How is a Dataset used in an ADF Web Activity? PLEASE HELP

Question

HELLO!

How is the dataset used in the Web Activity? Can it be used in the Body? Do you know of an example? I searched and did not find one...

I need to pass data within a JSON Blob to items in the Body of a Web Activity (PATCH) and wondered if a dataset could help me.

Thanks!
Mike Kiser

Answer 1

I got some details of how the dataset / linked service feature in Web Activity works.

If the contents of the body are in a JSON format, AND the a dataset it chosen, then the definition of the dataset and its associated linked service is added to the body. Sadly, this will not help put the content of the blob in the body.

As example I tested by having the web write to blob:

Then when I checked the blob the web activity URL pointed to:

This sort of thing might be useful if you wanted to tell another service how to pull data from one of your sources.

This said, I think there is a different solution. Use another web activity to fetch the contents of the JSON blob, and pass the output into the body of your PATCH web activity.

Answer 2

Wow, Martin!! You have saved me again! I am writing an integration (pipeline) between one of our Vendors and Ceridian. I have a JSON doc like below that I have to pass through the body of a web Activity to the Ceridian REST API to update Employee Status' as follows. After reading your answer several times, I wanted to make sure that I understood. So I can not put the following Body in a Blob as a json file and pass it as a Dataset if I understand correctly? That would be the "easiest" way to go. I am going to try your following solution: (why can't anything be easy LOL)....

"This said, I think there is a different solution. Use another web activity to fetch the contents of the JSON blob, and pass the output into the body of your PATCH web activity."

{
"EmployeeNumber": "010004",
"EffectiveStart": "2020-12-04T04:42:27.193Z",
"EffectiveEnd": "2020-12-04T04:42:27.193Z",
"EmploymentStatus": {
"IsBenefitArrearsEnabled": true,
"XRefCode": "ACTIVE",
"ShortName": "string",
"LongName": "string",
"LastModifiedTimestamp": "2020-12-04T04:42:27.193Z"
},
"EmploymentStatusGroup": {
"XRefCode": "ACTIVE",
"ShortName": "string",
"LongName": "string",
"LastModifiedTimestamp": "2020-12-04T04:42:27.193Z"
},
"PayType": {
"XRefCode": "Salaried",
"ShortName": "string",
"LongName": "string",
"LastModifiedTimestamp": "2020-12-04T04:42:27.193Z"
}

}

You have saved me several times and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!!
MIKE KISER

Answer 3

I'm upvoting on this one too dataset link is kind of misleading. Assumption is you can use a dataset to pass a payload in your request