Sharing Custom Data Transforms

Nexla makes it easy to create custom transforms with Python, Regex, JavaScript, or JSON and share them within the organization so anyone can do complex data operations. Nexla comes with hundreds of transforms out of the box, but sometimes teams need more advanced or custom transforms for the data they work with.

Built-in Nexla transform operations allow for a wide variety of modifications, including structural changes to record format and data value modification. Custom transforms allow for extending the system to support application-specific data changes.

For example, as a data user, you may know where you need your data to get to, but you have to apply a complex transformation that you might not know how to code or apply yourself. Your data engineer can step in and write custom transforms in Nexla and then share them with you and anyone else so that you can simply click and apply it to as many data sets as you need. Here’s how.

Begin by opening the Transform Screen…

…and selecting the data set you want to transform.

Creating a Custom Transform

Here in the Transform screen we see the data set on the left and the preview of the output on the right.

Select the slice of data you want to transform, and select “Custom Code” at the top. This data screen is where data engineers can inject your own Python, Regex, JavaScript, or JSON. Once the transform is created,  you can view it to share with collaborators so it’s accessible to them. In the transform builder,  the reusable transform should appear at the bottom of the list.

To update a custom transform after it has been shared, simply edit the code. Every data flow with the transform will update automatically. Simply make the change, save, and check that the flow has now been updated to the new code.

Applying a Custom Transform

Select the slice of data and apply the transform you like. Check out the default ones or look for shared ones that  are custom made by your data engineers. Shared custom transforms will be at the bottom of the list.

For the few times Nexla’s library of pre-built transforms won’t cut it, reusable transforms cover essentially any other data transformation you could imagine. By making it easy to share and enable collaborators to use the same transform, data engineers can focus on the advanced operations while providing self-service and standardized transforms across entire teams or enterprises.

Curious about what else Nexla can do and how it encourages collaboration? Get a demo or book your free data mesh consultation today and learn how much more your data can do when everyone can use it whenever they need it. For more on data and data products, check out the other articles on Nexla’s blog.