Entity Table Node

The Entity Table Node lets you maintain static reference data in CSV format and look up values during workflow execution. Use it for mapping codes to names, storing regional settings, or any data that changes infrequently.

Entity Tables are ideal for reference data that rarely changes - like state codes, loss type mappings, or regional configurations. For dynamic routing logic, use a Decision Table Node instead.

Overview

Use an Entity Table Node when you need to:

Map codes to human-readable descriptions
Look up regional or state-specific values
Store carrier or product codes and names
Maintain coverage type definitions
Reference timezone or locale data
Store static configuration values

Entity Table vs. Decision Table

Entity Table	Decision Table
Static data lookup	Conditional routing logic
Simple key-value mapping	Multiple conditions with operators
CSV-based storage	Visual rule builder
Exact match only	Supports wildcards and comparisons
Reference data	Business rules

Use Entity Table when:

You need to look up a value by a key
Data is static (changes infrequently)
No conditional logic required

Use Decision Table when:

You need if/then routing
Multiple conditions determine output
Rules use operators like greater than, less than, wildcards

Configuration

Click on an Entity Table Node to open its configuration panel.

Basic Settings

Setting	Description
Title	Descriptive name for the node
CSV Data	The reference data in CSV format
Lookup Key	Column to match against (primary key)
Input Path	Context path containing the lookup value
Output Path	Where to store the lookup result

CSV Format

Entity Tables use standard CSV format:

key_column,output_column1,output_column2,output_column3
value1,result1a,result1b,result1c
value2,result2a,result2b,result2c
value3,result3a,result3b,result3c

First row contains column headers
First column is typically the lookup key
Subsequent columns contain data to retrieve
Values are comma-separated
Use quotes for values containing commas

How Lookups Work

Workflow reaches the Entity Table Node
Node reads the value from Input Path in context
Node searches the Lookup Key column for a match
If found, the entire row is returned to Output Path
If not found, output is null or empty

Example Lookup

CSV Data:

state_code,state_name,timezone,region
CA,California,America/Los_Angeles,West
TX,Texas,America/Chicago,South
FL,Florida,America/New_York,Southeast
NY,New York,America/New_York,Northeast

Configuration:

Lookup Key: state_code
Input Path: policyState
Output Path: stateInfo

Context before:

{
  "policyState": "TX"
}

Context after:

{
  "policyState": "TX",
  "stateInfo": {
    "state_code": "TX",
    "state_name": "Texas",
    "timezone": "America/Chicago",
    "region": "South"
  }
}

Insurance Examples

State Code Lookup

Map state abbreviations to full names and regional data. CSV:

state_code,state_name,timezone,region,regulatory_contact
AL,Alabama,America/Chicago,Southeast,aldoi@alabama.gov
AK,Alaska,America/Anchorage,West,insurance@alaska.gov
AZ,Arizona,America/Phoenix,Southwest,insurance@azinsurance.gov
CA,California,America/Los_Angeles,West,commissioner@insurance.ca.gov
CO,Colorado,America/Denver,Mountain,dora_ins@state.co.us
FL,Florida,America/New_York,Southeast,floir@floir.com
GA,Georgia,America/New_York,Southeast,oci@oci.ga.gov
NY,New York,America/New_York,Northeast,consumers@dfs.ny.gov
TX,Texas,America/Chicago,South,consumerprotection@tdi.texas.gov
WA,Washington,America/Los_Angeles,West,mike.kreidler@oic.wa.gov

Configuration:

Lookup Key: state_code
Input Path: insuredState
Output Path: stateData

Usage in subsequent Mapping Node:

{
  "displayState": $.stateData.state_name,
  "claimTimezone": $.stateData.timezone,
  "regulatoryEmail": $.stateData.regulatory_contact
}

Loss Type Codes

Map internal loss codes to categories and descriptions. CSV:

loss_code,category,subcategory,description,typical_reserve
WTR-001,Water,Pipe,Pipe burst or plumbing leak,5000
WTR-002,Water,Flood,External flooding or storm water,15000
WTR-003,Water,Appliance,Water heater or appliance failure,3000
WTR-004,Water,Roof,Roof leak or ice dam,8000
FIR-001,Fire,Structure,Structural fire damage,50000
FIR-002,Fire,Electrical,Electrical fire,25000
FIR-003,Fire,Kitchen,Kitchen or cooking fire,15000
FIR-004,Fire,Smoke,Smoke damage only,10000
THF-001,Theft,Burglary,Home burglary or break-in,5000
THF-002,Theft,Vehicle,Theft from vehicle,2000
THF-003,Theft,Package,Package theft or porch piracy,500
WND-001,Wind,Storm,Wind or storm damage,12000
WND-002,Wind,Hail,Hail damage,8000
WND-003,Wind,Tornado,Tornado damage,75000

