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Pipelines enable you to chain multiple data operations together, creating powerful ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) workflows. With pipelines, you can import data, transform it using AI-powered operations, clean formatting issues, and export the results—all in a single, declarative workflow.

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Purpose of Pipelines

  • Operation Chaining: Connect multiple data operations in a sequential workflow
  • AI-Powered Transformations: Use natural language prompts to transform and clean data
  • Automated Data Sync: Build end-to-end data synchronization between systems
  • Intelligent Remapping: Automatically map columns between different data schemas
  • Error Resolution: Leverage AI to detect and fix data formatting issues

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Creating a Pipeline

Pipelines are created using the Vern SDK by calling vern.workbooks.pipeline(sheetId) and chaining operations: 
const result = await vern.workbooks.pipeline(sheetId)
  .import(data, options)
  .transform(prompts)
  .autoclean()
  .export(config)
  .execute();
Each pipeline must end with .execute() to run the workflow.

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Pipeline Operations

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Import

Import data into a workbook with intelligent column remapping: 
.import(salesData.records, {
  remappings: [
    { from: 'price', to: 'Amount' },
    { from: 'date', to: 'Transaction Date' },
    { from: 'region', to: 'Sales Region' },
    { from: 'address', to: ['Street', 'City', 'Post Code'], delimiter: ','},
    { from: ['sales_id', 'sku'], to: 'ID', join: '-'},
  ],
  autoremap: true // Use AI to remap remaining columns
})
Options:
  • remappings: Array of column mapping rules
    • from: Source column name(s)
    • to: Target column name(s)
    • delimiter: Split source values across multiple columns
    • join: Join multiple source columns into one
  • autoremap: Enable AI-powered column mapping for unmapped fields

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Transform

Apply data transformations using natural language instructions: 
.transform([
  'Convert international amounts to AUD',
  'Update sales region to relevant city',
  'Standardize date formats to YYYY-MM-DD'
])
Pass an array of natural language prompts describing the transformations you want to apply. Vern’s AI will interpret and execute these operations on your data.

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Autoclean

Automatically detect and resolve data formatting issues: 
.autoclean()
Autoclean uses AI to identify and fix common data quality issues like:
  • Inconsistent formatting
  • Invalid characters
  • Type mismatches
  • Missing required values
  • Duplicate entries

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Export

Send processed data to external systems via webhook: 
.export({
  type: 'webhook',
  url: 'https://api.example.com/data',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.API_TOKEN}`,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
})
Options:
  • type: Export destination type (currently supports 'webhook')
  • url: Target API endpoint
  • headers: HTTP headers for authentication and content negotiation

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Complete Example

Here’s a complete example of a pipeline that syncs sales data from one system to another: 
import { NextRequest, NextResponse } from 'next/server';
import Vern from 'vern';

const vern = new Vern({
  apiKey: process.env['VERN_API_KEY']
});

export async function POST(request: NextRequest) {
  try {
    const { sheetId } = await request.json();
    
    // Step 1: Fetch data from external sales API
    const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/sales', {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.SALES_API_TOKEN}`,
      },
    });
    
    const salesData = await response.json();

    // Step 2: Chain Vern operations using pipeline
    const result = await vern.workbooks.pipeline(sheetId)
      .import(salesData.records, {
        remappings: [
          { from: 'price', to: 'Amount' },
          { from: 'date', to: 'Transaction Date' },
          { from: 'region', to: 'Sales Region' },
          { from: 'address', to: ['Street', 'City', 'Post Code'], delimiter: ','},
          { from: ['sales_id', 'sku'], to: 'ID', join: '-'},
        ],
        autoremap: true // Use AI to remap the remaining columns
      })
      .transform([
        'Convert international amounts to AUD',
        'Update sales region to relevant city'
      ]) // Use natural language prompts to transform data
      .autoclean() // Use AI to resolve remaining formatting issues
      .export({
        type: 'webhook',
        url: 'https://{install}.{geo}.deputy.com/api/v2/metrics',
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.DEPUTY_INTERNAL_API_TOKEN}`,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
      })
      .execute();
      
    console.log('Successfully synced sales data to Deputy');
    
    return NextResponse.json({ success: true, result });

  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error in sales data pipeline:', error);
    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Pipeline failed' }, { status: 500 });
  }
}

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Pipeline Execution

When you call .execute(), Vern:
  1. Validates the pipeline configuration
  2. Executes each operation in sequence
  3. Passes the output of each step to the next
  4. Returns the final result or throws an error if any step fails
Pipelines are executed synchronously, meaning .execute() waits for all operations to complete before returning.

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Error Handling

Always wrap pipeline execution in a try-catch block to handle potential errors: 
try {
  const result = await vern.workbooks.pipeline(sheetId)
    .import(data)
    .transform(['...'])
    .export(config)
    .execute();
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Pipeline failed:', error);
  // Handle the error appropriately
}

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Best Practices

  • Use Autoremap: Enable autoremap: true to reduce manual column mapping
  • Clear Transformations: Write specific, actionable transformation prompts
  • Error Handling: Always implement proper error handling for pipeline execution
  • Validation: Validate source data before importing to catch issues early
  • Secure Credentials: Store API keys and tokens securely in environment variables
  • Logging: Log pipeline results for debugging and monitoring
  • Idempotency: Design pipelines to be safely re-runnable

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Next Steps

  • Learn about Workbooks to understand data storage in Vern
  • Explore the SDK documentation for detailed API references
  • Set up Webhooks to receive notifications about pipeline completions