Load Metadata with the Collector Engine

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Last updated: Sept 18, 2023 by Pamela Totas (Deactivated)
2 min read

In the Metadata Manager, the Collector Engine gathers metadata from file systems, databases, and third parties by using bots and loads this metadata into the Metadata Manager's database. 

About the Collector Engine

Bots are scripts or database stored procedures used to collect metadata stored in files systems (FS bots), or metadata stored in databases (DB bots). Bot packages are standalone portable files that contain the bot and bot information and the associated metadata. See the Manage Bots section.

The Collector Engine may be submitted to run ad hoc, or on a schedule. You can view the history of all previous Collector Engine runs, which bots were executed, and the duration of each bot run, as well as the total duration of each Collector Engine run. You can also view logs from all Collector Engine runs.

The Collector Engine also gathers and loads metadata in CSV files created by the CSV Loader utility. 

About Bots

In the Metadata Manager, the Collector Engine uses bots (scripts or database stored procedures) to collect metadata. Bots are grouped into standalone packages which you can export and import into different environments. The Collector Engine runs the available bots based on the options you specify.

Bots allow you to collect the following metadata:

  • Items. Collect items for the specified type.

  • Item attributes. Collect attributes for the items.

  • Parents and children. Collect relationship metadata for the items.

  • Maps. Collect all available maps.

  • Map relations. Collect map relationships for map items (source to target).

  • Map attributes. Collect map attributes.

  • Type attributes. Collect the existing type attributes.

To export a bot package:

  1. From any Metadata Manager window, click Types in the navigation path, or click the Types bottom tab to display types in the workspace.

  2. In the Types window, click a row to select the type for which you wish to export a bot.

  3. Click Metadata, click the Types drop down and select Edit.
    You see the Editing Type window.

  4. In the CollectorInformation area, click to select an existing bot and click the Export icon on the right to export the bot as a bot package.
    You see a Save Bot to File dialog box with the bot file name and FileSave as type equal to Database Bot.

  5. Click Save.
    You see the Bot Export Completed dialog.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Click Close to close the Editing Type window.

To import a bot package:

  1. From any Metadata Manager window, click Types in the navigation path, or click the Types bottom tab to display types in the workspace.

  2. Click Import.
    You see the Select Bot Package dialog box.

  3. In the Files of type drop down, click All Bots to view the bots available for import.

  4. Click to select the appropriate bot file name and click Open.
    If the import is successful, you see the Bot Import Completed dialog box. All the details for the Collector Engine to run the bot during the next run are imported.
    If the import is not successful, for example, if the databases are incompatible between the export and the import environments, you will see the "Bot import failed" error message.

  5. If the databases are incompatible between the import and export environments, select a different environment where the import database is compatible with the export database.