Data Masker Create/Edit PKFK Change Manager Rule Form
Sometimes it is necessary to anonymize the values in the columns of tables which form the join keys between those tables. This type of masking and synchronization requirement can be problematic when done manually since both the masking and synchronization operations have to be performed at the same time. If the classic Substitution and Table-To-Table sync method is used the Table-To-Table rule will fail because the join keys are no longer identical due to the masking operations of the Substitution rule.
The PKFK Manager Rule help page contains a detailed discussion of how the PKFK Change Manager rule works and why you might need it.
The Edit PKFK Change Manager rule form presents options which enable you to modify or configure the behaviour of a PKFK Change Manager rule. The form displays a series of tabs across the top of the page. The function of these tabs is explained below:
The basic operation of the PKFK Change Manager rule is to build a temporary table, populate that table with a distinct set of rows from each of the tables which will be updated. If there are many tables in the rule, then the acquisition of the distinct set of rows can take some time. If the primary table (the one which served as the original source of the PKFK rule) contains a full and distinct set of the rows to be masked, then the checking of the secondary fan-out tables for missing rows is redundant. Checking the Do NOT Test Secondary Tables for Missing Values will cause the PFKF Change Manager to automatically adjust its rule sequence in order to skip the check of data in the secondary tables. This can make the execution of the Command rules in Rule Block 20 much faster.
This option should be used if, and only if, it is certain that the primary table contain a complete set of every possible value to be masked. If this option is checked, and the secondary tables actually contain values not present in the primary tables, then those values will not get masked.
The Rule Sequence Display Panel
When viewed on the main Rules Tab of the Data Masker software, a PKFK Change Manager rule appears as a single entry - like any other rule. However, the PKFK Change Manager Rule is designed to perform a complex sequence of actions and it does this by acting as a container which ecapsulates a series of other rules. When the PFKF Change Manager Rule is executed it will run its encapsulated rules. These encapsulated rules will take advantage of the parallelism of the Data Masker software and other rules which are in the same rule block as the PFKF Change Manager rule can, and will, execute along side them.
The Rule Sequence Display Panel shows the rules which will be executed when the PKFK Change Manager rule is activated. Note that these rules also have rule block values associated with them. These rule blocks are only significant within the PFKF Change Manager. They, and their dependency relationships, determine the order of execution within the PFKF Change Manager. The entire set of rules, as a whole, executes within the rule block of the PKFK Change Manager itself.
In other words, when the PKFK Change Manager is run it will put its rules on the execution queue in the appropriate order. These rules will be scheduled to run according to their own internal order and they will also run in parallel with any other rules which happen to be in the same rule block as the PKFK Change Manager rule.
The Rule Sections
The Rule Statistics button changes the Rule Sequence display to a Rule Statistics display. The screen enables the current progress of each individual rule to be monitored. Note that the Rule Statistics panel on the main form will only display the statistics for the PFKF Change Manager Rule as a whole. Statistics on each individual rule can only be found by looking at this panel.
The image above shows the available statistics. A discussion of the meaning of the values in each of the columns can be found on the main form Rule Statistics Tab help page.
Creating a New PKFK Change Manager Rule
PKFK Change Manager rules are not created using the usual New Rule button located on the bottom of the Rules in Set tab. Instead a template Substitution or Row Internal Sync. rule is created on a table and then this rule is converted into a PFKF Change Manager rule using the putton on the PKFK Change tab of those rules. Once the Convert to PKFK Change Mgr. Rule button is pressed the existing rule will be closed and a PKFK Change Manager rule will be created in its place. The discussion on the PFKF Change Manager Rule help page contains more information on this conversion process. Existing PKFK Change Manager rules can be edited by double clicking on them with the mouse.