Create a Record Type for Databricks

If your data lives in Databricks, you can create a record type to connect to your Databricks instance using direct data access or optimized data access. A record type that connects to Databricks is known as a Databricks-backed record type.

Databricks is listed as a data source shortcut by default. When you select the Databricks shortcut during record type creation, you can choose from any Databricks connected system configured in your environment.

To create a Databricks-backed record type:

1. Create a Databricks connected system.
2. Create a record type object.
3. Choose a data access method.
4. Connect the record type to Databricks using your preferred data access method.

Create a connected system

To connect a record type to Databricks, you must first configure a Databricks connected system.

Create a record type object

To create a record type:

1. In your application, go to the Build view.
2. Click NEW > Record Type.

3. In Create Record Type, configure the following properties:

   Property	Action
   Name	Enter a name for the record type to display in Appian Designer. For example, in the Appian Retail application, you could have a record type named AR Order. Follow the recommended naming standard when creating this name.
   Display Name (Plural)	Review the display name. By default, Appian populates this field with the plural form of the Name field and omits the application prefix. The display name is what business users see in Process HQ, Tempo, and as the search placeholder text in the record list and any records-powered grids. For example, if the Name is AR Order, the display name defaults to Orders.
   Description	(Optional) Click Generate AI Description to have AI generate a record type description for you, or enter one yourself. This description is shown in Appian Designer, Process HQ, and Tempo.
   Tags	(Optional) Search for and select tags to apply to the object. If the tag you need doesn't exist yet, click Create New Tag to create a new tag without leaving the dialog.

4. Click Create.
5. In the Review Application Security dialog, review the record type security settings.
6. Click SAVE.

Choose a data access method

After you create the record type object, choose a data access method to connect to your Databricks data. The data access method determines the type of record type you create and the features available to you.

Data access method	Record type created	Data fabric features
Direct data access (Default)	Unsynced record type	Most features
Optimized data access	Synced record type	All features

For a detailed comparison of each method, see Data Access for Record Types.

Connect to Databricks

After choosing a data access method, connect the record type to your Databricks database. Follow the steps for your chosen method.

Use direct data access

Connecting to a Databricks database with direct data access creates an unsynced record type. Appian queries the source data directly while still giving you access to data fabric features like relationships and record-level security.

To connect a record type to Databricks:

1. In your new record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click Tell Us About Your Data.

3. Select Databricks.

   

   Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

4. Click NEXT.

5. For Choose how to access data, select Direct Data Access.

   Relationships and all related features are enabled by default and can't be disabled.

   

   Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

6. Click NEXT.
7. For Choose Databricks Table or View, keep Browse selected to see a list of available Databricks connected systems.
8. Select your Databricks connected system.
9. Select a catalog.

10. Select a schema.

    Tip:  To avoid schema mismatch errors when deploying to other environments, select the Show only the default schema checkbox to choose a table from the default catalog and schema.

11. Select a table or view. A preview of the data appears.
12. Click NEXT.
13. For Select primary key field and unique fields, configure the following:
    • Primary Key Field: From the dropdown, select a field of any data type to use as the primary key. A primary key field is required for unsynced record types.
    • Unique Fields: (Optional) If you need to create relationships with this record type, select any fields that contain all unique values. Unique fields can be used as a common field on the one-side of a record type relationship configuration.

14. In the grid of fields, clear the checkbox next to any source fields you don't want to include in the record type. By default, all source fields are selected. A record type can have up to 100 fields.

    Note:  Some database column types are not supported in Appian. Fields with unsupported column types do not appear in the list of available fields. For details, see Unsupported Database Column Types.

15. Configure the following field properties:

    Property	Action
    Record Field Name	Enter the name for the record field. This is the name that will be used to reference the field in Appian Designer.
    Record Field Type	Select the data type for the record field. Appian automatically suggest types based on the data type in the source. Appian recommends at least the following changes: For fields containing usernames, change the type from Text to User. For fields containing group identifiers, change the type from Number (Integer) to Group. For fields containing more than 4,000 characters, change the type from Text to Extra Long Text. You can only have a maximum of 3 Extra Long Text fields on a record type for optimal performance.
    Display Name	Enter a user-friendly field name to display to business users in Process HQ. Use title case formatting and spaces in the display name so it's easy for users to read. For example, Year-to-Date. When this field is blank, the Record Field Name is displayed in Process HQ using title case formatting.
    Description	Enter a description of the field to display to business users in Process HQ.

