Table of Contents
SANDBOX
Category: Create / Input
Description
This action creates a temporary table that is typically used for one-time calculations. Sandboxes can be populated with result data of any action, or pasted from the clipboard.
Use cases
Besides ad hoc calculations, sandboxes can be used in a few more cases:
* Since Sandboxes survive reloads, you can compare a workflow result before and after changes. Send the result to a Sandbox, make changes in the workflows, then compare the new result with the old result in the Sandbox.
* Together with Either table transformation Sandbox can be used to safely insert an arbitrary dataset into any point of a transformation chain, which can be useful for debugging and development purposes. In this scenario insert Either table and point its second input to a table created using Sandbox transformation.
Populating a Sandbox with data
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Paste data | This option will paste data that has been copied to the clipboard. Options for headers, delimiters, and decimal provide fine-tuning of the pasted data. |
| Import dataset | This option allows for browsing to and selecting an external dataset (.dset file) to populate the Sandbox with. |
Creating and Populating a Sandbox from another action
By right-clicking an action that generates output data and selecting Send to sandbox/module > New sandbox, you create a new sandbox populated with the data from the source action. Selecting New sandbox in new group creates a new group and inserts a new sandbox action populated with the data from the source action.
Remarks
Data in sandboxes survives reloads - contents don't change on partial or full reloads - although it doesn't survive re-opening the project. When a project is opened all of its sandboxes start empty.
Shortcuts
Fast ways to create the action:
- Right-click an action and select "Send to sandbox/module", then "New sandbox" or "New sandbox in new group" (as described above).
- First copy data to the clipboard from an internal or external source, and:
- Press the "Add data" menu button. Pick "Paste from clipboard", or
- Right-click the application window and select "Paste data".