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Table Of Contents
A) This secondary input task receives data that is not structured in the same way as the sample data used to create the
process. B) To tell the following tasks on this branch that the data they will be processing does not use the same
emulation as the one that was specified when the sample data was chosen, a Change Emulation action task is added. C)
This task will use the emulation specified in the task that precedes it to structure the data before performing its search
and replace operation.
Bear in mind that each task’s ability to find data within a data file is based on the predictability of the data
structure. If a task includes a data selection, for instance, the selection’s coordinates will only find the correct
data if the data structure is correct.
The Sample Data File and Debug Mode
When you create a process in your PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tool Configuration program, you typically use a
data file that is an exact representation of the files that your PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tool will actually
receive when it runs your configuration. This sample data file should also be large enough to cover a variety of
cases. This data will help you create tasks, make data selections (see below) and debug processes.
Stabilizing the data is a complex procedure in PlanetPress Watch/Server because the data file can be altered
in real-time in the data stream at runtime. PlanetPress Suite Workflow Toosl include debugging tools for this,
including the ability to interactively make data selections from a sample data file as it is being processed by
the tasks you added.
You use a sample data file to represent the data file entering the process at runtime. Since the data file can be
altered by various PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools tasks as it travels through a process, it can be difficult to
make accurate data selections. But when you run your process step by step in Debug mode, you can see the
data changing as it is handed down from task to task. So when you open a task that includes a data selection,
you are able to see the actual data it receives, and the exact data found at the data selection’s coordinates.
Introduction to Data Selections
A data selection could be compared to an address. It indicates a location within a data file using coordinates.
The big difference between street addresses and data selections, is that street addresses almost always have
the same format (civic number, street, city, etc.), while data selections can have various formats based on the
data structure.
Fortunately, the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Configuration program includes a tool called the Data
Selector that helps you make data selections. The Data Selector does two things:
It uses the current emulation (either the emulation chosen when the sample data file was selected, or
the one chosen in the last Change Emulation action task appearing above the current task) to format
the data.
Understanding PlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools - Key Concepts
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