Automation

Overview

Automations in Ascend are tools that help you enhance your data management workflows. They enable a variety of tasks, improving efficiency and intelligence throughout the data lifecycle. Use Automations to initiate and schedule Flow Runs, handle tasks, and manage data within the Ascend environment.

Key features

1. Event-driven Triggers

• Flow completion: Trigger Automations when a Flow completes, allowing smooth transitions between data processing stages.
• Schedules: Time-based triggers run Automations at set intervals, ensuring tasks execute on schedule.

2. Logic and customization

• Conditional logic: Automations can be triggered using "if this, then that" conditions or more complex rules to control behavior.
• Custom automations: Create fully customized Automations for unique use cases.

3. Pre-built Automations

• Automation library: Access pre-built Automations for common scenarios. Customize them to fit specific requirements.

Core concepts: Triggers and Actions

Ascend's automation framework is built on two key components: Triggers and Actions.

• Triggers are events or conditions that start an automation, such as completing a data Flow or receiving a new data file.
• Actions are the steps taken in response to Triggers, like running a new Flow, sending notifications, or updating data.

This modular approach lets you create complex, data-driven workflows by combining various Triggers and Actions, enhancing efficiency and control.

The diagram shows how Triggers and Actions work in Ascend's automation framework. Triggers are events or conditions generated by the Event Bus within Ascend, while Actions are tasks executed in response. Ascend's DataAware Automation Engine manages the entire process.

Additional use cases

Ascend's automation capabilities support various scenarios, including:

• Automated retries and failure handling: Implement retry logic and error handling to improve the resilience of your data pipelines, reducing downtime and manual intervention.
• Proactive monitoring and alerting: Set up alerts and notifications for critical events, like SLA breaches or data quality issues, enabling timely responses.
• Automated optimization and scaling: Dynamically adjust and scale data workflows based on changing business needs or resource utilization for optimal performance.

Maximizing the power of Automations

As you explore Ascend's automation framework, remember that its true power lies in your ability to creatively design automations tailored to your specific needs. By leveraging the flexibility and extensibility of this platform, you can unlock significant efficiency gains, allowing you to focus on high-value data initiatives.