Entity pipelines enable you to interact with the topmost part of your unified customer data model: the entities in your synapses and the unified data model. You can decide which synapses sync or exchange data with other synapses at the entity level through entity pipelines. Entity pipelines run in response to changes in the entity.
Entity pipelines include attribute pipelines for each attribute mapped to the Syncari unified data model. You can add logic at the entity level and at the attribute level. You can always tell whether you're in an attribute pipeline or an entity pipeline with a glance at the breadcrumbs.
Entity Pipelines are one level down from Pipeline Studio.
Attribute Pipelines are inside Entity Pipelines.
Open an Entity Pipeline in Pipeline Studio
To open an entity pipeline, in Pipeline Studio:
In the Relationships view, double-click the entity, or select the entity, and then click Edit Pipeline.
In the Details view, click the Name of the entity to open it.
Draft and Publish
Syncari uses a draft and published model to separate works in progress from live, functional data flows. Each pipeline can have a published version and a draft version. The published version is the one that is currently processing records as they pass through Syncari. The draft version is the one you can make edits to. When you publish the draft, it will overwrite the current published version and start processing new and updated records.
Entity Pipelines UI
What you see in the entity pipeline differs depending on whether you're looking at a draft or published pipeline. Look at the marked-up screenshots on this page to familiarize yourself with entity pipelines in Pipeline Studio.
Throughout Syncari we refer to the drag-and-drop working area as the canvas.
Published Entity Pipeline Overview
The published entity pipeline shows an active, running pipeline. Review this screenshot to see what you can do with a published entity pipeline. This screenshot describes only the buttons unique to a published pipeline. See Draft Entity Pipeline for most of what you can do in an entity pipeline.
1. Pause removes the entity pipeline from the sync cycle. If paused, you can restart it with the Resume button.
2. Create Draft allows you to make changes to the pipeline in a draft version of the published entity pipeline. Working on the draft does not change the published version.
3. Use the Resync menu to see the latest sync and to force Syncari to run the sync cycle.
4. You can enable the Realtime Pipeline option to turn the pipeline into a realtime pipeline.
Draft Entity Pipeline Overview
The draft entity pipeline allows you to make changes to a pipeline. Review this screenshot to see what you can do with a draft entity pipeline.
For more details on what you can do in the entity pipeline panel on the right side of the canvas, see Entity Pipeline Features later in this article.
1. Use this button to navigate between draft and published versions or publish a draft pipeline (see Working with Pipelines and Publishing Pipelines).
2. Save Draft is activated when you have unsaved changes. Although Syncari saves the draft automatically when you perform specific actions, we recommend saving often.
3. Validate checks for errors in the construction of your pipeline. Syncari runs through each node one at a time to check for errors with the synapse connection, mapping, functions, and more (see Validating Pipelines).
4. In More actions button, the Manage Attribute Map option opens the attribute mapper where you associate attributes from an entity to the Syncari entity representing the unified data model (see Map Attributes To and From Syncari).
5. In More actions button, you can run a variety of tests on the entity pipeline. While validation checks the construction of the pipeline, tests check the logic of the pipeline by running the pipeline on selected records (see Testing Pipelines).
6. The Delete Draft option can delete the draft entity pipeline and any attribute pipelines in it.
7. Use the slider to zoom in and out of the canvas view and have a complete view.
Entity Pipeline Features
The features available in the entity pipeline panel on the right side of the canvas differ based on what you've selected on the canvas.
- Entity Pipeline Panel with Nothing Selected on the Canvas
- Entity Pipeline Interaction—Syncari Node Selected
- Entity Pipeline Interaction—Non-Syncari Nodes Selected
Entity Pipeline Panel with Nothing Selected on the Canvas
Review this screenshot for how to interact with the entity pipeline with nothing selected.
Entity Pipeline Interaction with Syncari Node Selected
Review this screenshot for how to interact with the entity pipeline when you've selected the Syncari Node.
- Attribute Pipelines - View and access the Attribute Pipelines in the Syncari entity.
- Merge Studio - View the current Merge Studio settings and configure your merge policies.
- Tags - View the tags used in the entity pipeline.
Entity Pipeline Interaction with Non-Syncari Nodes Selected
Review this screenshot for how to interact with the entity pipeline when you've selected nodes other than the Syncari Node.
- Configure Node - Configure the selected node.
- Delete Node - Delete the selected node.
- Node Configuration - See a summary of the current configuration.