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3.2.1. Pipeline Errors and the Fail Activity
đź’ˇ First Principle: The Fail activity provides controlled pipeline termination with custom error messages. It enables graceful failure handling instead of silent errors.
Scenario: A Lookup activity queries reference data that should always exist. If it returns empty, the pipeline should fail with a clear message indicating which reference data is missing.
Fail Activity Configuration
| Parameter | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Error Message | Human-readable description | "Customer reference data not found" |
| Error Code | Machine-readable identifier | "ERR_MISSING_REF_DATA" |
Visual: Fail Activity Pattern
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Implementation Pattern
- Add Lookup activity to query required data
- Add If Condition to check for empty results
- Add Fail activity in the True branch
- Configure error message and code
- Continue processing in False branch
⚠️ Common Pitfall: Logging errors without failing the pipeline. If a condition should stop execution, use the Fail activity—logging alone allows downstream activities to continue with bad data.