Group Variable

The Group Variable operation is related to a feature in SLIK called User Defined Variables.  When defining various operations rather than using a literal value, you can use a symbolic name or variable (i.e., $division_code).  At runtime SLIK substitutes the variable value based on the current group variable name.  Typically a group variable name is specified at the batch level.

However this operation type allows you to install a different group variable as part of the processing steps. This makes it is possible to set up different groups for each division within a company.  As each job runs it uses the currently installed group variable collection to perform variable substitution.

For example, an SQL Statement operation may be specified as “DELETE from Orders where DIVCODE = $division_code”. At runtime SLIK will change the $division_code to be the value specified in the User Defined Variable for the currently selected Group Variable.

By attaching Group Variables to Operation Types you do not need to create duplicate operation type records within the system for each division.

Group Variables are a user-defined collection of name/value pairs associated with a group name. They are mainly useful in companies that may have different divisions or you want to minimize maintenance by using variables during the process of defining interface operations. By using variables (e.g., $division_id) in operations you only need to change the variable value in one place rather than having to locate and edit each operation that references the variable.

Each batch can have a particular Group Variable associated with it. In addition you can install a new set of group variables by using the “Group Variable” operation as a job.

It is important to note that group/user variables are only initially loaded once during startup of the SLIK Server. If you add or change a group variable and want SLIK to start using the definition immediately at runtime you can have SLIK reload the variable definitions by checking on the Reload User Variables button.

Group Variable Maintenance

To maintain Group Variable select Maintain ® Group Variables… from the main menu.

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