LANSA Composer includes a number of examples of Transformation Maps that illustrate selected features and techniques.

If the examples are not present in your LANSA Composer system, you can locate and import all or selected examples from the supplied DX_MASTER_EG.dxexport import file.  This file should be present in your LANSA Composer client installation in the DXImports folder, for example:

     C:\Program Files\LANSA Composer\X_WIN95\X_LANSA\X_LIC\EXECUTE\DXImports

The following example Transformation Map us supplied with this version of LANSA Composer:

Using the Example Transformation Maps

Here are some suggestions on how to get the most out of the example Transformation Maps:

• You can open each of the examples Transformation Maps in the map editing tool to see what it does and how it is defined.
• You can review the Notes supplied with each Transformation Map for guidance on its purpose and use.
• You can Run the Transformation Maps on your own system – refer to the Notes for any instructions for doing so.
• You can copy and alter the Transformation Maps to experiment further with the techniques they illustrate.

Implement a Transformation Map that returns a value to the Processing Sequence

MapForce version 2015, release 3 (2015R3) introduced support for a new type of "simple output" component.

LANSA Composer supports this type of component, allowing your map to return a string value to a LANSA Composer Processing Sequence.

You could use this ability to perform simple interrogations of all file types supported by MapForce or to perform validations or other manipulations of an input file or database and return a result that your Processing Sequence can then use in further processing.

In MapForce, you add a simple output component to your mapping using the Insert Output command from the Insert menu:

Then provide a name for the component:

You can then map a value to it as required.  The illustration below is taken from the supplied example Transformation Map EXAMPLE_MAPOUT1.  It builds a comma-separated list of the part numbers contained in the Tutorial Order xml file and returns it in the simple output component.

When you include the Transformation Map in your processing Sequence, the output value is available for you to map to a Processing Sequence variable of your choice.  Your Processing Sequence can then process the result in whatever way is required.

The supplied example Processing Sequence EXAMPLE_CSV02 illustrates receiving the output from a Transformation Map simple output component.  Because the example map builds a comma-separated list of values, the Processing Sequence then uses the PARSE_CSV activity to parse and extract the list of returned values.