User-Specified Information Map Transformations

Overview of Specifying an Information Map Transformation

Using the Adapter Setup wizard is the most convenient way to create Information Map transformations and information maps for supported adapters. However, you can also specify Information Map transformations manually.

An Information Map transformation requires that you specify the following information:

the name of the Information Map transformation
the name of the information map that it creates
the location where the information map is to be stored

Note: If you do not specify the location, and it is left blank, the information map is created in the same folder as the job.
the filter specification (if filtering is needed)
the data items that are to be included in the information map

Create an Information Map Transformation

To create an Information Map transformation, perform the following steps:

Navigate to the job that is to contain the new Information Map transformation. Double-click the job to open it on the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window.

Note: If you want to create an Information Map transformation in a new job that does not already exist, you must first create the job using the New Job wizard. For information about how to do so, see Jobs That Process IT Data.
From the Transformations tree of SAS IT Resource Management, locate and expand the ITRM Transformations folder. Scroll down to the Information Map transformation. Then drag and drop the Information Map transformation object onto the open job on the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window.
Navigate to the IT data source for this Information Map transformation. (This source table is typically an aggregation table. However it can be any SAS table.) Drag and drop the IT data source onto the process flow diagram and connect it to the Information Map transformation object.
To specify the required information for the new Information Map transformation, right-click the Information Map transformation in the process flow diagram and select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Click the General tab to enter the name and description for the Information Map transformation. The name and description that you specify here are for the Information Map transformation, not for the information map that the transformation creates.

The name of the Information Map transformation can contain no more than 60 characters.

Note: For best results, use the same naming convention that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for Information Map transformations. For information about the naming conventions that are used by the Adapter Setup wizard, see About Naming Standards for SAS IT Resource Management Objects.
Click the Information Map Parameters tab to specify the name of the information map that is to be created and the location where the information map is to be saved.
For best results, use the following recommendations when naming the information map and determining its location:
- Use the same naming convention that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for information maps. For information about the naming conventions that are used by the Adapter Setup wizard, see How the Adapter Setup Wizard Names Information Map Objects.
- Use the same storage path that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for information maps. To do so, do not enter a path in the Information map path field. (By default, the information map will be saved in the same folder as the job that contains the Information Map transformation.) For more information, see Where the Adapter Setup Wizard Stores Information Map Objects.
  
  However, you can change where the information map is stored by entering a path in the Information map path field.
  
  Note: If Browse is selected and the field that contains the Information map path is blank, the current folder location is displayed in the Information map path field.
Use the Information Map Filters section of the Information Map Parameters tab if you want to specify filters for the information map. This section displays a grid that contains the name, expression, and description of filters that are defined for the information map that this transformation creates. (When you are creating a new Information Map transformation, the grid will be empty.) For information about how to add a filter to an Information Map transformation, see Add a Filter to an Information Map.
Click the Data Items tab to specify the data items that you want to include in the information map that will be created by this Information Map transformation. Data items that are class columns will be available in SAS Web Report Studio for selection as filters.

Note: In order to use or reuse the reports that are supplied by SAS IT Resource Management, specify the data items according to the standards that are in effect for the solution. For information about the standards used by SAS IT Resource Management, see About Naming Standards for SAS IT Resource Management Objects.
The grid that appears on this tab contains columns for Column Name, Data Item Name, Description, Expression, and Format for each data item. When a map is being created, the grid is empty.
- Click Import to display the list of Available columns. The columns that are listed here are columns that exist in the Information Map transformation's source table. Highlight the columns that you want to include as categories in the information map and use the right arrow to transfer them to the Selected category columns. Highlight the columns (numeric only) that you want to include as measures in the information map and use the right arrow to transfer them to the Selected measure columns.
  
  In the following display, two data items are selected as category columns, and three data items are selected as measure columns.
  
