Operator in PX?

[raju_chvr]

Can someone give me and idea abt this ?

I have no clue about PX. Yesterday someone asked what are Operators in PX. I told them I will get back to you tomorrow.

Can someone enlighten me on this with small examples and little descritpion.

[bigpoppa]

An operator in PX is the same thing as a stage in DataStage Server. An operator is a piece of ETL code that is displayed as an icon in the GUI, similar to a stage in DS Server.

PX operators offer different functionality than do Server's stages. And PX operators run only on the PX engine which is separate from Server's engine.

- BP

[raju_chvr]

Thanks bigpoppa. Time to show off for me :D

So, you use OSH for writing OPERATORS and later save them, compile them, make them as a stage and use them in PX jobs.

Is that the usage of them ?

[ray.wurlod]

I noticed that you specified 5.x as your DataStage release.
If that's true, you don't have PX at all!

[raju_chvr]

Unfortunately yes ! We have DS 5.1 and have the sw for DS 7.0. But still didn't updated it ?


Yepp the client is real slow here !

[bigpoppa]

Thanks bigpoppa. Time to show off for me :D

So, you use OSH for writing OPERATORS and later save them, compile them, make them as a stage and use them in PX jobs.

Is that the usage of them ?

What you're describing is a build-op. An "operator" is just a generic term for a PX stage. A build-op is a type of custom operator. Another type of a custom operator can be built using the PX API. PX build-ops can be written on the server or the client side of PX.

- BP

[raju_chvr]

To follow that statement,

1) What are the default Operators that come with PX?

2) Do we need DataStage on the same machine that has PX ?

3) How PX licenses are sold ? Are they sold on the basis of: number of nodes we need ?

4) What are all the languages that are allowed to develop the PX operators?

Please excuse me for some of simple and stupid questions. I know many of these can be found in PX documentation. The problem here is I have neither PX nor the documentation.

The whole topic started with a silly question in PX and had drive me to gather more info on PX.

[Teej]

1) What are the default Operators that come with PX?

Far more than what you see with DataStage Server in term of active stage (operators). You get Lookup, Aggregator, Merge (not the same as Server Merge), Join, Funnel, ... a whole bunch.

2) Do we need DataStage on the same machine that has PX ?

Technically, no. It is possible to run the PX engine with pure OSH code on a machine that does not have DS Server installed (other than licensing). However, it is not taking advantage of the Server's GUI interface as the PX engine is just a wrap on. You will be strongly advised to ensure that both exists on the same machine.

3) How PX licenses are sold ? Are they sold on the basis of: number of nodes we need ?

This is something you need to ask your Ascential Sales dude. As we know very well, each client will get their own unique customized pricing plan based on their needs, including many other factors. We can not really answer this question here. Ask your sales guy.

4) What are all the languages that are allowed to develop the PX operators?

To build a stage, you need to have a strong familiarity with C++. In order to build a Custom Stage, you will need to learn about the OSH's API structure. Those can be provided on request by your Ascential rep.

I hope I am not confusing anyone here by using the term "stage" instead of "operator". Considering the constant drive by Ascential to merge both technology into a whole, it's illogical to give different names to similiar concepts. Unless you intend to purely develop in OSH (which is where the term operators really came from), just call it a stage when you see it on the GUI.

-T.J.

[raju_chvr]

No Teej. U didn't confuse me. That is a perfect answer, I am looking for.

One last question(may be I think so :D

What is the client GUI interface for PX ? Is it DataStage client Designer itself for developing the jobs and, Are DS Director, Manager also used here.

I am assuming that DS Administrator may not be useful here for PX.

[Teej]

You use the same GUI programs you use for Server jobs. In Designer, you will be given an option to develop a Server or Parallel job. In 7.x, there are a lot more options to chose from (Parallel Containers...). You run both type of jobs from Director and dsjob.exe, and you can migrate both types from Manager. In Administrator, there are a lot more options you will need to manage for Parallel jobs.

-T.J.