Debugging Stages

What is Row Generator in IBM DataStage?

Row Generator is a DataStage stage used to generate dummy or test data.
It does not read data from any source; instead, it creates rows internally based on values you define.

Key Purpose of Row Generator

✔ Create test data
✔ Generate sequence numbers
✔ Produce constant or derived values
✔ Used in unit testing, debugging, and job validation

How Row Generator Works

You define:

1. Number of rows to generate
2. Column metadata
3. Derivations for each column

The stage then produces that many rows and sends them to the next stage.

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 Important Properties

1️ . Rows per partition

• Defines how many rows each partition generates
• Total rows = Rows per partition × number of partitions

Example:

• Rows per partition = 100
• Partitions = 4
  ➡ Total rows = 400

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2️. Column Derivations

You can use:

• Constants
• Functions
• System variables

Example:

ID        = @INROWNUM

NAME      = "TEST"

LOAD_DT   = CurrentDate()

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 Common Use Cases

🔹 1. Generate Sequence Numbers

EMP_ID = @INROWNUM

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🔹 2. Create Dummy Test Data

Useful when:

• Source system not available
• Testing job flow

CUST_ID = @INROWNUM

CUST_NM = "Customer_" : StringFromInt(@INROWNUM)

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🔹 3. Debugging / Unit Testing

• Test transformer logic
• Test lookup logic
• Validate target table mappings

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🔹 4. Control Table Initialization

Used to:

• Load initial control / parameter tables
• Generate static reference data

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🆚 Row Generator vs Sequential File

Feature	Row Generator	Sequential File
Reads source data	❌ No	✅ Yes
Generates data	✅ Yes	❌ No
Used for testing	✅	⚠️ Limited
Requires file	❌	✅

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Important Points.

✔ No input link
✔ Total rows depend on partitions
✔ Commonly used with @INROWNUM
✔ Mostly for testing, debugging, POC
✔ Not used in production loads normally

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🎯 Sample Job Flow

Row Generator → Transformer → Sequential File / DB Target

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