Rules in Informatica Analyst Overview
A rule is business logic that defines conditions applied to source data when you run a profile. You can add a rule to the profile to validate data.
You might want to use a rule in different circumstances. You can add a rule to cleanse one or more data columns. You can add a lookup rule that provides information that the source data does not provide. You can add a rule to validate a cleansing rule for a data quality or data integration project.
When you add a rule to a profile, you can create a rule or you can apply a rule.
You can create or apply the following rule types for a profile:
- •Expression rules. Use expression functions and columns to define rule logic. Create expression rules in the Analyst tool. An analyst can create an expression rule and promote it to a reusable rule that other analysts can use in multiple profiles.
- •Predefined rules. Includes reusable rules that a developer creates in the Developer tool. Rules that a developer creates in the Developer tool as mapplets can appear in the Analyst tool as reusable rules.
Rules in a Column Profile
You can create rules when you create a column profile.
After you add a rule to a profile, you can run the profile again for the rule column. The Analyst tool displays profile results for the rule column in summary view. You can view the column results for a rule in detailed view. The output of a rule can be one or more virtual columns. The virtual columns exist in the profile results. The Analyst tool runs a profile on the virtual columns. For example, you use a predefined rule that splits a column that contains first and last names into FIRST_NAME and LAST_NAME virtual columns. The Analyst tool runs the profile on the FIRST_NAME and LAST_NAME columns.
Note: If you delete a rule object that other object types reference, the Analyst tool displays a message that lists those object types. Determine the impact of deleting the rule before you delete it.