1 MDM Syndicator Reference Guide
1.5 Mapping Items
This section describes how to map source and destination items on the Item Mapping tab.
1.5.1 Mapping and Unmapping Items
Item mapping is performed on the Item Mapping tab. In general, any source item can be mapped to any destination item with a matching icon.
Icon Source Item Description Destination Item Description
Sends text values Can receive only text values
Icon Source Item Description Destination Item Description Is a repeating MDM structure Is a repeatable XML element Does not send values Cannot receive values
Sends remote key values n/a
n/a Is a mixed XML element which can re
ceive either repeating MDM structures or text
Note
Items with a purple node icon ( ) can never be mapped.
Note
Items with key icons ( ) map to items with text icons ( ).
1.5.1.1 Mapping Source Items to Destination Items
Context
To map a source item to a destination item:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, click on an unmapped source item on the Source Items grid.
2. On the Destination Items grid, click on a corresponding unmapped destination item sharing the same icon.
3. Click the Map button.
Syndicator places a mapped ( ) icon in each item’s Mapped column and adds the name of the item’s mapped counterpart to the item’s respective Source or Destination column.
4. Open the Destination Preview tab to verify the output of the mapping.
Note
For more information about the Destination Preview tab, see Previewing the Syndication File linked below.
Related Information
Previewing the Syndication File [page 82]
1.5.1.2 Unmapping Sources or Destination Item
Context
To unmap a source or destination item:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, click on a mapped item from the Source Items or Destination Items grids.
2. Click the Unmap button.
Syndicator unmaps the selected item and its mapped counterpart. The mapped ( ) icon is removed from the Mapped column on both items.
Note
Unmapping an item removes the mapped item data from the syndication file. This is reflected in the Destination Preview tab.
1.5.2 Mapping and Unmapping Items on Flat Maps
Destination items on flat maps can be mapped only to source items with text icons ( ).
However, because flat maps are, by definition, non-hierarchical, you are free to map any source item with a text ( ) icon to any destination item on your map, regardless of whether the source item is part of a parent-child structure. For example, you can map qualifiers and deeply-nested tuple fields directly to destination items without having to map their parent items. You can also unmap items on flat maps without restriction.
Icon Item
Category [All Attributes]
● Where Category is the name of the taxonomy field of the repository.
Icon Item
Multilingual item split by value
1.5.3 Mapping and Unmapping Items on XML Maps
Destination items on XML maps are assigned icons based on the item definitions in the map’s associated XML schema definition.
Items with a repeating structure icon ( ) must always be mapped prior to their child items; you cannot map the child item alone. With nested structures, you must map the child’s immediate parent – not just a parent item further up the hierarchy. When unmapping repeating structures, you must unmap all child items prior to their parent item.
Note
The root source item and the destination item that represents the repeatable record node are mapped by Syndicator according to the XML File Output map property. Neither item should be mapped manually on the Item Mapping tab.
1.5.4 Mapping Lookup Table Data
Lookup fields on the Source Items grid are displayed as parent-child structures, where the parent item represents the lookup field on the current table, and the child items represent the fields in the lookup table itself. Because lookup tables can contain lookup fields into other tables, these structures can drill down several levels.
An example of a lookup field structure is shown in the following figure:
In the figure above, the highlighted item, Collection, is a flat lookup field on the current table of the map. Its child items, Collection Name, Manufacturer, and Year, are fields on the table which Collection looks into to get its value.
If you map the lookup field Collection to a destination item, the value syndicated will be the combined values of the lookup table’s display fields for the linked lookup table record. (Display fields are indicated by a [DF] next to the item name). In this example, mapping Collection syndicates the value of the Collection Name field.
If you want to syndicate values of other fields on the lookup table, you can do so by mapping the individual items directly to other destination items on your map. In most cases, you can map a lookup field and/or any of its child items independently of each other.
There are some exceptions to the above descriptions, however. These exceptions are noted in the following table:
Exceptions to Lookup Field Behavior
Field Type Exception
Lookup [Qualified] Parent item does not contain any values.
