DDS Syntax (Datadance Syntax)

DDS (Datadance Syntax) is a YAML-like alternative to writing transforms in JSON. It is more concise and readable, especially for complex transformations.

Writing transforms in DDS

Each line defines one transform: a field name followed by a colon and the expression.

field1: expression1
field2: expression2

Example

JSON

[
  { "fullName": "input.first + ' ' + input.last" },
  { "age": "input.age | parseInt" }
]

DDS

fullName: input.first + ' ' + input.last
age: input.age | parseInt

Using DDS with the API

Set transforms_syntax: "dds" in the settings and pass the transforms as a string:

{
  "input": { "first": "Alice", "last": "Smith", "age": "30" },
  "transforms": "fullName: input.first + ' ' + input.last\nage: input.age | parseInt",
  "settings": { "merge_method": "overwrite", "transforms_syntax": "dds" }
}

Nested transforms in DDS

Indentation (2 spaces) defines nesting:

DDS

address:
  street: upper(input.address.street)
  city: upper(input.address.city)

Equivalent JSON

[
  {
    "address": [
      { "street": "upper(input.address.street)" },
      { "city": "upper(input.address.city)" }
    ]
  }
]

Rules

Rule	Detail
Indentation	Must be in multiples of 2 spaces (no tabs)
Field names	Only alphanumeric, underscores, and dollar signs
String literals	Use single quotes, not double quotes
Values without colon	Creates a nested transform block

Converting between formats

Use the dedicated endpoints for conversion:

• DDS → JSON: POST /api/parse with DDS text as the body
• JSON → DDS: POST /api/encode with JSON transforms as the body