1.3.11.20 Hash Generator

The Hash Generator processor creates a Hash key for each input attribute. The output Hash key will be the same (and unique) for each distinct data value that is input to it.

Use the Hash Generator processor where you want to create a key in a set of data that will remain the same provided the input attribute retains the same value.

Hash keys are often used when 'diffing' data, for example to create processes that only run various processors on records that have changed in important attributes since the last time they were processed.

It is common to use the Concatenate processor before the Hash Generator to concatenate a number of attributes into a single attribute, and use that single attribute to generate the Hash key. The Hash key will then stay the same as long as the exact values of all the attributes passed into the Concatenate processor stay the same.

The following table describes the configuration options:

Configuration	Description
Inputs	Specify any String or String Array type attributes that you want to use to generate Hash keys.
Options	None.
Outputs	Describes any data attribute or flag attribute outputs.
Data Attributes	The following data attributes are output: [Attribute Name].Hash: the Hash key derived from the version of each input attribute value. Value is derived from the original attribute value, converted to a hask key.
Flags	None.

The Hash Generator transformer presents no summary statistics on its processing.In the Data view, each input attribute is shown with its new derived Hash key attribute to the right.

Output Filters

None.

Example

In this example, a concatenated NAMEANDADDRESS attribute, derived from all name and address attributes, is used to generate a Hash key for each record:

NAMEANDADDRESS	NAMEANDADDRESS.Hash
Mr|Jonathan BINIAN|Warrington HDC|Warrington|	207dff53331d004b207b7e03cf9c63be
Ms|Rosemary THORP|Benton Square|Benton|	764fd23a622bf3cd30379caae9d7cd95
Ms|Margaret|ROBERTSON|23 High Street|Leicester|	a41958f76d398b809f740f4e0c064914