Mapping Objects
In a mediated communication step of an integration scenario, the sender normally uses a data format and structure for sending out a message that is different to the one that the receiver can handle. The data structure and format used by the sender therefore has to be transformed into the structure and format that the receiver can handle. This type of transformation is called mapping . You specify the corresponding transformation rules in the ES Repository - in the form of mapping objects.
From the runtime engine's perspective, the incoming message (sent from a sender) has to be transformed into an outbound message that is sent to a specific receiver.
The term mapping describes transformations on the level of the business data that is exchanged between process components. This can include special formats for particular business entities, such as the format of a time field in a message. Transformations on the level of the technical transport protocol are handled by adapters (configured at configuration time).
Since mappings are determined by business needs and describe data transformations on a business level, they can be defined at design time. Therefore, most tasks related to mapping are performed in the ES Repository. At configuration time, in the Integration Directory, you merely have to select the right mapping for a specific communication step (or interaction).
Overview of Mapping Objects
The following object types are available in the ES Repository for designing mappings:
|
Object Type |
Description |
|
Operation mapping |
Assigns a mapping program for a pair of service interface operations. An operation mapping encapsulates the mapping program that has to be executed at runtime. |
|
Message mapping |
Mapping object created when you use the graphical mapping editor. A message mapping has to be referred to by an operation mapping. |
|
Imported archive |
Encapsulates an externally developed Java or XSLT (Java) mapping program. An imported archive has to be referred to by an operation mapping. |
|
Mapping template |
Contains parts of a message mapping that can be used as a copy template to create new message mappings. Mapping templates can refer to other mapping templates, thus enabling maximum reuse in mapping development. |
|
Value mapping group |
A value mapping transforms values of message elements. A value mapping group is a configuration object (Integration Directory) that contains mappings between different representations of one and the same object. Mapping programs (developed at design time) can refer to a value mapping table; however, since the actual values in many scenarios are not known at design time, the value mapping table content is maintained in the Integration Directory (see also Value Mappings). |
The following figure shows the most important object references between mapping objects (also including the object references to interface objects):
