CONFIG_ENTITY_DEFAULTS

CONFIG_ENTITY_DEFAULTS is a configuration package used to define the default settings applied to entities in Agile Data Engine. It helps standardize and streamline the entity creation process by predefining how new entities should behave.

Within this package you can configure settings such as:

• Entity types – Define default schemas, naming conventions, and physical types for entities (e.g., FACT, DIM, HUB, SAT, LINK). These settings determine the structural and behavioral defaults applied when new entities of each type are created.

• Attribute types – Configure technical attribute types such as HASH_KEY, LOAD_TIME, TIMESLOT, which can be used in various automation scenarios. These types enable load automation features and allow attributes to be dynamically referenced in load steps using variables (e.g. source_entity_attribute_by_{attribute_type}) enabling flexible and reusable logic across loads.

• Default attributes – Define default attributes including data type settings and naming conventions.

• Entity default attributes – Automatically include specific default attributes (e.g., IDs, load timestamps, metadata attributes) in newly created entities with default transformations.

• Default physical options – Set physical options like partitioning or storage settings.

• Default keys – Configure default keys (e.g. PRIMARY_KEY, SORT_KEY) for entities.

• Database tags – Configure database tags that can be assigned for entities and attributes.

These settings control the default behavior of new entities, ensuring consistency across your data model while reducing the need for repetitive manual configuration.

See also:

• Latest default configurations available in ADE default configuration (GitHub)

• Entity types

• CONFIG_LOAD_TRANSFORMATIONS

• Configuration packages

Usage

1. Open the CONFIG_ENTITY_DEFAULTS configuration package.

2. Navigate to the Entity Defaults tab.

3. Configure the following components as needed:

   • Entity Types

   • Default Attributes

   • Attribute Types

   • Database Tags

These settings will be applied automatically when new entities are created.

You can also edit the contents of the package with Show Editor. Refer to the Contents section below for details on the available configuration structure.

Note that after making changes, CONFIG_ENTITY_DEFAULTS will have uncommitted changes. To maintain a change history, it is recommended to commit the package.

Contents

Entity type configuration

Note that you cannot rename or delete entity types that are in use i.e. selected for entities including soft-deleted entities.

Entity type configurations are managed inside a JSON array block named entityTypes.

Example: Entity type configuration

"entityTypes": [
  ...
  {
    "entityType": "BUSINESS_SATELLITE",
    "description": "Business satellite entity",
    "namePrefix": "BSE_",
    "nameSuffix": null,
    "dvEntity": false,
    "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
    "defaultSchema": "bse",
    "defaultZone": "BUSINESS", 
    "parentEntityType": null,
    "relationshipType": null,
    "defaultPhysicalType": "TABLE"
  }
  ...
]

Current views

When defining an entity type for a current view, the following conditions must be met:

• parentEntityType must reference a valid, predefined entity type that includes the following mandatory attribute types:

  • DV_LOAD_TIME

  • One of: DV_DRIVING_KEY, DV_HASHKEY, or DV_REFERENCING_HASHKEY

• byDefaultAutoManaged must be set to true.

• relationshipType must be set to CURRENT_VIEW.

• defaultPhysicalType must be set to VIEW.

• Default attributes should not be defined for current view entity types, as they inherit these from the parent entity type.

• Load types must be explicitly defined for the current view entity type.

Attribute type configuration

Attribute type configurations are managed within the JSON array block named attributeTypes.

You can add a new attribute type or update the contents of an existing attribute type.

Example: Attribute type configuration

"attributeTypes": [
  ...
  {
    "attributeType": "DV_HASHKEY",
    "superAttributeType": null
  }
  ...
]

Default attribute configuration

Default attribute configurations are managed within the JSON array block named defaultAttributes.

Example: Default attribute configuration

"defaultAttributes": [
  . . .
  {
    "defaultAttributeId": "9",
    "attributeNameTemplate": "stg_sort_order",
    "datatype": "INTEGER8",
    "dataPrecision": null,
    "dataScale": null,
    "dataLength": null,
    "description": "Staging sort order",
    "compressionType": null,
    "isNullable": true,
    "isPersistent": true,
    "defaultValue": null,
    "attributeType": "STG_SORT_ORDER"
  }
  . . .
]

Entity type default attribute configuration

Entity type default attribute configurations are managed within the JSON array block named entityTypeDefaultAttributes. This block defines which default attributes are automatically included for each entity type.

Example: Entity type default attribute configuration

"entityTypeDefaultAttributes": [
  ...
  {
    "entityTypeDefaultAttributeId": "1",
    "entityType": "STAGE",
    "defaultAttributeId": "9",
    "position": "1",
    "transformationType": null
  }
  ...
]

Entity type load type configuration

Entity type default load type configurations are managed within the JSON array block named entityTypeDefaultLoadTypes. This block defines the default load types that are associated with specific entity types during load creation.

