Business Entities
General - Business Entity
The number of Business Entities that can be created is not limited.
The Business Entities function represents the Depots modeling step. It allows to define sets of characteristics.
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Business Entities represent Level 3 of the DataChain value chain. cf General Principles
Business Entities combine data from one or more repositories to create new consistent datasets.
They can also be linked to each other to allow the cross-referencing of data. (similar to the link between tables)
This section explains their structure and functionality.
Creation of a Business Entity
There are several methods for creating a Business Entity
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Direct creation
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Created from Repository
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Creation by duplicating an existing Business Entity
Direct creation of a Business Entity
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Access GenericsData module
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Left menu of GenericsData to access the Business Entities function
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Click on the icon
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The list of existing Business Entities is displayed
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Click on the
button
Like all DataChain elements, it is mandatory to specify the metadata that will be associated with the Business Entity
Entering a label is Required. Optional input fields such as a description, information on the user license and tags allow you to refine the information related to a Business Entity.
Once this information has been entered, save the metadata using the 
button located at the top left of the screen.
Creating a Business Entity from an Depot
Creating a Business Entity from an depot is fast. This creation mode makes it possible to automatically create
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the creation of the set of characteristics based on the headers of the Repository
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the mapping of each feature on the headers.
For it :
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Access the GenericsData module
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Left menu of GenericsData to access the deposits function.
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Click on the icon
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The list of existing repositories is displayed.
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Search for the desired repository
The list function offers filter functions, sorting by column and global search on all columns. -
Once the Deposit found in the table, click on the icon
in the Actions column. -
A dialog box presents all the characteristics that will be created and offers to enter the metadata information of the Business Entity that will be created. Note that only the label is mandatory
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Use the Create button located on the top banner of the dialog box.
The new Business Entity is created.
Creation by duplicating an existing Business Entity
Creating a Business Entity from the duplicate of a pre-existing Business Entity is fast. This function is used to duplicate the structure of the Business Entity.
The duplication function of a Business Entity does not duplicate the assignments of Deposits and links to other Entities Job.
Only the structure is duplicated.
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Access GenericsData module
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Left menu of GenericsData to access the Business Entity function
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Click on the icon
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The list of existing Business Entities is displayed
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Search for the desired Business Entity
The list function offers filter functions, sorting by column and global search on all columns -
Once the Business Entity is found in the table, click on the
icon in the Actions column -
Complete the metadata panel information (Label Required)
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Save with button
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The Business Entity is created
Presentation of the Business Entity screen
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Characteristics tab: Management of characteristics and mapping to attached Deposits -
Links tab: Management of Business Entity links to other Business Entities. -
Tab Deposits linked: Lists the repositories linked to this Business Entity.
Functions allow to act on the activation of each Deposit or the consumption of their extractions. -
Tab DataBlocks linked: Lists the DataBlocks linked to this Business Entity.
It is possible to create an DataBlock initialized by the Business Entity from this tab. -
Values tab: Displays the data of all the values of all the characteristics. -
Tab Persistence parameters: In case of persistence, the specified parameters will be taken into account.
Features Tab
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Specifies the type of the characteristic (Here a Strin)
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Description of the characteristic
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Hyperlink indicating the number of mappings for this feature to the linked repository(s).
A click on the link opens the mappings configuration popup for this characteristic
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Edit feature information
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Edits the parameter mapping of the characteristic with the header(s) of its linked Deposits
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Remove feature Note that during the deletion, an impact study of this deletion on the entire value chain is carried out.
Deletion may be blocked.
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Access to characteristic statistics -
Allows access to the global settings popup for the mapping of all characteristics -
Create new feature
Creation of a feature
To create a simple feature:
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click on the icon
located in -
a popup appears:
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Metadata: Enter a mandatory label (and optional information if needed)
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Choose a type: Different types are available
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String of characters
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Whole number (< 2Md)
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Large integer
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Decimal number
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Timestamp (Date)
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Boolean
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Words
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File
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Binary file
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Choose format
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Specifies whether the feature will contain a list of values
A feature can be
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Simple
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Formula (or Virtual): Fed by a user-defined formula.
Simple feature
A simple characteristic is fed by a mapping on one or more headers from the depot linked to the Business Entity
Virtual characteristic
A virtual feature is fed by a user-defined formulator. .
It corresponds to the creation of a new value absent at the level of deposits.
Unlike the formula on mapping, the formula described to supply a virtual characteristic applies identically to all the repositories linked to the Business Entity.