Configuration:

Lookup Key: loss_code
Input Path: reportedLossCode
Output Path: lossDetails

Result:

{
  "reportedLossCode": "WTR-001",
  "lossDetails": {
    "loss_code": "WTR-001",
    "category": "Water",
    "subcategory": "Pipe",
    "description": "Pipe burst or plumbing leak",
    "typical_reserve": "5000"
  }
}

Carrier Codes

Map carrier codes to full names and contact information. CSV:

carrier_code,carrier_name,claims_phone,claims_email,portal_url
ACME,Acme Insurance Co,800-555-0100,claims@acmeins.com,https://claims.acmeins.com
SAFG,SafeGuard Mutual,800-555-0200,claims@safeguard.com,https://portal.safeguard.com
NTWD,Nationwide Premium,800-555-0300,fnol@nationwide-prem.com,https://claims.nationwide-prem.com
ALLST,AllState Partners,800-555-0400,newclaim@allstatepartners.com,https://allstatepartners.com/claims
LIBS,Liberty Secure,800-555-0500,claims@libertysecure.com,https://libertysecure.com/portal

Configuration:

Lookup Key: carrier_code
Input Path: policyCarrier
Output Path: carrierInfo

Coverage Type Definitions

Look up coverage codes and deductible information. CSV:

coverage_code,coverage_name,coverage_description,default_deductible,max_limit
DWELL,Dwelling,Structure of the home,1000,500000
PERS,Personal Property,Contents and belongings,500,250000
LIAB,Liability,Personal liability coverage,0,300000
MEDP,Medical Payments,Medical payments to others,0,5000
LOSS,Loss of Use,Additional living expenses,0,100000
SCHD,Scheduled Property,Specifically listed valuables,0,50000
FLOD,Flood,Flood damage coverage,5000,250000
EQKE,Earthquake,Earthquake damage coverage,10000,500000

Configuration:

Lookup Key: coverage_code
Input Path: requestedCoverage
Output Path: coverageDetails

Adjuster Assignments by Region

Map regions to assigned adjuster teams. CSV:

region,team_name,team_lead,team_email,team_phone,capacity
Northeast,NE Claims Team,Sarah Johnson,ne-claims@company.com,800-555-1001,150
Southeast,SE Claims Team,Michael Chen,se-claims@company.com,800-555-1002,200
Midwest,MW Claims Team,Lisa Anderson,mw-claims@company.com,800-555-1003,175
Southwest,SW Claims Team,James Rodriguez,sw-claims@company.com,800-555-1004,125
West,West Claims Team,Emily Park,west-claims@company.com,800-555-1005,180

Configuration:

Lookup Key: region
Input Path: claimRegion
Output Path: assignedTeam

Timezone Conversions

Store timezone data for date/time handling. CSV:

timezone_id,display_name,utc_offset,observes_dst
America/New_York,Eastern Time,-5,true
America/Chicago,Central Time,-6,true
America/Denver,Mountain Time,-7,true
America/Phoenix,Arizona Time,-7,false
America/Los_Angeles,Pacific Time,-8,true
America/Anchorage,Alaska Time,-9,true
Pacific/Honolulu,Hawaii Time,-10,false

Configuration:

Lookup Key: timezone_id
Input Path: customerTimezone
Output Path: timezoneInfo

Handling Missing Values

When a lookup key is not found in the Entity Table, the output will be null or empty.

Check for Missing Data

Use a Mapping Node after the Entity Table to handle missing lookups:

{
  "lookupSuccessful": $exists($.stateData) and $.stateData != null,
  "stateName": $.stateData.state_name ? $.stateData.state_name : "Unknown State",
  "timezone": $.stateData.timezone ? $.stateData.timezone : "America/New_York"
}

Default Values Pattern

Entity Table Node performs lookup
Mapping Node checks if result exists
If missing, apply default values
Continue workflow with guaranteed data

Entity Table → Mapping (apply defaults) → Next Node

Updating Entity Table Data

Entity Tables contain static data that is configured at design time.

