Using variables and parameters in job definitions

You can define one or more variables whose value contains another variable to allow dynamic variable substitution at run time. This feature makes your definitions more flexible, maintainable, and reusable.

You can nest any number of variables: the variables are resolved at run time in a recursive pattern, until they are all resolved. If a variable is not set, it is ignored and HCL Workload Automation proceeds to the next variable, until the resolution process is completed.

variable name = JOBCHAIN
variable value = PAYMENT_REPORTS

variable name = POOLNAME
variable value= DDS_${JOBCHAIN}

VARTABLE TST_VT_1  
MEMBERS  
VAR1 "orig-value"  
VAR2 "VAR2_${VAR1}"  
VAR3 "VAR3_${VAR1}_${VAR2}"  
VAR4 "VAR4_${VAR1}${VAR2}${VAR3}"  
END

var1= orig-value  
var2= VAR2_orig-value  
var3= VAR3_orig-value_VAR2_orig-value  
var4= VAR4_orig-value_VAR2_orig-valueVAR3_orig-value_VAR2_orig-value

var1= 20260219 
var2= VAR2_20260219  
var3= VAR3_20260219_VAR2_20260219  
var4= VAR4_20260219VAR2_20260219VAR3_20260219_VAR2_20260219

Consider a job stream containing a series of nested variables defined in the CITY_ROUTES variable table:

SCHEDULE EU-HWS-LNX104#NESTED_VARIABLES
    VARTABLE CITY_ROUTES
    :
    EU-HWS-LNX104_1#PRINT_ROUTES_JOB
    TASK
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <jsdl:jobDefinition xmlns:jsdl="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/scheduling/1.0/jsdl" 
    xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:jsdle="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/scheduling/1.0/jsdle" 
    xs:text="resolveVariableTable" name="executable">
    <jsdl:application name="executable">
    <jsdle:executable interactive="false">
    <jsdle:script>echo "^VAR5^"
    echo "${VAR9}"</jsdle:script>
    </jsdle:executable>
    </jsdl:application>
    </jsdl:jobDefinition>
    RECOVERY STOP
    
    END

The CITY_ROUTES variable table is as follows:

VARTABLE CITY_ROUTES
    MEMBERS
    VAR1 "Rome"
    VAR2 "${VAR1}, Paris"
    VAR3 "${VAR2}, London"
    VAR4 "${VAR3}, Berlin"
    VAR5 "${VAR4}, Madrid"
    VAR6 "New York"
    VAR7 "${VAR6}, Toronto"
    VAR8 "${VAR7}, Tokyo"
    VAR9 "${VAR8}, Chicago"
    END

The variables are resolved in a recursive pattern until all nested values are substituted. Here is how the specific variables in the job script are resolved based on the syntaxes used:

• ^VAR5^: Because it is enclosed in caret symbols (^), this variable is resolved when the production plan is generated or extended. It recursively resolves VAR4, VAR3, VAR2, and VAR1, outputting the final concatenated string: Rome, Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid.
• ${VAR9}: Because it is enclosed using the dollar sign and braces (${}), this variable is dynamically resolved or overwritten when the job is submitted to run. It recursively resolves VAR8, VAR7, and VAR6, outputting the final concatenated string: New York, Toronto, Tokyo, Chicago. This resolution mode requires you set the Variable resolution at runtime property in the integration.

This example successfully follows the necessary syntax rules for nested variables:

• Inside the variable table (CITY_ROUTES): The definitions correctly use the ${variablename} syntax to nest other variables (for example, "${VAR1}, Paris"). You must use this syntax because the caret symbol (^) is not supported when defining nested variables within a variable table.
• Inside the job definition (PRINT_ROUTES_JOB): Both the caret symbol (^) and the ${variablename} syntax are fully supported when referencing those nested variables inside the script of an integration.

The job stream with the resolved variables looks as follows:

SCHEDULE EU-HWS-LNX104#NESTED_VARIABLES
    VARTABLE CITY_ROUTES
    :
    EU-HWS-LNX104_1#PRINT_ROUTES_JOB
    TASK
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <jsdl:jobDefinition xmlns:jsdl="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/scheduling/1.0/jsdl" 
    xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:jsdle="http://www.ibm.com/xmlns/prod/scheduling/1.0/jsdle" 
    xs:text="resolveVariableTable" name="executable">
    <jsdl:application name="executable">
    <jsdle:executable interactive="false">
    <jsdle:script>echo "Rome, Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid"
    echo "New York, Toronto, Tokyo, Chicago"</jsdle:script>
    </jsdle:executable>
    </jsdl:application>
    </jsdl:jobDefinition>
    RECOVERY STOP
    
    END

In this resolved version, ^VAR5^ has been fully recursively resolved and replaced with Rome, Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, and ${VAR9} has been dynamically resolved and replaced with New York, Toronto, Tokyo, Chicago based on the hierarchy defined in the CITY_ROUTES variable table.