● For more information, see Mapping Qualified Data linked below.
Lookup [Object] Some parent items contain only filenames.
● For more information, see Mapping Objects linked be
low.
Multi-Valued [n] Parent item contains all values; child item contains the split value.
● For more information, see Mapping Multi-Valued Fields linked below.
Lookup [Main] Destination lookups in a lookup field to another table from
within a tuple.
● When syndicating data from a field that is a lookup to the same main table, the lookup fields from the destina
tion table cannot be syndicated and do not appear in the list of fields to be syndicated. Syndicate the records from the table separately; then syndicate records from the table that were referenced from the tuples. Use an external program to match the data from the two ex
ports.
A multi-valued source field can be mapped directly to a destination item, in which case the destination item contains all values for a given record.
Splitting a Multi-Valued Field into Multiple Items
In some cases, a source field on your current table may contain multiple values which actually belong in distinct fields on a remote system, as shown in the following tables:
Delimited values and corresponding multiple fields Source Multi-Valued Field
In these cases, use the Split Multi-Valued Field command to flatten the source field into multiple items, one for each delimited value.
Multi-Valued Field Split into 3 Items
Split multi-valued items are displayed in italics on the Source Items grid and are labeled according to the position they represent in the original multi-valued field. As shown in the following tables, each split item represents the nth value appearing in an original source field value.
Source Multi-Valued Field
Details [1] Details [2] Details [3]
5-Speed Conv Leather
Auto Sedan Cloth
Details [1] Details [2] Details [3]
4-Speed Leather
Auto Coupe
Once split into a separate source item, each split value can be mapped to a separate destination item.
1.5.5.1 Splitting and Mapping Values of Multi-Valued Lookup Fields
Context
To split and map the values of a multi-valued lookup field:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, right-click the multi-valued item and choose Split Multi-Valued Field > <n> where
<n> = the number of split items you want to create. Usually this will be the maximum number of values possible in the selected item. If this number exceeds 9, choose > More… and enter the number in the Split Multi-Valued Field dialog.
Syndicator adds the split items to the Source Items grid. The naming format of each split item is
<original item name> <[x]> where <x> ranges from 1 to the number selected in step 2.
2. To syndicate the split values, open each split item and map its child display field to a separate destination item. (The parent split item still contains all of the item values.)
1.5.5.2 Filtering Multi-Valued Lookup Fields
Context
To filter multi-valued lookup fields:
Procedure
● If you only want to syndicate certain values from a multi-valued lookup field, select Filter Multi-Valued Lookup Fields on the Map Properties tab to limit which values are syndicated.
When the Filter Multi-Valued Lookup Fields map property is enabled, only lookup values matching the current search selections for a multi-valued lookup field are syndicated.
Note
Filter Multi-Valued Lookup Fields is a global property which affects all qualified lookup fields on the current table.
1.5.6 Mapping Qualified Data
By their nature, qualified lookup fields contain links to multiple subrecords of qualified data. These subrecords cannot be syndicated by mapping the qualified lookup field; you must map the “looked into” qualified table’s fields and qualifiers. These items appear on the Source Items grid as child nodes of the qualified lookup field.
The procedure for mapping qualified data differs slightly for XML and flat maps due to the natural differences between the two formats.
Note
If you do not explicitly map a field or qualifier to a destination item, its value will not appear in the syndication file.
For more information about mapping remote keys in qualified data structures, see section Remote Keys in Qualified Data Structures in Mapping Remote Keys linked below.
Related Information
Mapping Remote Keys [page 77]
1.5.6.1 Mapping Qualified Data on Flat Maps
Context
To map qualified data on flat maps:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, expand the qualified lookup field.
2. Map the child items of the qualified lookup field to destination items on the Destination Items grid, as illustrated in the following figure:
Each subrecord of qualified data associated with a current table record becomes a new record in the syndication file.
