> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.arc.cdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Batch Create Connector

> Group individual messages into Batch Groups for collective processing using the CData Arc Batch Create connector.

In CData Arc, data travels through flows as Messages that consist of a body and metadata headers. For example, if one connector passes a file to another, the file is transmitted as a Message that contains the file in the body and metadata about the file and associated connectors as headers. Messages can be grouped together in Batch Groups, which allow multiple messages to travel together as a single unit. Some uses for Batch Groups include moving data between systems and processing multiple purchase orders at once. When a Message is part of a Batch Group, it is referred to as a Batch Message.

## Key Capabilities

* Intelligent message grouping based on correlation IDs and batch size limits
* Configurable minimum and maximum batch sizes for optimal processing
* Scheduled and immediate batch creation modes
* Support for custom correlation headers for advanced grouping logic

## Overview

The Batch Create connector produces Batch Groups based on Messages that arrive in the Send folder (the **Transactions** tab of the connector settings pane). When a Batch Group is created, it is passed down the flow through the **Transactions** tab, where it can be processed by other connectors as needed.

> [!NOTE]
>
> The Batch Create connector can only accept individual messages as inputs. If the connector receives an existing Batch Group as an input, it throws an error message.

## Connector Configuration

This section contains all of the configurable connector properties.

### Settings Tab

#### Configuration

*Settings that determine how the connector can be accessed.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Connector Id**</td>
<td>The static, unique identifier for the connector.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Connector Type**</td>
<td>Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Connector Description**</td>
<td>An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Advanced Settings

*Settings that specify Batch Grouping options.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Correlation Id Header** | The connector looks for headers that match the header name you enter, then groups messages according to the values they have assigned to that header. See [Correlation Id Header Example](#correlation-id-header-example) for details. |
| **Max Batch Size** | The maximum number of messages to include in a Batch Group. Any messages in excess of this number wait until the next sending interval. For example, if this is set to 5, and seven messages arrive in the send folder, the connector creates one Batch Group of five messages and adds the final two to the next scheduled Batch Group. |
| **Min Batch Size** | The minimum number of messages that must be present to create a Batch Group. For example, if this is set to five, and three messages arrive in the Send folder, the connector does not create a Batch Group from those messages (even if the specified sending interval passes) until at least two more messages arrive. |

### Advanced Tab

#### Message

*Message settings determine how the connector searches for messages and manages them after processing.*

**Note:** The settings below are deprecated and hidden by default. They appear only on connectors where they were previously enabled or configured to a non-default value. To retain copies of successfully processed files, right-click the connector in the flow, choose **Show Success Path**, and connect the success path to a [File connector](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/file.md).

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Save to Sent Folder** (Deprecated)</td>
<td>Copies files processed by the connector to the Sent folder. Disabled by default. Files saved to the Sent folder are not covered by [Encryption at Rest](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/encryption-at-rest.md).</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Sent Folder Scheme** (Deprecated)</td>
<td>Groups files in the **Sent** folder by the selected time interval. Only relevant when **Save to Sent Folder** is enabled.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Logging

*Settings that govern the creation and storage of logs.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Log Level**</td>
<td>The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to **Debug**.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Log Subfolder Scheme**</td>
<td>Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. The **Weekly** option (which is the default) instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. Leaving this setting blank tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Log Messages**</td>
<td>Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the **Transactions** tab.</td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Other Settings

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Processing Delay** | The amount of time (in seconds) by which the processing of files placed in the **Transactions** tab is delayed. This is a legacy setting. Best practice is to [use a File connector](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/flows/designing-a-flow.md#interacting-with-the-local-file-system) to manage local file systems instead of this setting. |

#### Miscellaneous

*Miscellaneous settings are for specific use cases.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Other Settings**</td>
<td>Enables you to configure hidden connector settings in a semicolon-separated list (for example, `setting1=value1;setting2=value2`). Normal connector use cases and functionality should not require the use of these settings.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Automation Tab

#### Automation Settings

*Settings related to the creation and sending of Batch Groups.*

| Setting | Description |
| - | - |
| **Enable automation** | If selected, the connector automatically creates Batch Groups following the settings below. If cleared, the connector does not create Batch Groups until you manually trigger it. |
| **Send** | If selected, the connector automatically creates Batch Groups from messages as soon as they arrive in the Send folder (**Transactions** tab) as long as other set criteria are met. |
| **Scheduled Send** | If selected, the connector uses a scheduled interval to create Batch Groups from messages that arrive in the Send folder. |
| **Send Interval** | The interval at which to create Batch Groups. Only available if **Scheduled Send** is enabled. |
| **Minutes Past the Hour** | The minutes offset for an hourly schedule. Only applicable when the interval setting above is set to *Hourly*. For example, if this value is set to 5, the automation service downloads at 1:05, 2:05, 3:05, etc. |
| **Time** | The time of day that the attempt should occur. Only applicable when the interval setting above is set to *Daily*, *Weekly*, or *Monthly*. |
| **Day** | The day on which the attempt should occur. Only applicable when the interval setting above is set to *Weekly* or *Monthly*. |
| **Minutes** | The number of minutes to wait before attempting the download. Only applicable when the interval setting above is set to *Minute*. |
| **Cron Expression** | A five-position string representing a cron expression that determines when the attempt should occur. Only applicable when the interval setting above is set to *Advanced*. |
| **Start Date and Time** | The date and time at which the automation first runs. Every run after that follows the interval setting above. The last and next run times appear in the [Automation Status](#automation-status) section. |

