APL is a structural language with a syntax that to a great extent resembles Java or C/C++ programming language. It supports most standard features of a programming language, plus interfaces to the MediationZone platform for manual logging of events and errors etc. To enable advanced processing it is also possible to load dynamic plug-in functions.
Function Blocks
The APL code is divided into function blocks where each block is executed at different stages of the data processing. The number and type of function blocks executed depends on whether the APL is used in a batch or real-time workflow. The figure below illustrates the executed function blocks and their order depending on workflow type.
Function blocks in batch and real-Time processing workflows
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To add APL to a processing flow, the Analysis Agent or the Aggregation Agent can be used. The APL code is written within the agents to perform tasks like data validation. Separate APL Code configurations can also be imported into these agents.
Example of APL code in an Analysis agent
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APL is accessible from the Analysis and Aggregation agents and from various applications in the system where flexibility is required, and it can be extended with custom plug-in functions using the Development Toolkit (DTK).
APL is tightly integrated into the UDR and workflow models, enabling access and manipulation of runtime-, persistent-, and meta-data. Examples of such functionality include:
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