How to create your own custom WFA dictionary to retreive data from your own custom playground Table

Mirko Van Colen, NetApp Creation : oktober ’13

Last Saved : 13 oktober 2013 Last Saved By : Mirko Van Colen Number of pages : 9

1Document Control

1.1Distribution

1.2Version History

2Add a customer playground database

3Insert data in the database from within WFA ?

4Create WFA object

5Create a new filter for your object.

6Create a new finder for your object.

7Create your own command to go with the object.

8Create a workflow to use your custom command

1Document Control

1.1Distribution

Name / Role
Mirko Van Colen / PSC Netapp Belgium /

Table 1 : Distribution

1.2Version History

Date / Change Reference / Author / Version / Sections Affected
10/13/13 / Version created / MVC / 1.0 / ALL

Table 2 : Version History

Hi all,

I had to create a customer table in the playground database, insert data in de database from WFA and then retrieve those back later in a WFA custom dictionary (what I call “object”)

My table was to store CHAP credentials during a vserver-create workflow.

Then I needed to retrieve them again during aiscsi-lun create workflow, to have them ready as return values for the workflow initiator. And as the chap-credentials are not included in any current WFA dictionary, I’ve had to create my own.

2Add a customer playground database

Using SqlYog (a mysqlgui) it was easy to connect to MySQL and create a customer table.

3Insert data in the database from within WFA ?

I created my own MySQL insert/update command (made it somewhat dynamic, so it could be re-used for other projects).

I documented this command in a separate document :

4Create WFA object

I've calledmine :"chap_credentials".

  • Add a new schema (as your object cannot be in an existing WFA-scheme. I called my scheme "cm_storage_%name-of-the-project%", as it was a clustered ontap project.
  • Add rows to you dictionary (vserver, cluster_ip, chap_username, chap_password)

5Create a new filter for your object.

  • Give it the dictionary type you created earlier.
  • Write your query to retrieve a record from your custom table. Make sure to return all fields you need (not just the primary keys)

6Create a new finder for your object.

  • Give it the dictionary type you created earlier.
  • Select the filter you created earlier
  • Important : make sure you have all fields returned (at least the ones you need)

7Create your own command to go with the object.

I needed a retrieve-only command, so I created my own "no-op-storage command"

8Create a workflow to use your custom command

Use your custom finder to retrieve the data from SQL.

Voila, return your customer properties from your own custom table !

1How to create your own custom WFA dictionary to retreive data from your own custom playground Table - Mirko Van Colen