Package steps

This page explains how to create a valid BizDataX package structure, one that is able to be published to the Portal and provides important insight into package execution.

To better monitor BizDataX package execution, special Step elements are used to report package execution status to the Portal and better control the anonymization workflow.

Package steps

Step elements are crucial for monitoring package executions on the BizDataX Portal since they report important information and handle execution abort. When placed on the workflow, they can be selected to access their properties:

• ScopeId - unique, auto-generated step ID
• DisplayName - name of the step, appears in the workflow and the Portal
• Description - description of the step
• IsActive - boolean, controls the execution of the step (if false, the step is skipped)

It is advisable to leave ScopeId as it is, but change the DisplayName and Description of the step to better monitor package executions. IsActive can be used to select specific steps you want to execute, and can be combined with package parameters to control the anonymization process from the BizDataX Portal.

Package structure

Masking iterators, elements responsible for masking specific tables, always have to be nested inside a Masking engine element. This element hosts the masking process and controls the work done by masking iterators. Placing a masking iterator will result in a masking engine automatically being generated and containing the masking iterator, and trying to place a masking iterator outside of a masking engine will result in errors that prevent the project from being successfully built and published to the BizDataX Portal.

Masking engines, on the other hand, have to be nested inside a Step element, on any level. In other words, a masking engine can be nested in other elements which are in turn nested in other elements, and the project will be valid as long as one of those elements is a Step.

Step elements can contain any other Toolbox elements, but they have certain limits. They cannot be nested inside other Step elements, and the package is not able to be built sucessfuly and published to the BizDataX Portal if that is the case.

Figure 1: An example of a valid package structure