Auto-Mapping Rules

Appendix A — Configuration Reference

Auto-mapping rules create mappings automatically based on column name patterns. Where the drag-to-auto-map gesture matches columns by name similarity across a table pair, rules operate on a fixed target endpoint — they scan one side of the project for columns matching a pattern and map every match to a single designated column on the other side. This makes them well-suited for recurring patterns like audit fields, exclusion tables, and conversion defaults that appear across many tables.

Rules are configured against library tables and executed against project tables. See Chapter 4 for how to run rules against a project.

The Rules List

Four buttons at the top of the editor manage the rule list: Add Rule, Delete Rule, Move Up, and Move Down. When rules exist they are shown in a list below the buttons; if none exist the list is not displayed. Select a rule in the list to edit it in the detail panel below, or to delete it or reorder it with the Move buttons.

The list shows five columns for quick identification: Enabled (checkbox), Name, Order (controlled by Move Up/Move Down), Scan (which side of the project to scan), and Map To Table (the fixed endpoint table). Click Add Rule to append a new rule at the bottom of the list, then fill in the detail panel below.

Rule Name and Scan Side

The top line of the detail panel has two fields. Rule Name is a free-text label — give it something descriptive enough to identify it in the list at a glance. Scan Side is a dropdown with Source and Target. This controls which side of the project the rule scans for column name matches. Selecting a scan side also populates the Map To dropdown below with tables from the opposite side.

Match Criteria (When:)

The match criteria section defines the column name patterns that trigger the rule. Each condition has a match type dropdown and a value text box. The available match types are:

• Equals — Column name matches exactly (case-insensitive)
• Contains — Column name contains the value as a substring
• Starts With — Column name begins with the value
• Ends With — Column name ends with the value

Use the + and − buttons to add or remove conditions. Multiple conditions use OR logic — a column is matched if it satisfies any one condition in the list. There is no ordering within conditions.

Map To

The Map To section specifies the fixed endpoint — the table and column that every matched column will be mapped to. Map To Table is a dropdown populated from the opposite side of the scan (if you're scanning Source columns, this lists Target tables from the library, and vice versa). Map To Column is a dependent dropdown that updates when the table selection changes.

Set

The Set section defines optional properties applied to every mapping the rule creates.

Status — A dropdown of available statuses. If a status is selected, created mappings receive that status. Leave blank to use the workbook default status. This is useful for rules that produce mappings considered complete by definition, such as exclusion or conversion-default mappings that don't require further analyst review.

Default Value — An optional text field for the default value to set on mappings the rule creates. Most useful when the rule targets a CONVERSION_DEFAULT table, where every matched column needs the same hardcoded value — an audit field like CREATED_BY = 'CONV', a status flag, or any constant that differs from the database default. String values should be wrapped in single quotes ('Conversion User'); numeric values, NULL, and substitution variables like &CONVERSION_DATE do not require quoting. Leave blank for rules that don't need a default value. Workbook validation flags unquoted string values as a quality issue in the resulting mappings.

Notations — A notation tab control using the same [+] tab pattern as the rest of the application. Add up to five notations; each specifies a notation type and content to pre-populate on every mapping the rule creates. Useful for rules where the transformation logic is always the same — a standard exclusion reason, a fixed default-value expression, or a standing mapping note.