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Using Parameters in BlueSky Integration Studio Jobs

Parameters are an extremely powerful feature of BlueSky Integration Studio. Using simple XML style tags, you can use parameters for just about anything! Here are just a few examples:

| In SQL Statements allowing you can pass in WHERE clause values dynamically. For instance: WHERE EFFECTIVE_DATE >= '<CRP>EFFDATE</CRP>'
| For Username and Passwords, so you don't have to hard code passwords directly into your job.
| As DataProvider or ODBC Data Source names. Build a generic job, take it to your client and point it to their DataSource by simply passing it in as a parameter.
| Don't necessarily know the name of the text file coming in? Make it a parameter and you can pass the filename in just prior to running the job.
| Pre-packaged integration components: Build packaged designs that you can compile as a .NET component and incorporate into your program, allowing your customer to configure the object through the use of parameters.

Creating a parameter definition

Creating parameters are as simple as giving it a name and a default value. Parameters are specific to each job through the Job properties.

1. Click anywhere on the designer window of your job (so that no objects are selected).

2. Select the View->Properties menu item (or press F4) to get the properties window.

3. Select the JobParameters property and click the ellipse button. You will get a window where you can create and maintain an unlimited number of parameters for your job. Just give it a name and a default value.

Using the Parameters in your job

Now you are ready to use the parameter in your job. You can use parameters in the place of the actual values almost anywhere. You simply wrap your parameter name in the Parameter XML tags (<CRP>PARAMNAME</CRP>) and insert the parameter tag in place of where you would normally put the actual value, whether that data is a string and within quotes, or simply the value of a property in the designer.

Here are some examples:

As a property value:

Embedded in a SQL statement:

When will I give each of the parameters a value prior to running the job?

From the Job Control Window

When you click the Run button in the Job control window to run your job, the system will automatically detect that you have parameters associated with your job, and it will prompt you for them.

From the Batch Code Object

When you click the 'Add Job' button and select a job to run in your Batch Code Object it will automatically detect if the selected job has associated properties and prompt you for them. Given that BlueSky Integration Studio will automatically generate the code to run the selected job, it will also generate the code to set the parameter values as well.

As a .NET Component

The compiled .NET component for any job contains functions available to manage the jobs parameters in code, including one called SetParameterValue(ByVal pName As String, ByVal pValue As String) where you can set the value of each parameter prior to running the job.

From the Server Component

You can also access the BlueSky Integration Studio server directly from you custom .NET applications by simply referencing the Server Component. The Server Component allows you to run, stop, reset and monitor jobs, as well as pass jobs parameters prior to running them.

See also: Reading and Writing Parameters in code

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