also, check out:

• Date String Formatting Table

toKeysLowerCase()

The dataflow.toKeysLowerCase(record) function will convert all keys in an object to lowercase. The key is the unique identifier for a value. Supply the record that you wish to convert as a single argument in the function call.

{
  "First_Name" : "Woody",
  "Last_Name" : "Am"
}

{
  "first_name": "Woody", 
  "last_name": "Am"
}

toKeysUpperCase()

The dataflow.toKeysUpperCase(record) function will convert all keys in an object to uppercase. The key is the unique identifier for a value. Supply the record that you wish to convert as a single argument in the function call.

{
  "First_Name" : "Woody",
  "Last_Name" : "Am"
}

{
  "FIRST_NAME": "Woody", 
  "LAST_NAME": "Am"
}

Date.addTime()

The dataflow.Date.addTime() function will add a specified amount of time to a supplied datetime. This function is not used to subtract time from a given datetime. The unit(s) of time are specified as an object in the second argument. The following units of time may be used:

• milliseconds
• seconds
• minutes
• hours
• days
• weeks
• months
• years

Date.subtractTime()

The dataflow.Date.subtractTime() function will subtract a specified amount of time from a supplied datetime. The unit(s) of time are specified as an object in the second argument. The following units of time may be used:

• milliseconds
• seconds
• minutes
• hours
• days
• weeks
• months
• years

Date.toDateString()

The dataflow.Date.toDateString function will output a given date as a formatted string. The function requires two arguments. The first value is the date to be formatted, the second value is the formatting instruction for the string. If no arguments are supplied, the function will return the current date in a default format.

Date.toUTCString()

The datataflow.Date.toUTCString function will output a given date as a formatted string converted to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The function requires two arguments. The first value is the date to be formatted, the second value is the formatting instruction for the string. If no arguments are supplied, the function will return the current date in a default format.

Date String Formatting Table

Use the following table to guide your formatted date/time strings using the toDateString() and toUTCString() functions.