The Integration Engineer
When it just has to work.

Continuing Mapping Exercise

Today we will identify our data source, and begin mapping the source data to the target data.  We identified our target format and placed that in the paper map last time.  If you didn’t read that post yet, you might want to review it quickly before continuing.  (read part One)

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This is a mapping exercise that will go through the process of creating a paper map, or mapping document.  We will start with an empty paper map that you can get here.  And we will end with a completed paper map document that documents what data from the source goes into what fields on the target.  This process will take more than one post, and I will link them together so that you can follow from one to the next.  Along the way, we will discuss the things that we are doing so that you can apply this technique in your mapping using the target and source in your own mapping tasks. (more…)

Introduction: This is a quick exercise to familiarize you with mapping from an EDI file to a Flat File.  If you are new to mapping, or want an idea of what mapping EDI will be like, this exercise should be a good place to start.  If you are familiar with mapping this should be a quick review with a few tips.  I use Target Based mapping.  Check out my post on Target Mapping here.  If EDI is unfamiliar and you need some basic information, my EDI primer is here.  If you are ready to map, and understand EDI basics, then lets get started.

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I found this video on YouTube.

Theoretical discussion of integration of data and information.

Speaker is Alan Nash

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What is a flat file?

Files are called “Flat Files” when they contain a single data structure.  Generally this structure is the column and row structure like a spreadsheet or table, but a file in binary or encrypted with a single encryption key could also be called a flat file.  Files that are not flat; marked up files like XML or HTML, EDI files, other formats like HL7 or SEF files and others.  Here I am going to briefly discuss two flat file types; Delimited Files, and Fixed Width Files. (more…)

In the beginning we start with the data target.  This may be strange if you have not done any mapping, but the first, best thing that you can do to make a mapping project successful and fast is to start with a well defined target for your data.

I believe that Steven Covey says it this way, “Begin with the end in  mind.”  We do the same thing in data mapping, except that we begin with the end or target if you will.  The data target naturally leads us to the data sources that we need. (more…)

“So, how long will that take?”  Is a question that some of us have grown to hate.  And it seems that it is a question, that in various forms, we are asked daily.  (If not more frequently)  And if you have been doing this for any time, you have probably come up with a way to answer these questions.  There was a time when I started answering this question with a standard answer of, “2 weeks.”  And let me explain why.

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Its time for another mapping exercise.  This time we will receive an EDI 832 in 4010 format, and map the data to a DB or flat file.  Getting catalog data into your procurement system is an important task.  And creating  variety of mapping exercises provides us with a better understanding of how mapping projects work than just having one that tries to be everything.  And mapping is one of the fun things that we get to do.  Following this exercise we will have worked through the the common issues and demonstrated how this process comes together.

Mapping Steps

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If you have just a few Trading Partners, having a unique and separate map for each of them might be a good option.  However, if you have plans to scale your integration to 10s, 20s, or 100s and 1000s of trading partners, having a one map to one trading partner strategy is a recipe for a difficult to maintain and support integration solution.  And it doesn’t have to be this way.  There are a few strategies that will help you create an integration that will scale and be easy to support.

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Finish The Paper Map

Today we will finish the three part series mapping exercise.  If you haven’t gotten a chance to read the first two posts in this exercise you may want to start with them, or to review them before moving on to the conclusion.  (read part One or read part Two)

In last post, we began mapping an EDI Invoice to invoice tables in an Open Office Database.  I chose these as Open Office is free and anyone can get a copy to repeat this exercise, and because Invoices are common documents that need to be handled in an e-commerce and supply chain scenario. (more…)