VA FileMan V. 22.0 Advanced User Manual: Extract Tool Mapping Information

Contents:

Main

Extract Tool

Mapping Information

Mapping information identifies the relationship between the data in the source file and the data in the destination file. When you create your EXTRACT template, you will enter the name of the field in the source file and identify its intended location in the destination file. You will need to ensure that the Data Type of the field in the destination file is compatible with the Data Type of the extract field. The compatibility of the Data Types is validated when the fields are specified during template creation.

The following table recommends the Data Type to use, depending on the Data Type of the extract field:

Data Type of Extract Field	Data Type of Destination Field
DATE/TIME	1) DATE/TIME, internal form of data is moved. 2) FREE TEXT, external form of data is moved.
NUMERIC	NUMERIC or FREE TEXT.
SET OF CODES	1) FREE TEXT, if external form of the SET OF CODES is moved. 2) SET OF CODES, if internal form of the SET OF CODES is moved. User must make sure the SET OF CODES fields are identical in both the source file and the destination file data dictionaries.
FREE TEXT	FREE TEXT.
WORD-PROCESSING	WORD-PROCESSING.
COMPUTED	FREE TEXT, DATE/TIME, or NUMERIC.
POINTER TO A FILE	1) NUMERIC, if internal form of data is moved. 2) Non-pointer field type (FREE TEXT, NUMERIC, or DATE/TIME), if external form of data is moved.
VARIABLE-POINTER	1) Non-pointer field type, if external form of data is moved; (if the .01 fields of the pointed-to files have different Data Types, Data Type of destination field should be FREE TEXT). 2) FREE TEXT, if internal form of data is moved.
MUMPS	MUMPS.
Multiples	Multiples.
Backward Pointers	Multiples.

Here are additional guidelines that you must follow while creating your destination file:

If you are extracting a SET OF CODES-type field and you are mapping it to a FREE TEXT-type field, use a maximum length of the same -- or greater than -- length as the longest external value in the SET OF CODES field. If you are mapping the SET OF CODES-type field to a SET OF CODES-type field, create the corresponding field in the destination file, using the same specifications as the extract field.
If you are extracting FREE TEXT, DATE/TIME, NUMERIC, WORD-PROCESSING, or MUMPSData Type fields, create the corresponding field in the destination file, using the same specifications as the extract field.
If you are extracting a Multiple-type field, create the corresponding field in the destination file as a Multiple-type field. Multiples in the source file are moved to Multiples in the destination file, following the Data Type recommendations listed above. The structure of the Multiple in the destination file should be the same as that in the source file down to the lowest level Multiple that you extract. When extracting data in a Subfile, at least one field from every Multiple level above the Subfile must also be extracted. If you do not specify a field to extract at a higher level, the .01 field at that level will automatically be extracted.
If you are extracting a Backward Extended Pointer-type field, create the corresponding field in the destination file as a Multiple. The Extract Tool resolves Backward Pointers. Thus, their values are moved to Multiples in the destination file.
If the field you are extracting has an OUTPUT transform, make sure the INPUT transform of the destination field can receive the data in the format generated by the OUTPUT transform.

Reviewed/Updated: March 4, 2007