Export Tasks¶
As data have been imported into Rulex Factory and analyzed using the available tasks, they can be exported as well.
Data can be exported to the following formats:
file
databases
The software provides users with an export task dedicated to each output file format, where the local filesystem or the remote filesystem destination can be chosen.
To export to a database, a dedicated task, the Export to Database task, is provided.
To perform an export operation, users just need to drag the chosen export task onto the stage and configure it.
The following data types can be exported:
Dataset
Results
Clusters
Cluster labels
Frequent itemsets
Association rules
Frequent sequences
Auto regressive models
Discretization cutoffs
Models
Pca eigenvectors
Rules
Relevances
Hint
All the export tasks can be used to bulk export multiple files coming from different tasks. To do so, the chosen export task must be connected to all the tasks containing the data to export.
Export to File¶
It is possible to export the obtained data to a specific file type. Rulex Factory supports the following file formats:
Azure Table
Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm, .xlsb)
JSON (.log)
Parquet
PDF
Text files (.csv, .tab, .data, .txt, etc.)
Word (.docx)
XML (.html)
Consequently, the available export to file tasks in Rulex Factory are listed below:
Export to file tasks have a common layout.
Each one of them is made of two tabs: the Options and the Export Configuration tabs.
Specific information on the Export Configuration tab in each task is provided in the corresponding task’s page.
The Options tab
The Options tab is divided into five areas:
the Data to be exported area,
the Export mode area,
the Destination control area,
the File Options area,
the Recipients for export via mail area.
Data to be exported
In this section, all the supported data structures to export are listed.
The following data structures are supported, and can be checked to perform an export operation:
Dataset
Results
Clusters
Cluster labels
Frequent itemsets
Association rules
Frequent sequences
Auto regressive models
Discretization cutoffs
Models
Pca eigenvectors
Rules
Relevances
Export mode
Users can choose the following export modes from the Export mode drop-down list:
Store file
Send via mail
Both
Warning
If the Send via mail or Both option have been chosen, users must have set the connection to their mail server. To know how to configure the connection, go to the Mail Server page.
Destination control
In the Destination control area, users can choose between two different destination types: Saved and Custom.
Before choosing the folder where the exported file will be stored, users must define the filesystem to which Rulex Factory will export data.
If a Saved connection has been chosen, users can choose between the filesystem resources which have been saved into the environment or into the child environments by clicking on the three-dotted button next to the filesystem type text field. To know more about saved connections, go to the corresponding page. These resources can be reused in other tasks or flows.
Custom connections are set and valid in the current task only. Choosing a Custom destination allows to add a new connection to one of the supported remote filesystems or to the Local File System (e.g. the machine’s disk) by clicking on the drop-down list and choosing the correct filesystem. To configure a remote filesystem connection click on the pencil icon and configure its details, as listed here. Once the connection has been set, the folder where the file will be stored can be chosen by clicking on the Select button in the Files area or by typing the path in the text box located next to it.
When choosing the destination path in a Http Server destination, which allows Rulex Platform to perform primarily Web/SOAP/REST API calls towards any HTTP/S Server, users can specify the following options for the API response:
Response as output dataset: if selected, the response of the API request will be the task’s output.
Save Response header: if selected, the response’s headers are saved in the same location of the http response.
Response Uri: the response’s path type. Possible values are: Local File System (default), or the remote connections available (ShareDrive Filesystem, Ftp Server, Aws S3, SharePoint, HDFS, Azure BLOB Storage, Sftp Server, Google Drive, Outlook, Local File System). Click on the pencil icon located next to the filesystem type to insert its details. More information on filesystems can be found in the corresponding page. This file will be generated only if the request is successful. This option is available only if the Response as output dataset option has not been selected.
Response file path: the file path where the response will be saved. This file will be generated only if the request is successful. This option is available only if the Response as output dataset option has not been selected.
Debug file uri: the debug file’s path type. Possible values are: Local File system (default), or the remote connections available (ShareDrive Filesystem, Ftp Server, Aws S3, SharePoint, HDFS, Azure BLOB Storage, Sftp Server, Google Drive, Outlook, Local File System). Click on the pencil icon located next to the filesystem type to insert its details. More information on filesystems can be found in the corresponding page. This option is available only if the Response as output dataset option has been selected.
Debug file path: the path where the file will be saved. This option is available only if the Response as output dataset option has been selected.
Warning
It might happen that the debug response contains sensitive data, such as passwords or tokens. The Response as output dataset option is supposed to be used in development and test operations, not in production environments.
If both the Save Response header and the Response as output dataset are selected, the tasks’ output will contain two extra columns: one containing the response header, and other one containing the headers’ values. Each row of the dataset will contain the header’s name, along with its value.
File Options area
The File Options area allows users to customize the file name.
The following options are available in all tasks: (additional options, if there are any, are listed in the corresponding task’s page)
File basename: type the name to be given to the file.
Add current date and time as prefix: if selected, the date and the timestamp of the operation will be added at the beginning of the file basename as a prefix.
Add current date and time as suffix: if selected, the date and the timestamp of the operation will be added at the end of the file basename as a suffix.
Append data if the file already exists: if selected, data will be appended in the file specified in the File basename options, if the file already exists. Otherwise, the original data will be overwritten. This option is not available in the Export to XML File and in the Export to JSON File tasks.
See also
When exporting multiple files and/or structures, the File basename structure changes according to the number of input tasks and according to the number of structures to be exported. A series of prefixes and suffixes is added, according to the rules explained below:
When multiple files are exported, the task name, followed by an underscore, is added as a prefix to the File basename.
When multiple structures are exported, the structure name, preceded by an underscore, is added as a suffix to the File basename. No suffix is added if a Dataset structure is exported, even though multiple structures are being exported, and consequently multiple files are generated.
When multiple files and structures are exported, both the rules listed above are applied to the File basename.
It is also possible to set up a key in the Platform’s configuration file which allows to add one more prefix to the existing one, which must be in string format. For example, if the key is defined as {"compute":{"sensitivity":"BusinessUse"}} and the exported files come from two Data Manager tasks, all the exported files will also have the string BusinessUse as a prefix, along with dataman1 and dataman2, respectively.
Recipients for export via email
Users can add the email addresses to which they want to send the exported data, if the Send via mail or Both have been chosen as the Export mode.
Multiple email addresses can be specified, as long as they are separated with a comma.
Export to Database¶
As mentioned before, users can export datasets or other data structures to a database.
For more detailed and in-depth information about the Export to Database task, refer to the dedicated Export to Database page.