Transforming Lists into Data Records 

Use

The transformation  Transforming Lists into Flat Data Records enables a change to the internal data structure. This creates a one-line data record at the node exit from a list of table rows at the node entrance.

Transferring a list of data records to a data record is done using a transformation field, usually a characteristic. You also select a transposition field - usually a key figure - the content of which is put in the new fields of the output structure depending on the characteristic value of the transformation field.

Every combination of a characteristic value of the transformation field and the selected transposition field can be assigned a new field in the output structure of the node. The new field has the same technical definition as the transposition field. The values for all of the non-selected fields are passed on to subsequent nodes without being changed.

Functions

Input and output structures differ in transformation of a list into a data record. The transformation field and the transposition field are not passed on to the subsequent node. Instead only the selected fields and the new fields that are defined in the details are passed on. The structure of the data is wider in the data record form, this means that the internal tables for the analysis process contain fewer data records, but they have more fields. Due to this, problems can especially occur when characteristics with lots of characteristic values are to be used as transformation field. If in this case new field names have to be specified for all or a number of characteristic values, the maximum permitted length of the data structures can be exceeded. In this case you can expect error messages from the process.

Activities

       1.      On the Definition tab page, from all of the available fields, select a transformation field that can be used to fill the newly generated fields in the output structure.

       2.      Select a transposition field.

       3.      On the Details tab page, assign a new field for the flat data record to every combination of a characteristic value of the transformation field and a transposition field. Specify a technical name for each new field. If you do not specify a field name, the value for this combination will not be passed on and will no longer be available at the exit.

Example

The questionnaire for a survey contains questions and answers in tabular form, that is, every record contains the number of the question as characteristic and the value of the answer for this question as key figure. However, for the report, the data needs to be in a transformed form in which the answer to each question has its own field. To do this, the transformation into a data record can be used.

In this example, the questionnaire contains three questions. If you transfer the questionnaire number directly, and define the question number as the transformation field and the answer as the transposition field, then this output structure for this node would have the following form: