Rational Developer for System z

Introduction to mapping concepts

This topic describes the basics of mapping.

Mapping refers to the process of copying data from a source location to a target location, and at the same time converting the data from one type of data format to another. For example, an inbound converter for a Web service provider copies and converts data from locations in an inbound XML schema data structure to locations in a COBOL or PL/I language structure. This language structure is then passed to a CICS® application as the input data.

Similarly, in the same scenario, when the same CICS application returns with its output data in a COBOL or PL/I language structure, an outbound converter for the Web service provider copies and converts the data from the COBOL or PL/I language data structure to locations in the outbound XML schema data structure.

A single mapping is a single instance of copying and converting an item of data from XML schema structure to language structure data, or from language structure to XML schema structure. Such mappings are defined in the mapping editor.

Mapping is used only in meet-in-middle development scenarios. The main steps in developing a meet-in-middle project are as follows:
  1. Create a meet-in-middle project using a New <runtime> Project wizard.
  2. Import source files into the project using the Import Source Files wizard.
  3. Create two mapping files using the Create Mappings wizard:
    1. A mapping file containing the inbound XML and COBOL (or PL/I) data structures
    2. A mapping file containing the outbound XML and COBOL (or PL/I) data structures
  4. Specify in each mapping file the source and target data elements.
  5. Generate resources for a runtime using the Generate <runtime> Resources wizard (meet-in-middle wizard).
Mappings can be done for data structures stored in the following types of files:
Mappings are based on the following data models:

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