16. Drag and drop the rows to change the order in which the record fields are displayed.
17. Click FINISH.
18. Click SAVE.

Use optimized data access

Connecting to Databricks with optimized data access creates a synced record type. Appian syncs your source data in the record type, which enables automatic query optimization and access to all data fabric features.

To connect a record type to Databricks using optimized data access:

1. In your new record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click Tell Us About Your Data.

3. Select Databricks.

   

   Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

4. Click NEXT.

5. For Choose how to access data, select Optimized Data Access.

   

   Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

6. Click NEXT.
7. For Choose Databricks Table or View, keep Browse selected to see a list of available Databricks connected systems.
8. Select a connected system.

9. Select a schema.

   Tip:  To avoid schema mismatch errors when deploying to other environments, select the Show only the default schema checkbox to choose a table from the default catalog and schema.

10. Select a database table or view. A preview of the data appears.
11. Click NEXT.

12. For Configure Sync Filters, configure the following properties:

    Property	Action
    Sync Options	Select the Schedule full sync checkbox to sync all source data once a day or once a week.
    Sync Filters	Add sync filters to specify which data is synced in the record type: Click Add Source Filter. Select a source field to filter by. Only source types that can be converted to Appian types appear in the dropdown. Select the operator to apply to the filter. Use the context menu next to the field to select how you want to pass the value into the filter. The options in this menu change based on the data type of the field selected. You can enter a static value or enter an expression. Click Add Source Filter to add additional filters. Multiple filters are evaluated with an AND operator. Click TEST FILTER to validate the filter conditions. You can add additional sync filters after configuring the source of the record type, where you can filter by source fields and by a relationship.

13. Click NEXT.
14. For Select primary key field and unique fields, configure the following:
    • Primary Key Field: From the dropdown, select a field of any data type to use as the primary key. A primary key field is required for synced record types.
    • Unique Fields: (Optional) Select any fields that contain all unique values. Unique fields can be used as a common field on the one-side of a record type relationship configuration.

15. In the grid of fields, clear the checkbox next to any source fields you don't want to include in the record type. By default, all source fields are selected. A record type can have up to 100 fields.

    Note:  Some database column types are not supported in Appian. Fields with unsupported column types do not appear in the list of available fields. For details, see Unsupported Database Column Types.

16. Configure the following field properties:

    Property	Action
    Record Field Name	Enter the name for the record field. This is the name that will be used to reference the field in Appian Designer.
    Record Field Type	Select the data type for the record field. Appian automatically suggest types based on the data type in the source. Appian recommends at least the following changes: For fields containing usernames, change the type from Text to User. For fields containing group identifiers, change the type from Number (Integer) to Group. For fields containing more than 4,000 characters, change the type from Text to Extra Long Text. You can only have a maximum of 3 Extra Long Text fields on a record type for optimal performance.
    Display Name	Enter a user-friendly field name to display to business users in Process HQ. Use title case formatting and spaces in the display name so it's easy for users to read. For example, Year-to-Date. When this field is blank, the Record Field Name is displayed in Process HQ using title case formatting.
    Description	Enter a description of the field to display to business users in Process HQ.

17. Drag and drop the rows to change the order in which the record fields are displayed.
18. Click FINISH.
19. Click SAVE. A full sync occurs on the record type.

Next steps

After creating your Databricks-backed record type, you can configure other elements of the record type to meet your application needs:

• Sync options: Configure sync options to keep synced data up to date with the source using scheduled syncs and smart service syncs. You can also add sync filters to control which data is synced in Appian.
• Relationships: Add record type relationships to connect your Databricks data with other record types across your environment.
• Record views: Configure record views to define how individual records are displayed to users.
• Record-level security: Set up record-level security to control which rows of data each user can see.

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