#### Automation Status

*A read-only summary of whether the automation is running, what happened on the last run, and when the next run occurs.*

The **Automation Status** card appears under the **Enabled** checkbox on the **Automation** tab for **Receive**, **Download**, and **Scheduled Send** automation. The card answers three questions: whether the automation ran, whether the run worked, and when the next run occurs.

The card updates as you change the **Enabled** checkbox, or the **Interval** or **Start Date and Time** settings, before you save the connector.

![The Automation Status card on the Automation tab showing a Suspended status, a Failed last processed result, and the next run time](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/automation-status-card.png)

Status

The current state of the automation for the connector.

<table><thead><tr><th>Status</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**In Progress**</td>
<td>A run is executing now, or another instance has locked the scheduled slot.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Idle**</td>
<td>The automation is waiting for the next scheduled run.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Suspended**</td>
<td>The connector is in a [backoff](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/connector-backoff.md) state after repeated failed runs, and the automation service is skipping it.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Disabled**</td>
<td>The automation is turned off for the connector.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Last Run Time

The outcome of the most recent run.

<table><thead><tr><th>Field</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Date**</td>
<td>The scheduled time of the last run.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Last Processed Start**</td>
<td>The time the connector actually started processing the last run. This can be slightly later than the scheduled time.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Last Processed Result**</td>
<td>The outcome of the last run:
<ul><li>**Successful**: The run completed and processed data.</li>
<li>**No Data**: The run completed but there was nothing to process, such as a query that returned no rows.</li>
<li>**Failed**: The run did not complete.</li></ul></td></tr>
<tr><td>**Last Successful At**</td>
<td>The date and time of the most recent successful run. This field appears when the last run failed or returned no data, so you can see how long the connector has gone without a successful run.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Next Run Time

The **Date** field shows when the automation is scheduled to run next. It is blank when the automation is disabled.

View Details

The **Suspended** status, the **Failed** result, and the **No Data** result each include a **View Details** link that opens a dialog with the full message:

<ul><li>**Suspended**: Lists each instance that is in backoff, how many times it failed, and when the automation service resumes. See [Connector Backoff](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/connector-backoff.md) for how a connector exits this state.</li>
<li>**Failed**: Shows the error message from the last failed run.</li>
<li>**No Data**: Shows the message the connector reported, such as `0 rows returned`.</li></ul>

No Run Versus No Data

The card distinguishes a connector that has not run from one that ran and found nothing. If **Last Processed Result** is empty, the automation has not run yet, so check the **Next Run Time** and the schedule settings. If the result is **No Data**, the automation ran on schedule and the data source returned nothing, so check the source for new data.

Disabled Connectors

A disabled connector keeps its last run information, so you can still see when it last ran and what happened. Only the **Next Run Time** is cleared.

#### Performance

*Settings related to the allocation of resources to the connector.*

<table><thead><tr><th>Setting</th>
<th>Description</th></tr></thead>
<tbody><tr><td>**Max Workers**</td>
<td>The maximum number of worker threads consumed from the threadpool to process files on this connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the [Performance Settings](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/performance-settings.md) portion of the [Advanced Settings](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/advanced-settings.md) page.</td></tr>
<tr><td>**Max Files**</td>
<td>The maximum number of files sent by each thread assigned to the connector. If set, this overrides the default setting on the [Performance Settings](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/performance-settings.md) portion of the [Advanced Settings](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/advanced-settings.md) page.</td></tr></tbody></table>

### Alerts Tab

*Settings related to configuring alerts.*

Before you can execute Service Level Agreements (SLAs), you need to set up email alerts for notifications. By default, Arc uses the global settings on the [Alerts](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/alerts.md) tab. To use other settings for this connector, toggle **Override global setting** on.

By default, error alerts are enabled, which means that emails are sent whenever there is an error. To turn them off, uncheck the **Enable** checkbox.

Enter a **Subject** (mandatory). Check **Allow ArcScript in Subject** to use ArcScript in the **Subject** field. When you select this, the **ArcScript Editor** button appears (![arcscript editor button](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/rest_arcscript_editor.png)).

Optionally, enter a comma-separated list of **Recipient** emails.

### SLAs Tab

*Settings related to configuring Service Level Agreements (SLAs).*

SLAs enable you to configure the volume you expect connectors in your flow to send or receive, and to set the time frame in which you expect that volume to be met. CData Arc sends emails to warn the user when an SLA is not met, and marks the SLA as *At Risk*, which means that if the SLA is not met soon, it will be marked as *Violated*. This gives the user an opportunity to step in and determine the reasons the SLA is not being met, and to take appropriate actions. If the SLA is still not met at the end of the at-risk time period, the SLA is marked as violated, and the user is notified again.

