Map data

If you want to create reports that contain data from both your external file and from your enterprise data, you must link at least one query subject from your package or from an existing report to a data item in your external data. This mapping creates a relationship between your external data and your enterprise data. For example, your external data contains information about employees, including an employee number. You map the employee number from your external data file to the employee number in your enterprise data. This ensures that your data is integrated smoothly.

About this task

Mapping a data item in your external data to a query subject that references other query subjects is not supported. For example, the query subject cannot contain a calculation that references a query item from another query subject. Such a mapping produces the following error message:

MSR-PD-0001 Failed to relate external data to objects in the underlying package. The item [query item] does not lead to a query subject.

Procedure

  1. On the Data Mapping page, link existing query subjects in your enterprise data to data items in your external data file.
  2. Under Existing query subject / report, click the ellipsis button and do one of the following:
    • If you want to select a query subject from the data tree, click Choose Query Subject and select a query subject.
      Note: This option is not available when working with dimensional packages.
    • If you want to select from the query subjects included in a report, click Choose Report and select a report.
  3. Click the two data items that you want to link and click the New link button.

    You cannot link a data item in your external data to a calculation in a query subject.

    A link appears linking two data items.

    Tip: You can create multiple links for multiple data items. To delete a link, select the link and click Delete Link.

  4. If your report is using the dynamic query mode, specify the type of filter to generate for the join relationship by clicking the Join filter type (DQM only) menu and choosing one of the available values.

    A join relationship is created when you link data items. The filter type is used to optimize the join relationship. In generates an IN predicate of constant values. Between generates a BETWEEN predicate using the minimum and maximum values of the join keys. Table generates a table row constructor form of the IN predicate. The default value is In.

  5. Click Next.