Flatmap

Process data reliabily and continuously in Albert using Flatmap Data Recipes

Flatmap is a software service inside Albert responsible for processing data recipes.

Flatmap provides powerful verbs in the data recipe grammar, including acquire, attach, begin, bend, join, model, test, package, and unload. (All Hyperlinks)

Flatmap accepts incoming data in the form of ingredients, including CSV (Comma Separated Values), Excel Spreadsheets, Fixed Width Format, and Web Service API’s that provide JSON and XML encodings.

Flatmap reliably transforms and transmits data using a set of instructions, defined in the data recipe grammar. For example, if you have a Census CSV file with a list of employees and an Excel file with a set of Retirement Account contributions, you can easily join these together with a simple data recipe.

Flatmap is a crucial innovation for data professionals. Often data transformation and exchange processes are written in code routines locked away in ivory towers or embedded inside complex EDI tools that only a few team members understand (Example: Microsoft SSIS).

Data recipes that: follow conventions self-describe in the filesystem, and distribute as version-controlled projects enable professionals to know the exact processing process and collaborate with their peers on new projects and revising existing processes.

Flatmap processing results in a set of Documents, each isolated on a per-identity basis. Your data recipe will create an isolated data record for each employee in your business. This isolated data record contains the employees PII (personally-identifying information) joined in from many different ingredients (Payroll, Retirement, Benefits, Health, Activity, Engagement, Compliance, anything you can think of!)

Flatmap outputs to Albert, making each of the Documents created accessible to the rest of the Albert applications and visualizations in your project.

Are you an Excel VLOOKUP power user? Take 5 minutes to learn Flatmap Join; Albert will change your career.