The description of a formula is required.
The creation or editing of the formula associated with the virtual characteristic is defined from the list of characteristics by clicking on the icon 
(Cf Formula settings ).
Mapping settings
The mapping makes it possible to link a characteristic to the header of an Depot.
A feature can have several mappings to different Repositories.
A mapping can be based on a user-generated formula. In this case, the formula described applies only to the deposit concerned. This is an important difference compared to the functioning of the formula applied to a virtual characteristic.
The data feeding the characteristic will be 'deduced' from the parameters of the mapping. (direct reference to a header of a deposit, to a formula applied by deposit or by the definition of a formula on a virtual characteristic.
Mapping editing
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The mapping settings are made from the Characteristics tab
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Click on the icon
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Define mapping
Simple mapping: choose one of the headers.
For characteristics of the Date type, it is Mandatory, to fill in the mask for reading the date in the Deposit.
It also allows retrieving data of type Date with reliability, if several Deposits are mapped on the same characteristic.
Mapping on formula: click on the hypertext link to define the formula.
Links Tab
The Links tab presents in the form of a table, the links of the Current Business Entity to other Business Entities.
From this tab, it is possible to edit or create a link between Business Entities
To create a link, click on the button
Specify the following:
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the metadata (the label is required)
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the weight (at 100 default)
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the type of join it is (Left, Inner, Right, Cross)
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the source Business Entity
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the target Business Entity
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for the source business entity, define whether it is a value (choose the characteristic from the list) or a formula (click on Add a formula in this case)
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an operator defining the link
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for the target business entity, define whether it is a value (choose the characteristic from the list) or a formula (click on Add a formula in this case)
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Displays a popup on the statistics of the link
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Click on the icon to add a criterion to the link
Note that to be linked together, the columns must be of the same type (Character string, Integer, Decimal,…).
Formulas are used to perform transformations on the target and source columns when defining the link.
Several links can be created between a Business Entity A and a Business Entity B
Tab Repositories linked
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The Linked repositories tab presents, in the form of a table, the repositories that feed the Business Entity.
Actions are available to act on the link between the depot and the Business Entity.
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Enable or disable the powering of an repository for the Business Entity
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Enable or disable the direct read (live) mode of a repository
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Use a filter allowing to consume one or n extractions of the depot.
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Opens a new tab to edit the linked repository
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Remove linked repository
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Opens a popup to modify the mapping with the linked repository
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Refreshes the list of repositories
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Create New Link
This link will allow DataChain to build a Graph type network of all the Business Entities and propose a connection of various Business Entities between them. (See Graph View)
Tab DataBlocks linked
The Linked Datablocks tab presents in the form of a table, the DataBlocks which consume the Business Entity.
This array provides access to each DataBlock in the list by clicking on its label.
An button is used to create an DataBlock from the 'Business Entity.
Values tab
The Values tab allows you to view the structure and data that will be provided when consumed by another element of this Business Entity.
To display the data, click on 
Persistence Settings Tab
The Persistence parameters tab is used to define the parameters consumed when carrying out the persistence of the Business Entity.
Two parameters can be set.
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number of partitions If no value is entered, DataChain will assign a standard value.
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the columns used to make the partitions. Assigning columns is not mandatory for performing persistence.
Column statistics
At the level of the Values tab, it is possible to activate the option Statistics on the columns
This option allows you to perform a nullability study (% non-null values - % null values) as well as different basic statistics depending on the type of column.
These statistics are visible in an tooltip that is displayed when hovering the mouse over the Sigma icon Σ
Click to open statistics popup
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View for columns of type String
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View for Numeric type columns
Editing a Business Entity
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Module GenericsData
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Business Entity Menu
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In the list of Business Entities, find the desired Business Entity.
It is possible to use the search and sort functions present at the level of each column. -
Select line
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Click on the Business Entity label or on the
icon at the end of the line.
Deleting a Business Entity
An impact check is performed when deleting a Business Entity. Depending on the impact on the value chain, DataChain may block deletion.
The deletion of a Business Entity is carried out:
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Either from the list of Business Entities
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At the level of the targeted Business Entity line, click on the icon
to carry out the deletion.
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Either in edition of a Business Entity
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Use the
button located on the top left banner.
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When deleting a Business Entity, an impact check is carried out.
If the Business Entity is consumed (used in a Datablock like), then deletion is impossible.
A message will indicate to the user, Datablock consuming the concerned Business Entity.