When to Update

Update your Entity Table CSV when:

New codes or values are added (new states, new loss types)
Reference data changes (phone numbers, emails)
Business requirements change
Corrections are needed

How to Update

Open the workflow in the editor
Click on the Entity Table Node
Edit the CSV data in the configuration panel
Save the node
Create a new release
Deploy to QA, then Production

Entity Table changes require a new workflow release. For data that changes frequently, consider using an external API with a Task Node instead.

Best Practices

Use Clear Column Names

# Good - descriptive column names
state_code,state_name,timezone,region

# Bad - unclear abbreviations
sc,sn,tz,rg

Include All Expected Values

Ensure your CSV contains all possible lookup values. Add new rows when new codes are introduced.

Keep Tables Focused

One Entity Table should serve one purpose:

Bad	Good
One table with states, carriers, and loss codes	Separate tables for each data type

Use Consistent Key Formats

Ensure lookup keys are formatted consistently:

# Good - consistent uppercase codes
CA,California
TX,Texas
FL,Florida

# Bad - inconsistent casing
CA,California
tx,Texas
Fl,Florida

Document Your Tables

Add a Note Node explaining what the Entity Table contains and when it was last updated:

Entity Table: State Reference Data
Last Updated: 2025-02-01
Contains: 50 US states + DC + territories
Source: Internal reference database

Common Issues

Lookup Returns Null

Symptom: Entity Table returns null even though the value exists. Fixes:

Check for case sensitivity (CA vs ca vs Ca)
Verify no leading/trailing whitespace in CSV
Confirm Input Path points to correct context field
Check that the lookup key column name matches configuration

Wrong Column Returned

Symptom: Getting unexpected data from lookup. Fix: Verify column names in CSV header row match what you expect. Check for typos.

CSV Parse Errors

Symptom: Entity Table fails to load or returns errors. Fixes:

Ensure proper CSV format (commas, not tabs)
Quote values that contain commas: "New York, NY"
Remove any special characters or line breaks within values
Check for consistent number of columns in each row

Numeric Values as Strings

Symptom: Numbers from Entity Table cannot be used in calculations. Fix: Entity Tables return all values as strings. Use a Mapping Node to convert:

{
  "reserveAmount": $number($.lossDetails.typical_reserve)
}

Entity Table vs. External API

Entity Table	External API (Task Node)
Data stored in workflow	Data stored externally
Changes require release	Changes immediate
No network latency	Network call required
Limited size	Unlimited data
Simple lookups only	Complex queries possible

Use Entity Table when:

Data is small (under 1000 rows)
Data changes infrequently
Lookup speed is critical
No external dependencies desired

Use External API when:

Data is large or complex
Data changes frequently
Multiple systems need same data
Advanced querying required

Next Steps

Decision Table Node

Conditional routing with business rules

Mapping Node

Transform lookup results

Task Node

Look up data from external APIs

Code Node

Complex data processing logic

​Entity Table Node

​Overview

​Entity Table vs. Decision Table

​Configuration

​Basic Settings

​CSV Format

​How Lookups Work

​Example Lookup

​Insurance Examples

​State Code Lookup

​Loss Type Codes

​Carrier Codes

​Coverage Type Definitions

​Adjuster Assignments by Region

​Timezone Conversions

​Handling Missing Values

​Check for Missing Data

​Default Values Pattern

​Updating Entity Table Data

​When to Update

​How to Update

​Best Practices

​Use Clear Column Names

​Include All Expected Values

​Keep Tables Focused

​Use Consistent Key Formats

​Document Your Tables

​Common Issues

​Lookup Returns Null

​Wrong Column Returned

​CSV Parse Errors

​Numeric Values as Strings

​Entity Table vs. External API

​Next Steps

Decision Table Node

Mapping Node

Task Node

Code Node

Entity Table Node

Overview

Entity Table vs. Decision Table

Configuration

Basic Settings

CSV Format

How Lookups Work

Example Lookup

Insurance Examples

State Code Lookup

Loss Type Codes

Carrier Codes

Coverage Type Definitions

Adjuster Assignments by Region

Timezone Conversions

Handling Missing Values

Check for Missing Data

Default Values Pattern

Updating Entity Table Data

When to Update

How to Update

Best Practices

Use Clear Column Names

Include All Expected Values

Keep Tables Focused

Use Consistent Key Formats

Document Your Tables

Common Issues

Lookup Returns Null

Wrong Column Returned

CSV Parse Errors

Numeric Values as Strings

Entity Table vs. External API

Next Steps