Parameterize metadata objects

Parameterize metadata objects

In ThoughtSpot, metadata parameterization refers to the process of assigning variables to certain properties and fields within metadata objects such as Connections and Tables. These variables can have different values assigned for each Org context, which are applied dynamically at runtime, rather than relying on hardcoded static values.

Metadata parameterization with variables allows administrators to reuse and propagate the same metadata object across various Orgs and environments within a ThoughtSpot instance while maintaining a consistent data structure of objects across Orgs.

Before you begin🔗

  • Ensure that that variables are available on your instance. You can use the variable search API to get a list of variables.

  • Ensure that you have edit access to the Connections and Tables to which you want to assign variables.

How to parameterize objects🔗

You can update the properties of a Connection or Table to parameterize or remove parameterization by using one of the following options:

  • Use REST APIs
    To parameterize the properties of a metadata object, send an API request to the /api/rest/2.0/metadata/parameterize endpoint.
    To remove parameterization, use the the /api/rest/2.0/metadata/parameterize API endpoint.

  • Edit the TML representation of the object
    You can edit the TML object directly and assign variables.
    For example, to parameterize the properties of a Table, open the TML of the Table object in the edit mode and assign the variables to the properties as shown here:

    table:
  name: Sales
  db: "${DATABASE}"
  schema: "${SCHEMA_VAR}"
  db_table: "${TABLE_VAR}"

Parameterize object properties using REST API🔗

To parameterize properties of a metadata object, send a POST request to the /api/rest/2.0/metadata/parameterize API endpoint, with the following attributes in the request body.

Request parameters🔗

In your POST request body, include the following parameters:

ParameterDescription

metadata_type Optional

String. Type of the metadata object. Valid values are:

  • LOGICAL_TABLE
    Use this option for Tables

  • CONNECTION
    Use this option for data connection objects.

Note that this attribute is optional if a GUID is specified as metadata_identifier in the request. If you have specified the object name instead of the GUID, and multiple objects in your Org share that name, make sure to specify the metadata type.

metadata_identifier

String. ID or name of the metadata object.

field_type

String. Type of object property. Valid values are:

  • ATTRIBUTE for Tables

  • CONNECTION_PROPERTY for Connections

field_name

String. The name of the field to parameterize.

For tables, use one of the following names, depending on the property that you want to parameterize:

  • databaseName

  • schemaName

  • tableName

For connection objects, specify the exact name of the field or property to parameterize. For example, accountName, role, and warehouse.

variable_identifier

String. ID or name of the variable.

Example request🔗

curl -X POST \
  --url 'https://{ThoughtSpot-Host}/api/rest/2.0/metadata/parameterize'  \
  -H 'Accept: application/json' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {AUTH_TOKEN}' \
  --data-raw '{
  "metadata_identifier": "eefd754f-7146-432d-9ad6-2c730264ecc8",
  "field_type": "ATTRIBUTE",
  "field_name": "schemaName",
  "variable_identifier": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "metadata_type": "LOGICAL_TABLE"
}'

If the API request is successful, ThoughtSpot returns a 204 response indicating that the variable has been successfully assigned to the specified object.

Remove parameterization using REST API🔗

To remove the variables assigned to a Connection or Table and restore static values, send a POST request to the /api/rest/2.0/metadata/unparameterize API endpoint, with the following attributes in the request body.

Request parameters🔗

In your POST request body, include the following parameters:

ParameterDescription

metadata_type Optional

String. Type of the metadata object. Valid values are:

  • LOGICAL_TABLE
    Use this option for Tables

  • CONNECTION
    Use this option for data connection objects

Note that this attribute is optional if a GUID is specified as metadata_identifier in the request. If you have specified the object name instead of the GUID, and multiple objects in your Org share that name, make sure to specify the metadata type.

metadata_identifier

String. ID or name of the metadata object.

field_type

String. Type of object property. Valid values are:

  • ATTRIBUTE for Tables

  • CONNECTION_PROPERTY for Connections

field_name

String. The name of the field to parameterize.

For Table attributes, use one of the following options:

  • databaseName

  • schemaName

  • tableName

For connection objects, specify the name of the field or property for which you want to restore a static value.

value

String. Value to assign to the object property. This will assign a static value and remove the variable from the object property.

Example request🔗

curl -X POST \
  --url 'https://{ThoughtSpot-Host}/api/rest/2.0/metadata/unparameterize'  \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {AUTH_TOKEN}' \
  --data-raw '{
  "metadata_identifier": "metadata_identifier2",
  "field_type": "ATTRIBUTE",
  "field_name": "field_name0",
  "value": "sales",
  "metadata_type": "LOGICAL_TABLE"
}'

If the API request is successful, ThoughtSpot returns a 204 response indicating that the variable has been successfully removed from the specified object.