  Import Data Item Page of the Data Items Tab
  
  Then click OK to display the selected category and measure columns on the Data Items grid where you can modify the name of the data item or its description.
- Click New to open the New Data Item window where you can add a new data item to the grid. Enter the Data Item Name, Description, Classification (Category or Measure), Type (Character or Numeric), Format, and Expression fields for the new data item.
  
  Note: Do not enter double quotation marks in the Expression field.
  
  In the following display, a new data item called NewMeasure is defined and ready to be added to the Data Items grid.
  
  New Data Item Window
  
  Click OK to display the new data item on the Data Items grid where it can be modified if needed.
  
  Note: In the case of data items that are added from the New Data Item window, the Column Name of the added item is blank.
- To remove a data item from the information map, highlight the data item and click Delete.
The remaining tabs (Options, Code, Precode and Postcode, Notes, and Extended Attributes) are optional. For information about these tabs, see the Help for SAS IT Resource Management.
Click OK to save the parameters for the Information Map transformation.
To save the modified job, from the menu bar select FileSave.

Modify an Information Map Transformation

Editing an Information Map transformation can cause errors in reporting if the information map is used for reports. For example, do not remove or rename any data items or filters that are used in a report. If you do so, the report will fail. However, you can add anything or rename anything that is not used in a report.

To modify an Information Map transformation, perform the following steps:

Navigate to the job that contains the Information Map transformation that you want to modify. Double-click the job to open it on the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window.
Within the process flow diagram, right-click the box that represents the Information Map transformation that you want to modify.
From the menu list, select Properties to open the Information Map Properties dialog box. From this dialog box, you can access the General, Information Map Parameters, and Data Items tabs that serve as the primary locations for the information map parameters and metadata. These tabs enable you to view and modify the name of the transformation, the name of the generated information map, the location of the information map, the filters for the information map, and the data items that make up the information map.
On the General tab, you can modify the name and description of the Information Map transformation by changing the text in the Name field and the Description field.

Note: The name and description that you specify here are for the Information Map transformation, not for the information map that the transformation creates. For best results, use the same naming convention that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for Information Map transformations. For information about the naming conventions that are used by the Adapter Setup wizard, see How the Adapter Setup Wizard Names Information Map Objects.
On the Information Map Parameters tab, you can make the following changes:
- Change the name of the information map that the transformation creates by changing the text in the Information Map Name field. Changing the name of an information map that was already created does not delete the map that was created with the old name.
  
  Note: For best results, use the same naming convention that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for information maps. Furthermore, to facilitate the association of the table with the information map, the name of the information map should be the same as the name of the source table. For information about the naming conventions that are used by the Adapter Setup wizard, see How the Adapter Setup Wizard Names Information Map Objects.
- Change the location where the transformation saves the information map that it creates. Information maps can be stored wherever you specify. To change the location, manually enter the new path or click Browse to navigate to the new location. If Browse is selected and the Information map path is blank, the current folder location is displayed in the Information map path field.
  
  Note: For best results, use the same storage path that the Adapter Setup wizard uses for information maps. To do so, do not enter a path in the Information map path field. The information map will be saved in the same folder as the information map job. However, you can directly specify where the information map is stored by entering a path in the Information map path field. For more information, see Where the Adapter Setup Wizard Stores Information Map Objects.
- Change the filters for the information map that are displayed on the filter grid.
  
  For information about adding filters to information maps, see Add a Filter to an Information Map.
  
  For information about modifying filters on information maps, see Modify a Filter on an Information Map.
  
  For information about deleting filters from information maps, see Delete a Filter from an Information Map.
On the Data Items tab, you can make the following changes:
- Select additional category or measure data items from the source table to add to the information map by clicking Import. Then highlight the columns in the Available columns of the source table that you want to add and use the arrow to transfer them to the Selected category columns or Selected measure columns panels. Click OK to include these data items in the information map.
- Define an additional data item for the information map by clicking New, which opens the New Data Item window. Then enter the Data Item Name, Description, Classification (Category or Measure), Type (Character or Numeric), Format, and Expression fields for the new data item.
  
