---
schema_version: "1"
id: 8389c52472d896e1614055f534ab37d8cb6fc04062d80abf86290aa833a26cfc
title: Use Input Variables to Define Dynamic Processing Rules
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ind/264-0-0/dpe_define_input_variables.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_define_input_variables.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 2dd4a1bc4c3c101394975eed5eb778afc14e1a8d9f7d67d13c15ad43f533837a
description: Define flexible data processing rules by using input variables to define default values, filter records, and create formulas. To dynamically control the data filters and formulas at run time, create variables without values and use them to configure Filter and Formula nodes. During a definition run, specify variable values based on your specific requirements. For example, to filter opportunities above a certain value for different fiscal years, set a default value for the input variable and then update it when you run the definition.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Use Input Variables to Define Dynamic Processing Rules

Define flexible data processing rules by using input variables to define default values, filter records, and create formulas. To dynamically control the data filters and formulas at run time, create variables without values and use them to configure Filter and Formula nodes. During a definition run, specify variable values based on your specific requirements. For example, to filter opportunities above a certain value for different fiscal years, set a default value for the input variable and then update it when you run the definition.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;"><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_editions.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Review the supported editions and availability for Data Processing Engine (DPE).">View supported editions</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d13608e60">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e60 ">To create input variables:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e60 "><span>
                <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_setup.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Assign users system permissions, object access, and permission sets that they require to manage, run, and monitor Data Processing Engine (DPE) definitions. User permissions for Data Processing Engine vary based on the runtime platform your company uses to run definitions.">View permissions information.</a>
              </span></td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

You can add these types of input variables to a definition:

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small ">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
          <col style="width:50%">
        </colgroup>
        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
          <tr class="">
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d13608e103">Input Variable Type</th>
            <th scope="col" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" id="d13608e106">Use</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Text</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">Use text input variables to specify values or comma-separated list of values in
              Filter node conditions or in formulas.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Number</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">Use number input variables to specify numerical values in Filter node
              conditions or in formulas.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Filter</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">
              <p>Use filter input variables to set the Filter node criteria for filtering data in both CRM
                Analytics (CRMA) and <span>Data 360</span> runtimes.</p>
              <p>The value of a filter input variable must be in a valid JSON format with specific key-value
                pairs. Here’s a sample JSON:</p>
              <pre class="line-numbers slds-box slds-box_x-small slds-theme_shade slds-m-top_medium slds-m-bottom_medium slds-scrollable_x"><code>{
  "filterCondition": "1 AND 2",
  "criteria": [
    {
      "sourceFieldName": "Name",
      "operator": "Equals",
      "value": "dpe",
      "sequence": 1
    },
    {
      "sourceFieldName": "BillingCity",
      "operator": "Equals",
      "value": "Bangalore",
      "sequence": 2
    }
  ]
}</code></pre>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">The types of operators that you use in the conditions depend on the data type of the condition's
                source field. To learn about the supported operators for each field data type, see
                <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_filter_input_variables.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="A filter input variable is defined as a JSON and the JSON represents a filter criteria with conditions and a condition logic. The conditions are based on fields and the data type of each field decides the operators that can be used in the condition. These are the list of operators that are supported for each field data type in filter input variables.">Supported Operators
                  for Filter Input Variables</a>.
              </p>
            </td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Expression</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">Use expression input variables to define expressions by using variables,
              operators, or functions in both CRMA and <span>Data 360</span> runtimes. The value of the
              expression input variable acts as a default placeholder and can be overridden at run
              time.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Date</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">Use date input variables to specify dates in Filter node conditions or in
              formulas.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">Date/Time</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">Use date/time input variables to specify times in Filter node conditions or in
              formulas.</td>

          </tr>
          <tr class="">
            <td data-label="Input Variable Type" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e103 ">File Identifier</td>

            <td data-label="Use" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d13608e106 ">
              <p>Use file identifier input variables in the <span>Data 360</span> runtime to provide the content document IDs
                to the Data Processing Engine definition. When a definition is run, the definition
                uses the content document ID to find that CSV file that it must use as the run's
                data source.</p>
              <p style="margin-bottom:0;">If a definition consists of multiple data source nodes that use CSV files as data source, create
                input variables for each data source node that uses CSV files as data source.
                While defining the input variables, don't specify a value for the variables. When
                running the definition, you can specify the IDs of the content documents that
                contain the data source CSV files of that specific run.</p>
            </td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

1. Click the ![Left panel icon](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ind-data_processing_engine-264-0-0-production-enus/80e06924-e6c0-4b82-81cf-e99ccd77d857/data_processing_engine/images/dpe_leftpanel_icon.png) left panel icon and select the Input Variables tab.
2. Click **New**.
3. Enter a name.
    
    The API name automatically populates from the name. For example, if the variable name is Test Variable, the API name autopopulates as Test\_Variable.
4. Select the variable type.
5. Optionally, enter a default value for the variable.
6. Click **Done**.

![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ind-data_processing_engine-264-0-0-production-enus/80e06924-e6c0-4b82-81cf-e99ccd77d857/images/icon_example.png)

Example To filter opportunity records above $500,000 in value for each upcoming year, you can create two input variables. For the first variable, you can enter the value as $500,000. For the second, don't enter a value. While creating the flow to run the definition, enter the value of the second input variable for the year that you want to filter records for.

![Input variable](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ind-data_processing_engine-264-0-0-production-enus/80e06924-e6c0-4b82-81cf-e99ccd77d857/data_processing_engine/images/data_processing_engine_input_variable.png)

- **[Supported Operators for Filter Input Variables](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_filter_input_variables.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    A filter input variable is defined as a JSON and the JSON represents a filter criteria with conditions and a condition logic. The conditions are based on fields and the data type of each field decides the operators that can be used in the condition. These are the list of operators that are supported for each field data type in filter input variables.