Now that you have configured the rule set, it is now time to confirm it is generating the data to meet your requirements. Once you are happy with the results, you can then build the VIP Flow.
Once the VIP flow is built, you can create a form to kick off the data generation routine whenever needed. The activity can also be included in a test data pipeline or can be kicked off by other applications.
For example, the form can be kicked off by an API call, embedded in a tool like Confluence as an iFrame, or you can download a JavaScript that allows the job to be executed.
Step 1 - Validate and preview
This is to confirm that the rules create data as expected. You can leave the values on the dialogue as default and click ‘Execute’.
This will open a new browser tab showing the running job. When it’s complete, the sample data will be visible in the ‘Results’ tab.
You can also download the ‘result.zip’ to see the data in a file format such as CSV.
Exercise 11
- Run the preview and validate action on your ruleset to check the results being produced by the rule set
Step 2 – Rebuild the VIP flow on the server
This action compiles the rule set into a VIP flow so that it can be executed on demand to produce synthetic data. If there are any compilation issues, these will be captured and produced in a report that can be downloaded.
If there is a compilation error, the results section of the job details will tell you how many have occurred. You can then download the report and address any compilation issues.
Once it successfully completes, the flow will be added as a 'component'.
Step 3 – Create a data generation submit form
To generate data, you need to create a submit form. This will allow anyone with appropriate permissions in your organisation to create the data.
On the data generation activity page, click the ‘Create Data Generation Submit Form’ action.
This will display the ‘Create Data Generation Submit Form’ dialogue box:
- This is a job scheduling dialogue box, so you can schedule the job to run at a different time, if need, on the ‘Schedule’ tab
- You can generate a CSV file instead by changing the ‘Type of Submit form to Be Created’ in the dropdown
- You can also use this to update an existing submit form, by selecting the form in the ‘Choose an existing process and Update it’ field
When you click ‘Execute’, a new browser tab will open, so you can see the job to create the form being processed.
Once the job successfully completes and you refresh the browser tab, you should see the submit form appear as a component in the data activity.
Step 4 – Run the data generation submit form
To run the form, make sure the ‘Action’ is set to ‘Execute’ for the form, then click the blue arrow:
When you run the form it will create a job, which in turn will create data in your chosen database.
You can change the number of records created and any parameters that you exposed on the activity. In this example, we added ‘Last Name’.
The </> button exposes the form as an API call, iFrame or JavaScript to be executed how you would like.
Click ‘Execute’ to run the job.
Exercise 12
- Create the VIP flow and submit form and run it to create data
- Check your results to see the data that has been created as you’d expect
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