Transforming Data with Custom Code

Custom Code enables you to run Python code from your Jupyter Notebooks to transform and cleanse data inside your ElastiCube models as part of the build process. With Custom Code, you can:

  • Enrich and transform your data during a build
  • Solve complex SQL scenarios with simplified Python
  • Leverage Python libraries for solving modeling issues
  • Connect to 3rd party tools to apply machine learning including AutoML from within Sisense
  • Generate data
  • Retrieve data from private sources by code

Watch this video for more information:

From Sisense, Data Administrators can access the Jupyter UI to create Notebooks hosted on your Sisense server. After having created some custom Notebooks, Data Admins can attach them to the relevant ElastiCube model and define what parameters should be processed by your Notebook.

Watch this video for more information:

If you are not familiar with Jupyter Notebooks, you can learn more here.

Watch this video for more information about using existing Jupyter Notebooks:

From the Data page, you can add custom code through the Notebook Library. The Notebook Library is the centralized location for your Notebooks. It contains sample Notebooks provided by Sisense, as well as custom Notebooks you can create.

After you transform or cleanse your data with your Notebooks, the updated tables or columns are added to your ElastiCube model.

Adding Notebooks

The library tiles displayed in your Notebook Library are configured according to Notebook Manifests. Each manifest holds the definitions for a single Notebook, including the text to display in the library, parameters to pass to the Notebook, and the column definitions for the output to be added to the data model.

This section describes how to create manifest files for your Notebooks and upload them.

Creating Manifest Files

Each notebook is linked to the Notebook Library by a Notebook manifest. The manifest is a JSON file that contains key-value pairs that display text in the Notebook Library and defines the schema definitions for additional parameters. These additional parameters are passed to the Notebook to determine the output columns of the notebook that will be transformed into a Custom Code table.

When creating a new Notebook, Sisense provides an easy-to-use interface to help you automatically create a manifest file.

To automatically create a new manifest file:

  1. From your ElastiCube model, select +Custom > Add Custom Code.

  1. The Add Custom Code screen is displayed. Click Next.

  1. Select a Notebook from the relevant category for your purposes: Getting Started, General Notebooks, AWS Services Examples, or Examples.
  2. If you select Create your own Notebook, begin configuring the manifest file for the Notebook. If you select another Notebook, click Edit notebook to configure the Notebook.
  3. Enter the information for the Notebook.
Field Description
Notebook name Unique Notebook name
Description The Notebook description to display in the Sisense Notebook Library
Group Group notebooks together under Group Name, in Notebook Library, for instance “My Notebooks”
Icon

Enter a Base64 representation of an icon.

If you leave this blank, it will display a Jupyter Notebook icon.
Timeout Timeout in seconds

  1. Click +Add Input to set the input parameters. Select an input type, enter the following parameters, and click Add:

    • Input Title: The displayed name for the input typeInput
    • ID: The ID used in the Notebook for this input type
    • Column Type: Select the column type for this input type
    • Send: Adds this input ID to the Notebook on a build
    • DependsOn: Does the custom code table depend on the results of another table or column
    • Primary: This table or column is the primary element upon which all results are based

  2. Click +Add column, select a column type, enter a column name for the output column, and click Add.

  3. Click Next and choose a table (or a column) from the +Choose a table (or +Choose a column) list and click Done. If you need to revise the manifest configuration, click Edit notebook.

Applying Custom Code to your ElastiCube Models

You can apply Custom Code on three different levels, on the column level, table level, or the ElastiCube model level. Custom Code is enabled or disabled from the different levels according to the availability of Notebooks relevant for that level. For example, Custom Code is available on the table level when there is a Notebook that has a single table in its additional parameters, as defined in the Notebook manifest.

Watch this video for more information:

To apply Custom Code:

Column Level

  1. Hover over a column on the menu on the left side (nested under the table).

  2. Click the table menu.

  3. Click Add Custom Code.

The Notebook Library is displayed.

Table Level

  1. Hover over a table on the menu on the left side (nested under the table).

  2. Click the table menu.

  3. Click Add Custom Code. The Notebook Library is displayed.

Data Model

  • In your data model, click + Custom > Add Custom Code. The Notebook Library is displayed.

For all Levels

  1. In the Notebook Library, select a Jupyter Notebook from the existing library.

  2. Define the additional parameters to serve as input arguments to the Notebook. The Notebook runs as part of the build process.

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