Configuration variables

A configuration variable defines an alias that resolves at run time to a value that is specific to a deployment environment. A deployment environment is represented by a server group. By associating the values of a configuration variable with different server groups, you can run the same map in different environments, servers, and platforms without changing the map.

An administrator can define configuration variables that represent:
  • Connection properties
  • Action properties
  • Card backup file path
  • Map audit file path
  • Map trace file path
  • Map work file path
  • Map rules:
    • EXIT
    • DBLOOKUP
    • DBQUERY
    • DDEQUERY
    • GET
    • PUT
    • RUN

The configuration variable name and server group name are case-sensitive and must be unique.

For example, suppose Payroll is the name of a configuration variable that represents a database query. The alias Payroll is associated with the server groups Test, Development, and Production. For the Test environment, Payroll might be an SQL Server query. For the Development environment, Payroll might be an Oracle query. For Production environment, Payroll might be a DB2® query.

The term map server in this documentation refers to the engine that runs the map, such as the Command Server.