What is a Channel?
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Iguana manages the transfer and transformation of incoming and outgoing data using something called “channels”. Channels act like pipelines that direct the flow of your data from one location to another.
Channels are created by combining “components”. Similar to the two ends of a pipe, most channels have a Source and a Destination component. The Source component pulls data into the channel and the Destination component pushes data out of the channel.
Imagine that, inside the pipe, there are valves and filters that can control and change the flow of information as it passes through. Well, channels work the same way! The “Filter” component executes scripts to change the data as it passes through the channel. Using a filter, you can impose instructions that will result in things like parsing, filtering, transformations and translations.
Did you know that the source and destination components can also do some of the heavy lifting? If you assign either the source or the destination as a “Translator” component, you can impose instructions upon them as well. These scripts can execute changes related to where your data is coming from or where your data is going. This can ease some of the burden on the Filter component, and is a great way to streamline data processing into smaller, more manageable chunks.