Transformation Plan Types
ONE offers four transformation plan types. Use this page to pick the type that matches how you want logic to run and be reused.
Standalone plans
A standalone plan is a transformation you can execute or schedule on its own. It processes your data and writes results to a destination you choose.
When to use: On-demand or scheduled processing where you control when the plan runs and where outputs go.
How to create: Go to Data quality > Transformation plans and select Create transformation plan > Standalone plan.
How to run: From the three dots menu on the Transformation editor tab, or schedule it for recurring execution.
Output destinations: Database, file storage (for example, Amazon S3), or reference data table.
Example use cases:
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Nightly job that combines customer data sources, removes duplicates, and loads results into a master customer table.
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One-time data migration into your data warehouse.
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Weekly export of aggregated sales data to partner file storage.
Embedded plans
An embedded plan is reusable transformation logic that never runs by itself. You add it as a step inside other plans.
When to use: Reuse the same logic across multiple plans and keep it in one place. Updating the embedded plan automatically updates every plan that references it.
How to create: Go to Data quality > Transformation plans and select Create transformation plan > Embedded plan.
Where it appears: In the Plans list with an embedded badge, and as an Embedded plan step when building other transformations.
Example use cases:
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Phone number formatting logic reused wherever customer data is transformed.
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Standard address cleansing (trim whitespace, remove special characters).
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Common lookup logic for reference data enrichment.
Transformation catalog items
A transformation catalog item (TCI) is a catalog item whose data is generated dynamically by running its transformation logic. It does not persist data; it computes results each time someone works with the item.
When to use: Always-current views without batch jobs.
How to create: Create a new catalog item and select the transformation catalog item type, or convert an existing item.
Where to configure: On the Data Flow tab (transformation logic) and optionally the Data transformations tab (to apply transformation rules). When it runs: Automatically whenever a user previews, profiles, runs DQ rules, exports, or otherwise queries the item.
Example use cases:
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De-duplicated customer view that stays current.
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Rolling sales summary combining multiple data sources.
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Unified product catalog merging data from several systems.
Transformation rules
A transformation rule is reusable logic that you apply to transformation catalog items (TCIs). Rules do not run or schedule on their own; they execute when the TCI is processed.
When to use: Enforce shared standards without duplicating logic across TCIs.
How to create: Go to Data quality > Transformation rules and select Create transformation.
Constraints: Each rule has one input and one output step and must keep the record count unchanged.
How to apply: From a TCI’s Data transformations tab, select Apply transformation rule.
Example use cases:
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Normalize email addresses to lowercase across all customer-related TCIs.
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Standardize date formats across the organization.
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Mask sensitive fields for secure data views.
For more on creating and managing rules, see Transformation Rules.
Comparing plan types
| Feature | Standalone plan | Embedded plan | Transformation rule | Transformation catalog item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Runs independently |
Yes (manual or scheduled) |
No |
No |
Yes (on access) |
Output storage |
Database, file, or reference data table |
Passed to parent plan |
Applied in TCI output |
Generated on demand |
Can be scheduled |
Yes |
No |
No |
No (updates automatically) |
Primary use case |
Batch processing |
Reusable logic |
Organization standards |
Always-current views |
Combining plan types
You can combine different plan types to build comprehensive workflows.
For example:
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Create an embedded plan with standard address formatting logic.
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Use that embedded plan inside a standalone plan that processes customer data nightly.
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Create a transformation rule that applies repeatable standardization logic.
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Apply that rule to a transformation catalog item that provides a secure, always-current view.
This modular approach lets you write transformation logic once and reuse it across your organization, reducing maintenance effort when business rules change.
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