Types of mappings

For descriptive purpose mappings can be classified into four types: one-sided mappings, one-to-one mappings, many-to-one mappings, and group mappings.

You do not have to literally specify one of these types when you create a mapping. Rather any mapping that you create can be described as belonging to one of these four types.

The four types of mappings are:

• One-sided mapping:

  A one-sided mapping is a mapping that stores literal data (such as the literal number 1024, the literal string '1000 Main Street', or a time-date stamp) into a target element. A one-sided mapping does not read data from a source element.

  Examples of transforms that create one-sided mappings are: Assign, Clear, Current® Timestamp.

• One-to-one mapping:

  A one-to-one mapping is a mapping that reads an input value from a single source element, operates on the input value with a transform (sometimes using additional immediate input values), obtains a result, and stores a single output value into a target element.

  Examples of transforms that create one-sided mappings are: SIN, Cast, Move, Lower Case, Substring

• Many-to-one mapping:

  A many-to-one mapping is a mapping that reads input values from multiple source elements, operates on the input data with a transform, obtains a result, and stores a single output value into a target element.

  Examples of transforms that create one-sided mappings are: Add, Concatenate, Divide.

• Group mapping:
  A group mapping is a mapping in which the source element is a "group" and in which the target element is also a "group" having the same data layout as the source element. In this context group means most structures that are expandable in the mapping editor, including:

  • An entire message
  • A complex data structure within a message

  (See Source elements, target elements.)

  Examples of transforms that create one-sided mappings are: Move.