Slice Command

Slice Command

Overview

The slice command extracts specific sections (entity types) from a Gateway configuration bundle, creating a new bundle with only the selected entities. This is useful for creating focused bundles, removing unwanted entities, or preparing selective deployments.

Syntax

graphman slice --input <input-file> [--sections <section> <section>...]
  [--output <output-file>]
  [--filter.<section>.<field-name> [<matching-criteria>.]<field-value>]

Parameters

Required Parameters

Parameter	Description
--input	Input bundle file to slice

Optional Parameters

Parameter	Description	Default
--sections	One or more section names to include/exclude	None (empty bundle)
--output	Output file for the sliced bundle	Standard output (console)
--filter.<section>.<field>	Filter entities within sections	None

Section Specification

Sections refer to entity types using their plural names:

Section Name	Entity Type
services	Web Services
policies	Policies
policyFragments	Policy Fragments
folders	Folders
keys	Private Keys
trustedCerts	Trusted Certificates
jdbcConnections	JDBC Connections
jmsDestinations	JMS Destinations
clusterProperties	Cluster Properties
scheduledTasks	Scheduled Tasks
encassConfigs	Encapsulated Assertions

Special Section Names

Section	Meaning
*	All sections in the bundle
-<section>	Exclude the specified section
+<section>	Explicitly include the section (optional prefix)

Behavior

Inclusion Logic

1. Sections are processed in the order specified
2. Use * to include all sections first
3. Use -section to exclude specific sections
4. Sections not listed are excluded by default

Filter Application

• Filters are applied after section selection
• Filters use the same syntax as the export command
• Multiple filters are combined with AND logic

Examples

Extract Specific Sections

Extract only services and policies:

graphman slice --input full-bundle.json --sections services policies --output services-policies.json

Extract All Except Specific Sections

Include everything except folders and cluster properties:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections "*" -folders -clusterProperties --output filtered.json

Extract Single Section

Extract only services:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections services --output services-only.json

Extract with Filters

Extract services in a specific folder:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections services \
  --filter.services.folderPath.eq /APIs/External \
  --output external-apis.json

Extract enabled services only:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections services \
  --filter.services.enabled.eq true \
  --output enabled-services.json

Complex Section Selection

Include all, then exclude several sections:

graphman slice --input bundle.json \
  --sections "*" -scheduledTasks -auditConfigurations -emailListeners \
  --output deployment-bundle.json

Multiple Filters

Combine multiple filter criteria:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections services \
  --filter.services.enabled.eq true \
  --filter.services.folderPath.regex "^/Production" \
  --output prod-enabled-services.json

Use Cases

1. Selective Deployment

Deploy only specific entity types:

# Extract services and policies for deployment
graphman slice --input full-config.json --sections services policies --output deployment.json
graphman import --input deployment.json --gateway prod

2. Remove Sensitive Data

Remove keys and certificates before sharing:

graphman slice --input bundle.json \
  --sections "*" -keys -trustedCerts -passwords \
  --output shareable-config.json

3. Environment-Specific Configuration

Extract environment-specific entities:

graphman slice --input bundle.json \
  --sections clusterProperties jdbcConnections jmsDestinations \
  --output env-config.json

4. Policy Library

Extract reusable policies and fragments:

graphman slice --input bundle.json \
  --sections policies policyFragments \
  --filter.policies.folderPath.eq /Library \
  --output policy-library.json

5. Incremental Deployment

Deploy entities in stages:

# Stage 1: Infrastructure
graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections folders clusterProperties --output stage1.json

# Stage 2: Security
graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections keys trustedCerts --output stage2.json

# Stage 3: Services
graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections services policies --output stage3.json

6. Cleanup Preparation

Identify entities for deletion:

graphman slice --input current-config.json \
  --sections services \
  --filter.services.folderPath.eq /Deprecated \
  --output to-delete.json

7. Configuration Comparison

Extract comparable sections from different environments:

graphman slice --input dev-config.json --sections services policies --output dev-services.json
graphman slice --input prod-config.json --sections services policies --output prod-services.json
graphman diff --input-source dev-services.json --input-target prod-services.json --output differences.json

Filter Matching Criteria

Criteria	Description	Example
eq, equals	Exact match (default)	--filter.services.name.eq MyService
neq	Not equals	--filter.services.enabled.neq false
regex	Regular expression	--filter.services.name.regex ^API.*
gt	Greater than	--filter.services.version.gt 5
lt	Less than	--filter.services.version.lt 10
gte	Greater than or equals	--filter.services.version.gte 1
lte	Less than or equals	--filter.services.version.lte 5

Advanced Usage

Combining Sections and Filters

Extract specific services and all their dependencies:

# First, export with dependencies
graphman export --using services --variables.name "MyService" \
  --options.excludeDependencies false --gateway prod --output with-deps.json

# Then slice to remove unwanted sections
graphman slice --input with-deps.json \
  --sections services policies folders keys \
  --output deployment-ready.json

Global Filters

Apply filters across all sections:

graphman slice --input bundle.json --sections "*" \
  --filter.*.folderPath.regex "^/Production" \
  --output production-entities.json

Section-Specific Filters

Different filters for different sections:

graphman slice --input bundle.json \
  --sections services policies \
  --filter.services.enabled.eq true \
  --filter.policies.policyType.eq "Include" \
  --output filtered.json

Important Notes

• Section names are case-sensitive and must use plural form
• Unknown section names generate warnings but don't cause errors
• Empty sections are included in output (as empty arrays)
• The output bundle is automatically sorted
• Filters are applied after section selection
• Use schema command to see all available section names
• Bundle properties are preserved in the output
• The * section must be specified first if used with exclusions

Section Order

Sections appear in the output in the standard order:

1. Entity sections (alphabetically by plural name)
2. Bundle properties (always last)

Related Commands

• combine: Merge multiple bundles
• export: Export with built-in filtering
• diff: Compare sliced bundles
• explode: Break down sliced bundles

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive output names that indicate what was sliced
2. Validate sliced bundles before importing
3. Document section selections in deployment procedures
4. Test sliced bundles in non-production first
5. Combine with filters for precise entity selection
6. Use * with exclusions to simplify complex selections
7. Check section names using the schema command
8. Preserve dependencies when slicing for deployment

Workflow Examples

Deployment Pipeline

#!/bin/bash
# Export from development
graphman export --gateway dev --output dev-full.json

# Slice for production deployment
graphman slice --input dev-full.json \
  --sections services policies folders \
  --filter.services.folderPath.regex "^/Release" \
  --output prod-deployment.json

# Validate
graphman validate --input prod-deployment.json

# Deploy
graphman import --input prod-deployment.json --gateway prod

Configuration Backup Strategy

#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Full backup
graphman export --gateway prod --output backups/full-$DATE.json

# Security backup
graphman slice --input backups/full-$DATE.json \
  --sections keys trustedCerts \
  --output backups/security-$DATE.json

# Services backup
graphman slice --input backups/full-$DATE.json \
  --sections services policies policyFragments \
  --output backups/services-$DATE.json

Troubleshooting

Unknown Section Warning

warn: unknown section mySection

Solution: Check section name spelling and use plural form. Use graphman schema to list valid sections.

Empty Output

If output is empty, ensure:

• Section names are correct
• Sections exist in the input bundle
• Filters aren't too restrictive

Filter Not Working

Verify:

• Filter syntax: --filter.<section>.<field>.<criteria> <value>
• Field names match entity structure
• Matching criteria is valid