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Creating Automations

Automations can be created using ODSL scripts or directly via the REST API. This guide walks through common scenarios with worked examples for both approaches.

Before you start​

You will need to know:

  • The service and action that should trigger the automation — see the trigger reference
  • The ID of the entity to watch (e.g. a dataset ID, object ID, or process name)
  • The target to send the event to — see Automation Targets

Creating a basic automation​

The example below creates an automation that sends an email notification whenever a specific dataset becomes late.

//#region Create a dataset late notification automation
ab = AutomationBuilder("dataset", "private", "MY_PROVIDER.FEED.PRODUCT")
ab.addCondition("late")
ab.setTarget("email")
ab.setProperty("to", "ops-team@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "Dataset late: MY_PROVIDER.FEED.PRODUCT")
ab.icon = "bell-fill text-warning"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Multiple conditions on one automation​

A single automation can watch multiple entities or actions. The automation fires when any condition is matched.

The example below notifies the team when a curve build either succeeds or fails.

//#region Create a curve build result automation
ab = AutomationBuilder("curve", "private", "MY_CURVE_OBJECT:CLOSE")
ab.addCondition("success")
ab.addCondition("failed")
ab.setTarget("email")
ab.setProperty("to", "curves-team@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "Curve build update: MY_CURVE_OBJECT:CLOSE")
ab.icon = "graph-up text-primary"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Triggering a process from an automation​

You can chain automations with processes — for example, running a downstream enrichment process whenever a dataset completes.

//#region Trigger a process when a dataset completes
ab = AutomationBuilder("dataset", "private", "MY_PROVIDER.FEED.PRODUCT")
ab.addCondition("complete")
ab.setTarget("process")
ab.setProperty("process", "MY_ENRICHMENT_PROCESS")
ab.icon = "arrow-right-circle text-success"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Sending data to a queue​

You can publish event payloads to a message queue for downstream consumers to process.

//#region Publish object updates to a queue
ab = AutomationBuilder("object", "private", "MY_MASTER_DATA_OBJECT")
ab.addCondition("update")
ab.setTarget("queue")
ab.setProperty("queue", "MY_DOWNSTREAM_QUEUE")
ab.icon = "send text-info"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Using a dependent ID​

Some automations need to watch an entity that depends on another. For example, an event that triggers a downstream event curve build can be tracked using the optional did (dependent ID) field on the condition.

//#region Watch an event that drives a curve build
ab = AutomationBuilder("event", "private", "MY_OBJECT:TRADES")
ab.addConditionWithDid("create", "MY_OBJECT:CURVE")
ab.setTarget("email")
ab.setProperty("to", "data-team@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "Trade event received for MY_OBJECT")
ab.icon = "calendar-event text-primary"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Disabling an automation​

Set enabled to false to pause an automation without deleting it. You can re-enable it at any time.

//#region Disable an existing automation
auto = ${automation:"MY_AUTOMATION_ID"}
auto.enabled = false
save ${automation:auto}
//#endregion

Deleting an automation​

//#region Delete an automation
delete ${automation:"MY_AUTOMATION_ID"}
//#endregion
Finding your automation ID

After saving an automation, the platform assigns it a unique _id. You can retrieve it by listing your automations in the portal or querying the automation service.

Advanced features​

Automations support a set of special properties that begin with @. These give you fine-grained control over when an automation fires and how the data is shaped before it is delivered.

Transforming data with a mustache template​

By default, the automation sends the raw triggered entity to the target. You can reshape the data before delivery by setting the @transformer property to the ID of a mustache script stored in the platform.

This is useful when a target expects a specific format — for example, a CSV layout for an email attachment.

//#region Send a transformed CSV when an object is created
ab = AutomationBuilder("object", "private", "*")
ab.addCondition("create")
ab.setTarget("email_attachment")
ab.setProperty("to", "analyst@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "New object created")
ab.setProperty("attachmentName", "created.csv")
ab.setProperty("@transformer", "example-odsl\\0.DEMO\\DefaultTemplates\\AutomationObject_CSV")
ab.icon = "envelope-paper text-outlook"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion
note

The mustache script must already exist in the platform as a script of type mustache before the automation runs. See Scripts for how to upload scripts.

Filtering update triggers by property name​

When triggering on an update action, you may only want to react when a specific property on the entity has changed — not every update. Set @propertyName to the name of the property to watch.

The example below fires only when the status property of an object is updated:

//#region Notify when the status property of an object changes
ab = AutomationBuilder("object", "private", "MY_MASTER_DATA_OBJECT")
ab.addCondition("update")
ab.setTarget("email")
ab.setProperty("to", "ops-team@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "Status changed: MY_MASTER_DATA_OBJECT")
ab.setProperty("@propertyName", "status")
ab.icon = "envelope-at text-outlook"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Filtering create triggers by property value​

When triggering on a create action, you can narrow the automation to only fire when a newly created entity has a specific property set to a specific value. Use @propertyName and @propertyValue together.

This is particularly powerful with a wildcard id of * — the automation watches all new entities of a service type, but only fires when the property filter matches.

The example below fires whenever any object is created whose _type is #Object:

//#region Notify when any object of type #Object is created
ab = AutomationBuilder("object", "private", "*")
ab.addCondition("create")
ab.setTarget("email_attachment")
ab.setProperty("to", "data-team@example.com")
ab.setProperty("subject", "New #Object created")
ab.setProperty("attachmentName", "created.csv")
ab.setProperty("@transformer", "example-odsl\\0.DEMO\\DefaultTemplates\\AutomationObject_CSV")
ab.setProperty("@propertyName", "_type")
ab.setProperty("@propertyValue", "#Object")
ab.icon = "envelope-paper text-outlook"
ab.enabled = true
save ${automation:ab}
//#endregion

Summary of @ properties​

PropertyApplies to actionDescription
@transformerAnyID of a mustache script used to transform the data before delivery
@propertyNameupdateOnly fire when this named property has changed
@propertyNamecreateCombined with @propertyValue — only fire when this property equals the given value
@propertyValuecreateThe value that @propertyName must equal for the automation to fire
Using wildcards

Set the condition id to * to watch all entities in a service. Combined with @propertyName and @propertyValue, this lets you build broad automations that react selectively to meaningful changes across your entire dataset.

Next steps​

  • Automation Targets — explore the full list of available targets and their configuration properties
  • Automation Logs — monitor and troubleshoot your automation executions
  • Automation Basics — revisit the core concepts and trigger reference