Property Manager lets you create your own variables to better control how our network serves your traffic. Using variables, you can fine-tune your properties and reduce dependency on your support representatives.

Characteristics of user-defined variables:

• The global variables you set in properties start with the PMUSER_ prefix. The local variables you set in includes start with the PMINC_<includeId> prefix.`

• With the Set Variable behavior, they can be populated with fixed strings, values from other variables, randomly generated values, and extracted values from the incoming request (cookies, headers, URL path/extension, query strings, etc). See Set Variable behavior for details.

• With the Set Variable behavior, they can be transformed using a number of different operations, such as extracting substrings, upper/lower case, search/replace, encode/decode, etc.

Security settings

Unlike built-in variables that have a default, non-editable hidden security setting, user-defined variables let you choose the security level when you create the variable.

Visible

Variables are returned to the client in the X-Akamai-Session-Infoheader in response to the Pragma: akamai-x-get-extracted-valuesrequest header.

Hidden

Hidden variables are not returned to the client in the X-Akamai-Session-Infoheader in response to the Pragma: akamai-x-get-extracted-valuesrequest header.

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If your variables contain information you don't want to expose on the Internet, set the variable attribute to Hidden.

Sensitive

As with hidden variables, sensitive variables are not returned via the ​Akamai​ pragma debug headers. In addition, sensitive variables:

• Can't be sent to end-users through Set-Cookie or Response Header Property Manager behaviors.

• Can't be added to the custom logging field.

• Propagate their sensitive attribute to any new variable created from a sensitive variable, meaning that the new variable also has a security setting of Sensitive.

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If your variables contain personal information (PII) or any other really sensitive data, set the variable attribute to Sensitive.

Create a variable

In order to use a variable, you must first create one.

1. In the Property Manager Editor, in the Property Variables or Include Variables section of the Property Manager editor, click Add Variable.

2. Create a name for the variable. The PMUSER_ prefix for a global variable or PMINC_<includeId> prefix for a local variable is automatically added for the variable.

3. Optionally enter an Initial Value for the variable.

4. Enter a meaningful description for your variable.

5. Select Security settings.

6. Save the property or include before using the variable in behaviors.