Data Instance node

Data Instance Node

Overview

The Data Instance Node reshapes incoming payloads into a governed, model-shaped object by evaluating direct JavaScript expressions for each field.
It is ideal when you want a strongly-typed, well-documented data structure (often aligned with a Compose data model) but you still need full flexibility to calculate each field from raw inputs, combined sources, or other computed fields.

Unlike template-style nodes that use {{ }} expressions, Data Instance works with plain JavaScript code and an execution engine that:

• Resolves field dependencies (via $fields) automatically.
• Supports single objects, arrays, or merged inputs from multiple upstream nodes.
• Performs type conversion into common scalar types (String, Boolean, Int/UInt, Float, DateTime).

Configuration Reference

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Required	Description
Model ID	string	""	No	Data model ID. When selected, auto-populates fields from model schema.
Fields	array	[]	Yes	Field definitions for data transformation.
Error Mode	select	"continueAll"	Yes	stopOnError / continueAll

Field Definition (fields[])

Property	Type	Description
Name	string	Target field name (e.g., firstName, order.total).
Type	select	Output type (String, Boolean, Int8/16/32/64, UInt8/16/32/64, Float32/Float64, DateTime).
Expression	string (JS)	JavaScript code that returns the field value. Has access to $input, $node, $trigger, and $fields.
Required	boolean	Marks the field as required in the configuration UI.
Sensitivity	number (1--5)	Sensitivity level for data governance and UX.

Settings

Setting	Options	Default	Description
Timeout (seconds)	number	Pipeline default	Maximum execution time for this node (1--600).
Retry on Timeout	Pipeline Default / Enabled / Disabled	Pipeline Default	Whether to retry on timeout.
Retry on Fail	Pipeline Default / Enabled / Disabled	Pipeline Default	Whether to retry on failure. When Enabled, shows Advanced Retry Configuration.
On Error	Pipeline Default / Stop Pipeline / Continue Execution	Pipeline Default	Behavior when node fails after all retries.

Advanced Retry Configuration

Only visible when Retry on Fail is set to Enabled.

Field	Type	Default	Range	Description
Max Attempts	number	3	1--10	Maximum retry attempts.
Initial Delay (ms)	number	1000	100--30,000	Wait before first retry.
Max Delay (ms)	number	120000	1,000--300,000	Upper bound for backoff delay.
Multiplier	number	2.0	1.0--5.0	Exponential backoff multiplier.
Jitter Factor	number	0.1	0--0.5	Random jitter.

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Expression Examples

Simple Field Calculations

// Capitalize a name
$input.firstName.toUpperCase()

// Calculate year
new Date().getFullYear() 

// Mark adults vs minors
$input.age >= 18

Using $node for Cross-Node Data

// Read a field from a named upstream node
$node['Read Sensor'].temperature

// Combine data from multiple upstream nodes
$node['Fetch User'].name + ' (' + $node['Fetch Roles'].role + ')'

// Access nested data from a connector node
$node['REST Request'].body.items[0].id

Using $fields for Dependencies

// fullName field
$input.firstName + ' ' + $input.lastName

// greeting field that reuses fullName
'Hello, ' + $fields.fullName

// totalPrice based on other calculated fields
$fields.unitPrice * $fields.quantity

Usage Examples

Example 1: Normalize User Profile Payload

Field	Value
Model ID	(optional) userProfileModel
Error Mode	continueAll

Fields:

Name	Type	Expression
firstName	String	$input.first_name
lastName	String	$input.last_name
age	Int32	$input.age
fullName	String	$fields.firstName + ' ' + $fields.lastName

The node converts an arbitrary incoming object into a clean, typed user profile while gracefully handling missing values.

Example 2: Transform Arrays of Items

Upstream node sends an array of orders:

[
  { id: 'ORD-1', amount: 42.5, currency: 'USD' },
  { id: 'ORD-2', amount: 103.0, currency: 'USD' }
]

Fields:

Name	Type	Expression
orderId	String	$input.id
amount	Float64	$input.amount
displayLabel	String	'Order ' + $input.id + ' (' + $input.currency + ')'

The output is an array of normalized order objects with consistent types and labels.

Example 3: Merge Data from Multiple Upstream Nodes

Field	Value
Model ID	(none)
Error Mode	stopOnError

Fields:

Name	Type	Expression
sensorId	String	$node['Read Sensor'].id
temperature	Float64	$node['Read Sensor'].temperature
operatorName	String	$node['Fetch Operator'].name
lineName	String	$node['Fetch Operator'].assignedLine
label	String	$fields.operatorName + ' — ' + $fields.lineName

The node pulls data from two upstream nodes and combines them into a single, flat object. The label field uses $fields to reference previously computed fields.

When to Use Data Instance

Use the Data Instance node when you need:

• A strongly-typed, governed data model in the middle of a pipeline.
• Complex field calculations using full JavaScript rather than inline {{ }} expressions.
• To merge data from multiple upstream nodes into a single, well-structured object.