Mappings and data schemas

Mappings and mapping files

A mapping file contains a mapping and a set of expressions that Integration Composer uses to transform the source data before moving it to the target database.

Before you import data from a discovery tool's database, or source database, into a target database, you use Integration Composer to create a mapping that transforms data from the data structure of the source to the data structure of the target. For each property to be imported, the mapping includes an expression that specifies how to transform that property's data.

To facilitate this transformation, IBM provides integration adapters that include a set of predefined mapping expressions, in the form of a mapping file. Using a provided adapter saves you the development time that it would take to create the mapping file manually. There is typically one mapping file for each supported discovery tool version. Mapping files have a file type of .fsn. Mapping files are used by the integration adapters and are included with Integration Composer in the Integration Composer\data\mappings directory.

When creating a mapping (as described in Step 2: Creating a mapping) you specify the data source and target connection information, name the mapping, and import the .fsn file. Afterward you run the mapping (as described in Step 4: Running a mapping) to bring the data from the source into the target. The data is transformed to the target data structure in the process.

Data schemas and mapping files

A data schema is a structure for organizing and classifying data in a database. Control Desk provides default data schemas for the integration adapters.

For information about the discovery tools that are supported, see Discovery Tools Supported in the IBM® Control Desk wiki. The wiki provides the data schema names for the discovery tools that are supported and the name of the corresponding adapter mapping file. In the Integration Composer user interface, whenever you select the name of a data schema to use as your data source, the integration adapter that is associated with that data schema is used.