Example: Entity type load type configuration

"entityTypeDefaultLoadTypes": 
[ 
    ...
    {    
        "defaultLoadTypeId": 1, 
        "entityPhysicalType": "VIEW", 
        "entityType": "SOURCE", 
        "loadType": "TRANSFORM_SQL_VIEW" 
    },  
    ...
]

Physical option configuration for entity types

Configurations for physical options for entity type and physical type combinations are managed within the JSON array block named physicalOptTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes.

This configuration defines which physical options are applied by default based on the combination of entity type and physical type.

Example: Physical option configuration for entity types

"physicalOptTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes": [
  ...
  {
    "physicalOptType": "STORAGE.TRANSIENT_TABLE",
    "entityType": "STAGE",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "value": "true"
  },
  {
    "physicalOptType": "STORAGE.TRANSIENT_TABLE",
    "entityType": "DIM",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "value": "true"
  },
  {
    "physicalOptType": "STORAGE.TRANSIENT_TABLE",
    "entityType": "FACT",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "value": "true"
  },
  {
    "physicalOptType": "STORAGE.TRANSIENT_TABLE",
    "entityType": "FLAT",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "value": "true"
  }
  ...
]

Key configuration for entity types

Key type configurations by entity type and physical type are managed within the JSON array block named keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes.

This configuration defines which keys (e.g., primary keys, sort keys) are applied by default based on the combination of entity type and physical type.

Example: Key configuration for entity types

"keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes": [
  ...
  {
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "cd90bc37-c1e9-467b-a7a8-15c319862ef3",
    "keyType": "SORT_KEY",
    "entityType": "HUB",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "indexOptions": null
  },
  {
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "08b0fa35-8a82-4b2e-8014-44b1ba4a01ab",
    "keyType": "SORT_KEY",
    "entityType": "SAT",
    "physicalType": "TABLE",
    "indexOptions": null
  }
  ...
]

If an existing key type per entity type per physical type needs to be deleted, simply remove it from the set of values before importing the configuration package.

Key attribute configuration

Key attribute configurations are managed within the JSON array block named keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes.

Key attribute configurations define the default attributes used in key configurations (see above).

Example: Key attribute configuration

"keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypes": [
  ...
  {
    "keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "083ee801-0f29-4f18-98f2-fe66b297b969",
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "08b0fa35-8a82-4b2e-8014-44b1ba4a01ab",
    "defaultAttributeId": "1",
    "position": 1,
    "sortDirection": null
  },
  {
    "keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "edb45ed6-8b33-4346-a235-0bce73b054f7",
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "08b0fa35-8a82-4b2e-8014-44b1ba4a01ab",
    "defaultAttributeId": "3",
    "position": 2,
    "sortDirection": null
  },
  {
    "keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "0617964e-a020-4423-b236-a76e77e13568",
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "cd90bc37-c1e9-467b-a7a8-15c319862ef3",
    "defaultAttributeId": "5",
    "position": 2,
    "sortDirection": null
  },
  {
    "keyTypeAttributePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "ed3cd98a-9fed-4f49-9996-81789b5dbe83",
    "keyTypePerEntityTypePerPhysicalTypeId": "cd90bc37-c1e9-467b-a7a8-15c319862ef3",
    "defaultAttributeId": "1",
    "position": 1,
    "sortDirection": null
  }
  ...
]

Examples

Data Vault naming conventions with prefixes

Example naming conventions for basic Data Vault entities. Naming convention uses prefixes H_, S_ and L_ for Data Vault entities.

  "entityTypes": [
    {
      "entityType": "HUB",
      "description": "Hub Entity",
      "namePrefix": "H_",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "rdv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    },
    {
      "entityType": "SAT",
      "description": "Satellite Entity",
      "namePrefix": "S_",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "rdv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    },
    {
      "entityType": "LINK",
      "description": "Link Entity",
      "namePrefix": "L_",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "rdv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    }
  ]

Data Vault naming conventions with suffixes

Example naming conventions for basic Data Vault entities. Naming convention uses prefix DV_ and suffixes _H, _S and _L.

  "entityTypes": [
    {
      "entityType": "HUB",
      "description": "Hub Entity",
      "namePrefix": "DV_",
      "nameSuffix": "_H",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "dv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    },
    {
      "entityType": "SAT",
      "description": "Satellite Entity",
      "namePrefix": "DV_",
      "nameSuffix": "_S",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "dv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    },
    {
      "entityType": "LINK",
      "description": "Link Entity",
      "namePrefix": "DV_",
      "nameSuffix": "_L",
      "dvEntity": true,
      "byDefaultAutoManaged": false,
      "defaultSchema": "dv",
      "defaultZone": "RAW"
    }
  ]