1.5.6.2 Mapping Qualified Data on XML Maps
Context
To map qualified data on XML maps:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, expand the qualified lookup field.
2. Map the qualified lookup field to a corresponding node on the Destination Items grid. Both nodes must display the repeating node icon ( ), as shown in the following figure:
3. Map the child nodes of the qualified lookup field to child nodes of the parent destination item. Child nodes must display the text value icon ( ), as shown in the following figure:
Each subrecord of qualified data associated with a current table record is now repeated inside the record in the syndication file.
1.5.6.3 Qualified Data in Flat Versus XML Syndication Files
How qualified data appears in the syndication file is determined by the format of the current map. On XML maps, qualified data appears as repeating elements inside each syndicated record. On flat maps, each subrecord of qualified data is expanded into an entirely new record.
1.5.6.4 Filtering Qualified Links
Context
By default, Syndicator adds every subrecord of qualified data available for a current table record to the syndication file.
Procedure
● If you do not want to syndicate all qualified data, select Filter Qualified Links on the Map Properties tab to limit which subrecords are syndicated.
Filter Qualified Links is a global property which affects all qualified lookup fields on the current table.
When the Filter Qualified Links map property is selected, the search selections made on the Search Parameters tab are applied to the qualified lookup table. Using this approach, only subrecords matching the current search selections are syndicated.
1.5.7 Mapping Tuples
Tuple fields link a record to one or more subrecords of data. The data values for these subrecords are contained in the member fields of the tuple, which appear as children of the tuple field in the Source Items grid. If a member field is a lookup field or another tuple field, then additional levels of child items are displayed. Such
“nesting” can result in a tuple field having multiple levels of child items.
Tuple fields can be single-valued or multi-valued. Single-valued tuple fields are displayed with a text icon ( ) next to their name in the Source Items grid. If you map a single-valued tuple field to a destination item, the value syndicated will be the combined display field values for the linked tuple record.
A repeating icon ( ) next to the name of a tuple field indicates that the tuple field is multi-valued. Multi-valued tuples can link multiple subrecords of data to the current record. These subrecords cannot be syndicated by mapping the tuple field itself. You must instead map each member field whose value you want to syndicate, as described later in this section.
An example of a tuple in the Source Items grid is shown in the following figure:
In this figure, the highlighted item Address is a multi-valued tuple field. Its member fields are Name,
PostalAddress, and Communication, each appearing as a direct child item of the Address tuple. PostalAddress and Communication are themselves tuple fields, containing their own member fields as child items in the grid.
Collectively, the Name, PostalAddress, and Communication fields contain the values of each of the subrecords of data contained by the Address tuple. How to syndicate these subrecords is described in the following sections.
1.5.7.1 Mapping Tuples on Flat Maps
Context
Because flat maps are non-hierarchical, when mapping tuples to destination items you do not need to preserve the parent-child relationships displayed for the tuple in the Source Items grid. Instead, you are free to map any tuple field or tuple member field from any level of a tuple structure to any item on the Destination Items grid, as long as both items have a text value icon ( ).
To map tuples on flat maps:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, expand the tuple field.
2. Map the desired child items of the tuple field to destination items on the Destination Items grid, as illustrated in the following figure:
Note
You can map fields at any level of a tuple structure to any destination item.
3. A new record is output to the syndication file for every subrecord in a tuple instance, as illustrated in the following figure:
1.5.7.2 Mapping Tuples on XML Maps
Context
To map tuples on an XML map, the XML schema associated with the map must contain a compatible
hierarchical structure for each tuple to be mapped. For nested tuples (tuple fields which are child items of other tuple fields), there must be a corresponding repeating node ( ) in the Destination Items grid for every nested tuple you want to map.
As when mapping any repeating MDM structure, when mapping a tuple, you must map the parent tuple field before you can map any of its child items. When mapping a nested tuple item, you must map all tuple fields which are ancestors of the item before you can map that item itself. It is not sufficient to map the top-level tuple field only.
