Create a TimeXtender Ingest package
A TimeXtender Ingest package runs an ingest task in TimeXtender Data Integration, the step that pulls data from a source system into the data estate. Use it when the loading is TimeXtender Data Integration's job but the timing and ordering of it belong in an orchestration flow alongside everything else.
The package holds a reference to the TimeXtender Data Integration object, not a copy of it. Change what the task does in TimeXtender Data Integration and this package runs the new version, which is worth remembering before editing anything there that orchestration depends on.
Three stages, three package types. Ingest is the first of the three TimeXtender Data Integration stages, and what it produces is what a Prepare package then transforms. All three are configured the same way: select a TimeXtender Data Integration connection, then select the task to run.
Prerequisites
- A TimeXtender Data Integration connection in the workspace. Selecting it loads the tasks available in that instance, so if the list is empty the connection is the place to look.
Create the package
- Go to Orchestration > Packages and select Create.
- Select Timextender Ingest package from the Timextender area, then select Create.
- Enter a name for the package. Name it for what it achieves, for example "Load ERP Europe into the data estate".
- Select the Data provider: Select the Timextender Data Integration connection to use.
- Select the Task: The Timextender Data Integration ingest task to execute. The list is read from TimeXtender Data Integration for the selected connection, and the refresh button beside the field re-reads it, which you need after creating something in TimeXtender Data Integration while this page was open.
- Select Save.
Best practices
- One package per task. Chaining several TimeXtender Data Integration tasks inside one package is not possible, and it would hide which one failed. Use a process map to order them.
- Mirror the TimeXtender Data Integration pipeline in your process map. Ingest, then Prepare, then Deliver, with dependencies between them, so a failed ingest stops the transform instead of transforming yesterday's data.
- Name the package for the business outcome rather than the TimeXtender Data Integration object. "Load ERP Europe" reads better in a schedule than the task's internal name.
- Keep one connection per environment and select the right one per package, rather than repointing a single connection when promoting.
Troubleshooting
The task picker is empty, with a message about fetching instances. The data provider's instances have not been fetched and mapped yet. On the data provider, select Fetch Instances, map the instances, for example DEV and PROD, and save. The tasks then appear, each listed once, under the Instance Group column. The exact message is "Fetch and map instances on this Data Provider before adding packages."
The same task is listed several times, once per instance. The data provider's instances have not been mapped. Fetch and map its instances to collapse the duplicates. A package already bound on such a provider keeps its saved selection when you reopen it; it is never silently cleared.
The task list is empty. The connection cannot reach TimeXtender Data Integration, or its API key has been revoked. Check the data provider, then use the refresh button beside the field.
The list loads but the task you want is missing. It may not exist in the instance this connection points at, for example when the connection is for Test and the object was created in Production.
A package that worked now fails with an authentication error. The TimeXtender Data Integration API key on the data provider has expired or been rotated. Fix it on the data provider; packages pick up the new value without being edited.
The task was renamed in TimeXtender Data Integration. The package stores the reference it was configured with. Reopen the package, select the task again from the refreshed list, and save.
Reference
Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Data provider | Yes | Select the Timextender Data Integration connection to use. |
| Task | Yes | The Timextender Data Integration ingest task to execute. Has a refresh button. |
Validation: Please select a Timextender Data Integration connection, Please select an ingest task.
Behaviour worth knowing
The package stores the selected object's reference, not a copy of it. Changing what the task or package does in TimeXtender Data Integration changes what this package runs, with no edit here.
Related articles
- Packages overview
- Create a TimeXtender Prepare package and Create a TimeXtender Deliver package, the next two stages
- Running a TDI execution in Turnkey
- Orchestrating TDI
