What's new in version 3.7.1

With version 3.7.1 we continue expanding the automation capabilities in EasyMorph together with making data transformation more convenient. Key novelties include:

Sending emails

Sending email notifications is a cornerstone automation capability. There is a number of scenarios that have become possible due the introduction of the "Send email" action in EasyMorph:

• Notification about failed data quality checks. A workflow can send an email before it gets halted.
• Rule-based notifications. A Server task can be scheduled to check regularly certain conditions (e.g. existence of a file, consistency of data, or timeliness of new submissions). If a condition is not met, the task sends an according email notification.
• Per-user data publishing. Sometimes, it's necessary to deliver each user a customized copy of a report or data extract. Sending an personalized email with an attachment could do the job.
• Log monitoring. A scheduled project or task can parse logs and notify about possible errors or unwanted events.

The "Send email" action is highly configurable and allows specifying recipients, subject and attachment path using parameters. Parameters can also be dynamically inserted into the message body. The message text can be HTML formatted (only in Plus/Pro editions).

We're also working on making EasyMorph capable of receiving emails and saving attachments.

Triggering Tableau Server extract refreshes

This release introduced the "Tableau Server Command" action which employs the Tableau Server REST API to perform various operations (commands) on a remote Tableau Server. In version 3.7.1 the only command available is extract refreshing for a data source or a workbook. This command is available for Tableau Server version 10.3 and up.

With the expansion of the REST API new commands will become available in the action.

Easier creation of new parameters

Now it's easier to start using a parameter instead of a transformation property such as file name. For this, select <Add new parameter> in the list of parameters in the property, and a new parameter will be created automatically. The name and value of the new parameter will be defined after the transformation property it for which it was created.

For instance, when changing folder path to a parameter in the "List of files" transformation, the new parameter will automatically named "Folder path" and its value will be the folder path previously  in the transformation.

Other changes

• The new "Metadata" transformation offers a convenient way to obtain a list of columns of a table, as well as the total number of rows and columns in it.
• The "File Command" transformation now has a new mode for cloning existing files.
• The "Convert Data Types" transformation has a new mode for automatically converting any data type in selected columns to text.
• New connector "Email Server" in the Connector Manager.
• The Start screen has a refreshed look with more choices to start a new workflow.
• A new two-column selector is now displayed when selecting a project table, parameter, or connector. The selector allows searching and filtering that simplifies dealing with large projects.
• Transformations Call, Iterate, and Iterate table now display parameter annotations.

Read also Release Notes v3.7.1.pdf

PS. Notice that our posts start using term action interchangeably with transformation. Eventually, in order to minimize confusion, we will reduce the use of term transformation only to the actions that actually transform data in EasyMorph.