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Decouple Orchestrate from ETL IDs – Introduce Logical Name-Based Execution & Dynamic Resolution Layer

Problem Statement (Current Limitation)

Syniti Orchestrate is currently designed with a tight coupling to system-generated ETL (Asset) IDs for workflow execution.

As observed in the current implementation and internal usage:

  • When ETL objects are re-imported (e.g., Golden → Load / DEV → QA), Syniti generates a new ETL ID

  • Existing Orchestrate workflows still reference the old ETL ID, resulting in:

    • Invalid package execution

    • Workflow failure

    • Runtime errors such as:

      • “Could not find JobQueue with ID…”

  • This requires manual re-mapping of ETL references within each workflow

Architectural Gap (What is Missing)

1. Logical Abstraction Layer (Critical Missing Capability)

  • No support for ETL Name-based binding

  • System relies purely on physical ID (non-portable) instead of logical identity

✅ Expected:

Workflow → Logical ETL Name → Runtime Resolution → Active ETL ID 

2. Metadata Resolver / Late Binding Mechanism

  • No runtime engine to dynamically resolve ETL references

  • Workflows are resolved at design-time (early binding) instead of execution-time

✅ Missing:

  • Resolver service that maps:

    • ETL Name + Environment + Version → ETL ID


3. Environment-Agnostic Design

  • Current design breaks during:

    • Release copy

    • ETL import/migration

  • No portability across environments

✅ Missing:

  • Cross-environment ETL reference persistence

4. Dynamic Version / Mock Handling

  • Mock/version is statically embedded in workflows

✅ Missing:

  • Variable-driven execution:

ETL = Customer_Load Mock = Mock1 → Dynamically resolved at runtime 

5. Auto-Rebinding / Self-Healing Capability

  • No mechanism to detect:

    • Same ETL name with new ID

  • No automatic re-linking

✅ Missing:

  • Auto-recovery mechanism:

If ETL_ID not found → Lookup by Name → Rebind automatically 

6. Governance & Impact Awareness

  • No visibility into:

    • Which workflows depend on which ETLs

    • What breaks after re-import

Developer Pain Points

This design introduces significant operational friction:

🔴 Manual Effort Overhead

  • Developers must:

    • Identify failed ETL IDs

    • Copy ETL names

    • Manually reassign IDs in each workflow

🔴 Productivity Loss

  • Repetitive tasks after every import/release

  • No automation or reuse capability

🔴 Error-Prone Process

  • High risk of:

    • Incorrect mapping

    • Missing updates

    • Partial workflow failures

🔴 Frustration & Low Adoption

  • Developers perceive Orchestrate as:

    • Rigid

    • Non-intelligent

    • Not aligned with modern ETL orchestration standards


Business / Project Impact

🔻 1. Delivery Delays

  • Every ETL re-import causes:

    • Workflow breakage

    • Rework cycles

  • Directly impacts:

    • Mock readiness

    • Cutover timelines


🔻 2. Reduced Scalability

  • Not suitable for:

    • Large programs

    • Multi-wave SAP migrations

    • Parallel environment deployments


🔻 3. Increased Cost of Ownership

  • Manual workaround → increased effort

  • Dependency on skilled resources for trivial fixes

🔻 4. Runtime Instability

  • Workflows fail silently or unpredictably

  • Dependency on obsolete IDs leads to:

    • Frequent runtime errors.


🧠 Architectural Recommendation (Proposed Enhancement)

✅ Introduce Logical ETL Binding

Replace:

ETL_ID (Hardcoded) 

With:

ETL_NAME (Logical) + Runtime Resolver 

✅ Introduce Metadata Resolution Layer

[Workflow] ↓ [Logical ETL Name + Variables] ↓ [Resolver Engine] ↓ [Environment-Specific ETL ID] ↓ [Execution] 

✅ Enable Variable-Driven Execution

  • Mock / Version selection via variables

  • Example:

${ENV} = LOAD ${MOCK} = MOCK1 

✅ Auto-Rebinding Engine

  • Detect:

    • Same ETL, new ID

  • Automatically remap references


✅ Release-Aware Mapping

  • Maintain mapping consistency across:

    • Golden → Load → Production


Expected Benefits

✅ For Developers

  • Zero manual remapping

  • Improved productivity

  • Reduced errors


✅ For Architecture

  • Loose coupling

  • Environment-agnostic workflows

  • Reusable orchestration design


✅ For Business

  • Faster delivery

  • Stable execution

  • Reduced operational cost


🧾 Conclusion

The current Orchestrate design is physically bound, environment-dependent, and operationally fragile due to its reliance on system-generated ETL IDs.

Without introducing:

  • Logical abstraction

  • Runtime resolution

  • Auto-rebinding

…the platform will continue to face:

  • Developer dissatisfaction

  • Delivery delays

  • Scalability limitations


✅ Final Recommendation (Concise)

Introduce logical ETL name-based execution with a metadata-driven resolver layer and dynamic variable support, enabling Orchestrate to become environment-agnostic, self-healing, and scalable for enterprise-grade data migration programs.

Status: Planned1 comment

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Comments1

  • John Munkberg

    Team•

    May 12

    Great request, and of course a great idea. We have been holding of on the updates between Migrate and Orchestrate because of some backend changes we have been making along our Journey to the Cloud.

    As we finish up that work, we will put this on the (getting fairly) extensive “Feature” list to begin work based on our capacity.

    We have some similar known gaps with how we register Replications in the ETL tasks as well. I think we can ideally address these as similar solutions.

    Thank you