SLA transitions to *At Risk* or *Violated* are also written to the [application log](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/activity.md#application-logs), which means that Application Performance Monitoring (APM) and log-ingestion tools can also alert on them.

To define an SLA, toggle **Expected Volume** on, then click the **Settings** tab.

![SLA Empty](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/sla_empty.png)
<ul><li>If your connector has separate send and receive actions, use the radio buttons to specify which direction the SLA pertains to.</li>
<li>In the **Expect at least** portion of the window:
<ul><li>Set the minimum number of transactions you expect to be processed (the volume)</li>
<li>Use the **Every** fields to specify the time frame</li>
<li>Indicate when the SLA should go into effect. If you choose **Starting on**, complete the date and time fields.</li>
<li>Check the boxes for the days of the week that you want the SLA to be in effect. Use the dropdown to choose **Everyday** if necessary.</li></ul></li>
<li>In the **Set status to 'At Risk'** portion of the window, specify when the SLA should be marked as at risk.
<ul><li>By default, notifications are not sent until an SLA is in violation. To change that, check **Send an 'At Risk' notification**.</li></ul></li></ul>

The following example shows an SLA configured for a connector that expects to receive 1000 files every day Monday-Friday. An at-risk notification is sent 1 hour before the end of the time period if the 1000 files have not been received.

![SLA Configuration Example](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/images/sla_defined.png)

> [!NOTE]
>
> You can turn off SLA alerts if necessary. This can be useful during maintenance windows. Click **Settings** on the navbar, then navigate to **Alerts > General Alerts**. Click the tablet and pencil icon to edit, and uncheck the **SLA Alerts** setting.

## Correlation Id Header Example

When you enter a header name in the **Correlation Id Header** field, the connector looks for headers that match the name you enter, then groups messages according to the values they have assigned to that header. For example, the following table displays six incoming messages:

| MessageId | Filename | Header | Header Value |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | test1.txt | Batch-Correlation-Id | 001 |
| 2 | test2.txt | Batch-Correlation-Id | 001 |
| 3 | test3.txt | Batch-Correlation-Id | 002 |
| 4 | test4.txt | Batch-Correlation-Id | 002 |
| 5 | test5.txt | | |
| 6 | test6.txt | | |

If you enter **Batch-Correlation-Id** in the **Correlation Id Header** field, the connector creates three Batch Groups of these messages:

* The first batch group contains the messages with **MessageId** 1 and 2, since they both have the value `001` for the Batch-Correlation-Id header.
* The second batch group contains messages with **MessageId** 3 and 4, since they both have the value `002` for the header.
* The third batch group contains messages 5 and 6, since neither of them has the Batch-Correlation-Id header.


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Setting	Description
Connector Id	The static, unique identifier for the connector.
Connector Type	Displays the connector name and a description of what it does.
Connector Description	An optional field to provide a free-form description of the connector and its role in the flow.
Setting	Description
Save to Sent Folder (Deprecated)	Copies files processed by the connector to the Sent folder. Disabled by default. Files saved to the Sent folder are not covered by [Encryption at Rest](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/getting-started/administration/settings/encryption-at-rest.md).
Sent Folder Scheme (Deprecated)	Groups files in the Sent folder by the selected time interval. Only relevant when Save to Sent Folder is enabled.
Setting	Description
Log Level	The verbosity of logs generated by the connector. When you request support, set this to Debug.
Log Subfolder Scheme	Instructs the connector to group files in the Logs folder according to the selected interval. The Weekly option (which is the default) instructs the connector to create a new subfolder each week and store all logs for the week in that folder. Leaving this setting blank tells the connector to save all logs directly in the Logs folder. For connectors that process many transactions, using subfolders helps keep logs organized and improves performance.
Log Messages	Check this to have the log entry for a processed file include a copy of the file itself. If you disable this, you might not be able to download a copy of the file from the Transactions tab.
Status	Description
In Progress	A run is executing now, or another instance has locked the scheduled slot.
Idle	The automation is waiting for the next scheduled run.
Suspended	The connector is in a [backoff](https://docs.arc.cdata.com/26.4/self-hosted/en/connectors/connector-backoff.md) state after repeated failed runs, and the automation service is skipping it.
Disabled	The automation is turned off for the connector.
Field	Description
Date	The scheduled time of the last run.
Last Processed Start	The time the connector actually started processing the last run. This can be slightly later than the scheduled time.
Last Processed Result	The outcome of the last run: Successful: The run completed and processed data. No Data: The run completed but there was nothing to process, such as a query that returned no rows. Failed: The run did not complete.
Last Successful At	The date and time of the most recent successful run. This field appears when the last run failed or returned no data, so you can see how long the connector has gone without a successful run.