Finally, when unmapping tuples, you must unmap all child items of a tuple field before you can unmap the tuple field itself.
To map tuples on XML maps:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, expand the top-level tuple field.
2. Map the tuple field to a corresponding parent node on the Destination Items grid. Both nodes must display the repeating node icon ( ), as illustrated in the following figure:
3. Map the child nodes of the tuple field to child nodes of the parent destination item, as illustrated in the following figure:
4. Each tuple record associated with a current table record is now repeated inside the record in the syndication file, as illustrated in the following figure:
1.5.8 Mapping Hierarchy Fields
You can map source hierarchy fields directly to any compatible destination item.
In some cases, however, hierarchy values may be represented differently in destination items than source items. For example, a single hierarchy field in the source table may be represented by multiple fields in the remote system. In this case, the source hierarchy field must be flattened (split) into multiple fields (one for each modal value in the source hierarchy) before mapping can occur.
Another scenario is when a hierarchy field in the source table may be represented by a text field in the remote system. In this case, the source hierarchy field must be “flattened” before it can be imported into the remote system.
For either case, Syndicator lets you customize hierarchy values in both source and destination items to meet the needs of your remote systems.
1.5.8.1 Splitting Source Hierarchy Fields
Hierarchy fields contain delimited values that represent the full path of a leaf-node value in a hierarchy. For example, the field value Printers> Dot Matrix>1200 DPI represents a three-level hierarchy with Printers serving as the root-node value of the hierarchy and 1200 DPI serving as the leaf-node value. Splitting this field creates three new fields, one for each possible level in the hierarchy.
When you use the Split Hierarchy Field command, Syndicator creates <n > new source items on the Source Items grid (where <n > is the maximum number of levels (delimited values) in the hierarchy field across the entire set of records.)
When splitting a hierarchy field, you have the option of splitting from the root of the hierarchy or from the leaf, as illustrated in the tables below, respectively. Split hierarchy items are displayed in italics in the Source Items grid and are labeled according to their position in the hierarchy.
Hierarchy Field Split by Root
Items Created When Split by Root
Category [Root] Category [Root+1] Category [Root+2]
Printers Laser
Items Created When Split by Leaf
Category [Leaf] Category [Leaf-1] Category [Leaf-2]
Laser Printers
B&W Inkjet Printers
Color Inkjet Printers
300 DPI Dot Matrix Printers
600 DPI Dot Matrix Printers
1200 DPI Dot Matrix Printers
1.5.8.2 Splitting Hierarchy Fields
Context
To split a hierarchy field:
Procedure
1. On the Item Mapping tab, right-click the hierarchy field to split.
2. On the context menu, choose Split Hierarchy Field From Root or Split Hierarchy Field From Leaf .
Syndicator creates a unique split item on the Source Items grid for each hierarchy level present in the lookup table of the item, as shown in the following figure that illustrates a split by root. The naming format of each split item is: <original item name >[<hierarchy position>].
3. You can now map the split hierarchy items to their counterpart destination items.
Note
Several properties affect how source hierarchy values appear in destination items. For more information, see Customizing Hierarchy Values in a Destination Item linked below.
Related Information
Customizing Hierarchy Values in a Destination Item [page 67]
1.5.8.3 Customizing Hierarchy Values in a Destination Item
The following destination item properties customize the appearance of hierarchy values in a destination item:
● Hierarchy Style
● Path Delimiter
● Prepend Field Name as Root of Path Name
● Number of Levels in Pathname from Root
● Number of Levels in Pathname from Leaf
This section describes each of these properties and provides examples of the options they offer.
Note
These properties do not alter the original data in your source table. They apply to data in the syndication file only.
1.5.8.3.1 Hierarchy Style
The Hierarchy Style property determines how much of a source hierarchy value to include in the destination item.
Consider the hierarchy field and values shown in the following table:
Values of the Location Hierarchy Field
LOCATION
USA Southern Georgia Augusta
USA Southern Georgia Augusta