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Understand Input Configuration File Examples for biGENIUS Discovery CLI

 

 

Overview

The biGENIUS Discovery CLI supports reading configuration properties from external files using the --properties-file option. This feature is available in both the create and create-and-discover commands. The CLI automatically detects the file format based on the file extension and supports multiple file formats.

 

Usage

# Using with create command
create <discovery-type> --name <name> --properties-file <file-path>

# Using with create-and-discover command
create-and-discover <discovery-type> --name <name> --properties-file <file-path>

Supported File Formats

The CLI supports the following file formats:

Format

 

Extensions

 

Description

 

CSV

.csv

Comma-separated values file

Environment

.env

Environment variables file

INI

.ini

INI configuration file

JSON

.json

JavaScript Object Notation file

TOML

.toml

Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language file

XML

.xml

Extensible Markup Language file

YAML

.yaml, .yml

YAML Ain't Markup Language file

File Format Examples

CSV Format (.csv)

FilePathType,FilePath,ColumnDelimiter,FieldQuote,RowDelimiter
"Directory With Partitioned Entities","C:\data","|","""","\r\n"
 
Notes:

  • First row must contain property names

  • Values should be properly quoted if they contain special characters

  • Double quotes within values should be escaped with another double quote

 

Environment Format (.env)

FilePathType="Directory With Partitioned Entities"
FilePath="C:\data"
ColumnDelimiter="|"
FieldQuote="""
RowDelimiter="\r\n"
 

Notes:

  • Property names are case-sensitive

  • Values can be quoted (recommended for special characters)

  • Backslashes do not have to be escaped

 

INI Format (.ini) 

FilePathType=Directory With Partitioned Entities
FilePath=C:\data
ColumnDelimiter=|
FieldQuote="
RowDelimiter=\r\n

 

Notes:

  • Values don't need quotes unless they contain special characters

  • Backslashes in paths don't need to be escaped

  • Special characters don’t need to be escaped

 

JSON Format (.json) 

{
    "FilePathType": "Directory With Partitioned Entities",
    "FilePath": "C:\\data",
    "ColumnDelimiter": "|",
    "FieldQuote": "\"",
    "RowDelimiter": "\\r\\n"
}

 

Notes:

  • Must be valid JSON format

  • All strings must be quoted

  • Backslashes must be escaped

  • Special characters must be escaped

 

TOML Format (.toml)

{
    "FilePathType": "Directory With Partitioned Entities",
    "FilePath": "C:\\data",
    "ColumnDelimiter": "|",
    "FieldQuote": "\"",
    "RowDelimiter": "\\r\\n"
}

 

Notes:

  • Values must be properly quoted

  • Backslashes must be escaped

  • Special characters must be escaped

 

XML Format (.xml) 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<FileProcessingConfig>
  <FilePathType>Directory With Partitioned Entities</FilePathType>
  <FilePath>C:\data</FilePath>
  <ColumnDelimiter>|</ColumnDelimiter>
  <FieldQuote>&quot;</FieldQuote>
  <RowDelimiter>\r\n</RowDelimiter>
</FileProcessingConfig>

 

Notes:

  • Root element name is ignored

  • Special characters should use XML entities

  • Backslashes in paths don't need to be escaped

  • Property names are case-sensitive

 

YAML Format (.yaml, .yml)

FilePathType: "Directory With Partitioned Entities"
FilePath: "C:\data"
ColumnDelimiter: "|"
FieldQuote: """
RowDelimiter: "\r\n"
 

Notes:

  • Simple values don't need quotes

  • Special characters should be quoted

  • Backslashes must not be escaped

 

Best Practices

  1. File Naming:

    • Use descriptive names that indicate the configuration type

    • Always include the correct file extension

    • Example: sqlserver-config.json, csv-local.yaml

  2. Value Formatting:

    • Always quote values containing special characters

    • Properly escape backslashes in paths

    • Use appropriate escaping for quotes within values

  3. Property Names:

    • Use consistent casing (the CLI is case-sensitive)

    • Match the exact property names from the discovery type

    • Avoid spaces in property names

 

Common Issues and Solutions

  1. File Not Found:

    • Ensure the file path is correct

    • Use absolute paths or paths relative to the current directory

    • Check file permissions

  2. Format Detection:

    • Make sure the file extension matches the actual format

    • Ensure the file content matches the expected format

    • Check for syntax errors in the file

  3. Property Mapping:

    • Verify property names match the discovery type

    • Check for case sensitivity issues

    • Ensure all required properties are present

  4. Special Characters:

    • Use proper escaping for backslashes

    • Quote values containing special characters

    • Use appropriate escaping for quotes within values

 

Examples

Here are complete examples of using properties files with different formats:

# Create a CSV Local configuration using a JSON file
create "CSV Local" --name "MyCSV" --properties-file "CsvLocal.json"

# Create and discover a CSV Local configuration using a YAML file
create-and-discover "CSV Local" --name "MyCSV" --properties-file "CsvLocal.yaml"

# Create a configuration using an environment file
create "CSV Local" --name "MyCSV" --properties-file ".env"
 
Remember that you can combine properties files with command-line properties, where command-line properties will override file properties:
 # Override a property from the file
create "CSV Local" --name "MyCSV" --properties-file "config.json" --properties FilePath="C:\new\path"
 

Demonstration video