Execution Environment (JavaScript)

Cube Data Model Compiler uses Node.js VM (opens in a new tab) to execute data model compiler code. It gives required flexibility allowing transpiling data model files before they get executed, storing data models in external databases and executing untrusted code in a safe manner. Cube data model JavaScript is standard JavaScript supported by Node.js starting in version 8 with the following exceptions.

Require

Being executed in VM, data model JavaScript code doesn't have access to Node.js require (opens in a new tab) directly. Instead require() is implemented by Data Model Compiler to provide access to other data model files and to regular Node.js modules. Besides that, the data model require() can resolve Cube packages such as Funnels unlike standard Node.js require().

Node.js globals (process.env, console.log and others)

Data model JavaScript code doesn't have access to any standard Node.js globals like process or console. In order to access process.env, utility functions can be added outside the model/ directory:

tablePrefix.js:

exports.tableSchema = () => process.env.TABLE_SCHEMA;

model/cubes/Users.js:

import { tableSchema } from "../tablePrefix";
 
cube(`users`, {
  sql_table: `${tableSchema()}.users`,
 
  // ...
});

console.log

Data models cannot access console.log due to a separate VM instance (opens in a new tab) that runs it. Suppose you find yourself writing complex logic for SQL generation that depends on a lot of external input. In that case, you probably want to introduce a helper service outside of the data model directory that you can debug as usual Node.js code.

Cube globals (cube and others)

Cube defines cube(), context() and asyncModule() global variable functions in order to provide API for data model configuration which aren't normally accessible outside of a Cube data model.

Import / Export

Data model JavaScript files are transpiled to convert ES6 import and export expressions to corresponding Node.js calls. In fact import is routed to Require method.

export can be used to define named exports as well as default ones:

constants.js:

export const TEST_USER_IDS = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

usersSql.js:

export default (usersTable) => `select * from ${usersTable}`;

Later, you can import into the cube, wherever needed:

Users.js:

// in users.js
import { TEST_USER_IDS } from "./constants";
import usersSql from "./usersSql";
 
cube(`users`, {
  sql: usersSql(`users`),
  measures: {
    /* ... */
  },
 
  dimensions: {
    /* ... */
  },
 
  segments: {
    excludeTestUsers: {
      sql: `${CUBE}.id NOT IN (${TEST_USER_IDS.join(", ")})`,
    },
  },
});

asyncModule

Data models can be externally stored and retrieved through an asynchronous operation using the asyncModule(). For more information, consult the dynamic data model creation.

Context symbols transpile

Cube uses a custom transpiler to optimize boilerplate code around referencing cubes and cube members. There are reserved property names inside cube definition that undergo reference resolve transpiling process:

sql
measures
dimensions
segments
time_dimension
drill_members
context_members

Each of these properties inside cube and context definitions are transpiled to functions with resolved arguments. For example:

cube(`users`, {
  // ...
 
  measures: {
    count: {
      type: `count`,
    },
 
    ratio: {
      sql: `SUM(${CUBE}.amount) / ${count}`,
      type: `number`,
    },
  },
});

is transpiled to:

cube(`users`, {
  // ...
 
  measures: {
    count: {
      type: `count`,
    },
 
    ratio: {
      sql: (CUBE, count) => `SUM(${CUBE}.amount) / ${count}`,
      type: `number`,
    },
  },
});

So for example if you want to pass the definition of ratio outside of the cube, you would define it as:

const measureRatioDefinition = {
  sql: (CUBE, count) => `sum(${CUBE}.amount) / ${count}`,
  type: `number`,
};
 
cube(`users`, {
  // ...
 
  measures: {
    count: {
      type: `count`,
    },
 
    ratio: measureRatioDefinition,
  },
});

Export and import Caching