Originator Fields

Use this node to attach entity metadata — like the device name, profile, label, or creation time — directly to the message data or metadata. This is useful when downstream nodes or external systems need these fields without making additional database queries, for example to stamp messages with the sending device’s name before saving them to a custom table.

• Originator fields mapping — required. Defines which entity fields to read and what keys to write them under. Each entry has:
  • Source field — the field to read from the originator entity (e.g., Name, Profile name, Label, Created time).
  • Target key — the key to write the value under in the outgoing message. Supports templatization — use ${metadata.key} and $[data.key] to build dynamic key names.
• Add mapped originator fields to — where to write the fetched fields:
  • Message — adds to message data. Fails if message data is not a valid JSON object.
  • Metadata — adds to message metadata.
• Skip empty fields — if enabled, fields on the originator that are null or empty are silently ignored rather than written.

1. Identify the originator of the incoming message.
2. For each mapping entry, resolve any templates in the Target key using the incoming message data and metadata.
3. Fetch the specified Source fields from the originator entity asynchronously.
4. If a source field does not exist or (when Skip empty fields is enabled) is empty/null, skip it.
5. Write the resulting key–value pairs to message data or metadata per the Add mapped originator fields to setting.
6. Forward the enriched message via Success. If an error occurs (e.g., message data is not a JSON object when writing to Message), route via Failure.

A thermostat sends a temperature reading. Downstream nodes need to know the device name and profile name, so they are added to metadata.

Incoming metadata: { "ts": "1756479659000" }

Originator: device Thermostat-HVAC-1, profile HVAC Thermostat

Node configuration

{
  "dataMapping": {
    "name": "originatorName",
    "type": "originatorProfileName"
  },
  "fetchTo": "METADATA",
  "ignoreNullStrings": false
}

Outgoing metadata

{
  "ts": "1756479659000",
  "originatorName": "Thermostat-HVAC-1",
  "originatorProfileName": "HVAC Thermostat"
}

Add the device’s creation timestamp to the message data for auditing purposes.

Incoming data: { "humidity": 58.2 }

Node configuration

{
  "dataMapping": {
    "createdTime": "deviceCreatedTime"
  },
  "fetchTo": "DATA",
  "ignoreNullStrings": false
}

Outgoing data

{
  "humidity": 58.2,
  "deviceCreatedTime": "1672531200000"
}

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "title": "TbGetOriginatorFieldsNodeConfiguration",
  "type": "object",
  "required": ["dataMapping", "fetchTo"],
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "properties": {
    "fetchTo": {
      "type": "string",
      "enum": ["DATA", "METADATA"],
      "description": "Destination for the fetched fields."
    },
    "dataMapping": {
      "type": "object",
      "additionalProperties": { "type": "string" },
      "description": "Map of source entity field names to target key names."
    },
    "ignoreNullStrings": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "description": "If true, fields with empty or null values are skipped."
    }
  }
}