Starting a test session

To validate your draft start a test session, provisioning a NiFi cluster.

Make sure that you have DFDeveloper permission to perform this task. For information on account and resource roles, see Cloudera Data Flow Authorization.
You have created a draft in Flow Designer.

Initiate a test session by clicking the To fully validate your flow and develop with live data, start a test session. banner.

tip
You can also start test sessions from Flow Options > Test Session > Start.
Pick a NiFi Runtime Version for your deployment.
By default, the latest available version is selected. If you need a different version, click Change Version and select your preferred version from the drop-down, then click Apply.
Specify whether you want to use inbound connections that allow your flow to receive data from an external data source.

If yes, specify the endpoint host name and listening port(s) where your flow listens to incoming data.

See Creating an inbound connection endpoint for complete information on endpoint configuration options.
Specify whether you want to use NiFi Archives (NARs) to deploy custom NiFi processors or controller services.

If yes, specify the Cloudera Workload Username, password, and cloud storage location where the NARs are stored.

tip
If you want to provide a machine user as Cloudera Workload Username during flow deployment, make sure to note the full workload user name including the srv_ prefix.

Make sure that you click the Save button specific to Custom NAR Configuration before proceeding.
Specify whether you want to use custom Python processors with your flow.
If yes, specify the Cloudera Workload Username, password, and cloud storage location where the processors are stored.
tip
Create a dedicated directory in your object store where you keep all your Python processors. Create one Python script per processor and store it in this directory.
tip
If you want to provide a machine user as Cloudera Workload Username during flow deployment, make sure to note the full workload user name including the srv_ prefix.

Make sure that you click the Save button specific to Custom Python Processors before proceeding.
Specify NiFi node size by selecting one of the options:
- Extra Small: 2 vCores per Node, 4 GB RAM per Node
- Small: 3 vCores per Node, 6 GB RAM per Node
- Medium: 6 vCores per Node, 12 GB RAM per Node
- Large: 12 vCores per Node, 24 GB RAM per Node
Click Start Test Session.
Commissioning of the NiFi cluster initiates and test session status changes to Starting Test Session...
Wait for the status to change to Active Test Session.

Start services and components if necessary, configure inbound connections if required.