UiPath Documentation
data-service
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Data Fabric user guide
important :
Data Service is currently transitioning to Data Fabric, a process during which you may see both names used for different delivery options.

Creating an entity

Create a new entity in Data Fabric / Data Service, configure its fields from local or external sources, and set its tenant or folder scope.

All objects created in Data Fabric / Data Service are referred to as Entities.

Note:

You can also create and edit native entities directly inside a Maestro Flow VS Code solution, without leaving your editor. This is a Preview capability, available only in VS Code. For more information, see Entities in VS Code.

  1. Navigate to Data Fabric / Data Service. The Entities page opens.

  2. Select Create New Entity. The entity creation panel opens.

  3. Enter a Display Name for your entity. The Display Name is the name displayed when you import the entity in Studio. This field can be modified after the entity is created.

  4. Enter a Name for your entity. The Name can be alpha-numeric, but it must start with a letter. It must have between three and 30 characters. The Name field is automatically populated with the same value provided for the Display Name. You can only change its value during the entity creation process. Once the entity is created, the Name field cannot be edited.

  5. Optionally, add a Description for your entity.

  6. In the Entity type section, select the type of entity to create:

    1. Select Native to store the entity's data in UiPath. A Native entity supports create, read, update, and delete operations, and holds only its own fields.
    2. Select Federated to create a read-only view whose fields are read from external systems, or from a native Data Fabric entity, each time the entity is queried. A Federated entity holds no fields of its own.
      Note:

      You cannot change the entity type once chosen. For what each type supports, refer to Entity types.

  7. To restrict access to records, use the Enable role-based record access toggle.

    Note:

    Role-based record access does not apply to Federated entities, and the toggle is not displayed for them. The records of a Federated entity are held by its source systems.

  8. In the Location section:

    1. Select Tenant to make data available across the entire tenant to all users with tenant-level access.
    2. Select Folder to make data visible only to users with access to the selected Orchestrator folder. If you select Folder, you then have to select a target Orchestrator folder from the Select Folder dropdown. The entity you create is scoped for the folder you select.
      Note:

      You cannot change the entity location once chosen.

  9. Select Create.

  10. To add fields manually, select Add object in the entity creation wizard.

  11. In the Add object panel, select a source type.

    Note:

    The source types available depend on the entity type. A Native entity offers Local fields only. A Federated entity offers External source and Native source.

    1. To add fields from external systems, such as Salesforce or SAP, select External source. For the systems you can choose from, refer to External systems. After you select an external system from the External system dropdown, a connection is either populated by default in the Connection field, or you need to add a connection manually by selecting Add new connection. If you need to select Add new connection, a new browser tab opens prompting you to provide authentication information to connect UiPath to your selected external system. After the Connection field is populated, select the object from the Object dropdown.

    2. To add fields from a native Data Fabric / Data Service entity, select Native source, and then select the entity you want to reference. The entity you reference must be at the same location as the entity you are creating.

    3. For a Native entity, to add fields locally stored with UiPath, select Local fields.

    4. Select Proceed.

      Once the object is added, each of its fields can be configured in the editor that opens, including the field type and the settings under Advanced options.

      Note:

      Data encryption with Customer-Managed Keys (CMK) is currently supported only for Text and Multi-line Text fields.

      To encrypt data for these fields, enable the Encrypt Data checkbox in the Advanced options panel of the field.

  12. Select Manage joins to connect joins between fields from multiple, different source types. In the Manage joins section, you have to map the fields from two different sources by selecting the Primary object, Primary field, Referenced object, and Referenced field from the dropdowns.

  13. Select Save.

The new entity is displayed in your Entities list.

External systems​

A Federated entity reads its fields from an external system each time it is queried. The data stays in the system of record, and Data Fabric / Data Service holds only the mapping, so there is no copying step to build and keep current. A field referenced this way behaves like any other field in automations, workflows, Apps, and Maestro.

The following external systems are available for field referencing:

  • Database Hub (Databricks, Oracle DB, PostgreSQL, Redshift, and MS SQL Server)
  • Microsoft Azure Active Directory
  • Salesforce
  • SAP
  • ServiceNow
  • Snowflake

To reference fields from another Data Fabric / Data Service entity rather than from an external system, select Native source in the Add object panel.

Queries that read from an external system are subject to a set of limits. For more information, refer to Query limits for external data.

Modeling for entities connected to multiple systems​

With multi-source entity modeling, you can reference fields from multiple external systems, such as Salesforce and ServiceNow, in a single Federated entity.

We recommend a star schema approach when connecting more than one system. All connected systems and external objects should map directly to a core entity, rather than chaining through one another.

To include fields stored in UiPath in the same view, hold them in a native entity and reference it with Native source. The native entity can itself serve as the core that every external object joins to.

Note:

The core object is the one that every other source joins to. It can be an external object or a native source.

This star schema approach creates a clean layout, as presented in the following example:

  • External systems​
  • Modeling for entities connected to multiple systems​

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