  Note: Do not enter double quotation marks in the Expression field.
  
  Click OK to add the new data item to the information map.
- Delete a data item from the information map by highlighting it and clicking Delete.
Click OK to save the parameters for the Information Map transformation and the information map that it will generate. You will not be able to view the new information map that the modified transformation creates until the corresponding job has run.

Note: SAS Information Map Studio can also be used to modify the information maps that are generated by Information Map transformations in SAS IT Resource Management. However, the information maps that are generated by Information Map transformations in an information map job are regenerated each time that job is run. Therefore, any modifications that are made to an information map using SAS Information Map Studio might be overwritten and lost when the ETL job is rerun. To avoid this situation, modify a copied version of the automatically generated information map and save that modified version under a different name so that it will not be overwritten by the ETL processes.

Delete an Information Map Transformation from a Job

If you delete an Information Map transformation from a job, the information map itself is not deleted and your reports should continue to run correctly. However, if you later change a table, you must regenerate the associated information map in order to reflect the table changes in the report and thus avoid errors in the report. Do not delete an Information Map transformation unless you are certain that this action will not affect your reporting needs.

If you choose to delete an Information Map transformation from a job, perform the following steps:

Navigate to the job that contains the Information Map transformation that you want to delete. Double-click the job to open it on the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window.
Right-click the Information Map transformation in the process flow diagram.
From the menu list, select Delete.
To save the modified job, from the menu bar select FileSave.

Note: If you delete an Information Map transformation, the information maps that it created previously are not deleted.

Delete an Information Map

Deleting an information map can create errors in reporting if your reports use the information map that you delete. Do not delete an information map unless you are certain that this action will not affect your reporting needs.

If you choose to delete an information map, perform the following steps:

Navigate to the location that contains the information map that you want to delete. (The default location for information maps is the folder that contains the information map job that creates the information map. However, you might have chosen to store your information map in another location.)
Right-click the information map. From the menu list, select Delete.
In the confirmation dialog box, click Yes to delete the information map. Otherwise, click No.

Note: If you delete an information map and not the Information Map transformation that created it, a new information map with the same name will be created the next time the corresponding job runs.

Update an Information Map from a Template

The following steps enable you to update the Information Map transformation for a table so that the information map’s filters and data items conform to the supplied template. (If an information map template exists for the source table, you can use that template to automatically update the filters and data items of an information map instead of manually specifying them from the Information Map Parameters and Data Items tabs of the Properties dialog box.)

Note: You can attach the Information Map transformation to the existing aggregation job, which generated the table that will be used as the source table for the Information Map transformation. Alternatively, you can place the Information Map transformation in a new or in another existing job.

Open the job that is to contain the Information Map transformation.
In the IT Data Marts tree, locate the aggregation table that was created from a template table. Drag and drop the table onto the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window. (If the table was already present in this job, you can skip this step.)
From the Transformations tree of SAS IT Resource Management, locate and expand the ITRM Transformations folder. Scroll down to the Information Map transformation. Then drag and drop the Information Map transformation object onto the open job on the Diagram tab of the Job Editor window.
Connect the aggregation table to the left side of the Information Map transformation.
Right-click the box that represents the Information Map transformation and select Update map definition from template.

If an aggregation table that was created from a template is not connected to the Information Map transformation, an error message is displayed. Similarly, if an information map template does not exist for the current source table, an error message is displayed.
If an information map template is available for the current source table, the following message is displayed: This action will replace all the filters & data items. Do you wish to continue?
To update the Information Map transformation, click Yes.
When the job that contains the Information Map transformation is run, the information map will be created with the updated map attributes, including filters and data items that correspond to the template table.

Note: The Information Map transformation might have a source table that is not an aggregation table, or might have a source aggregation table that was not constructed from a supplied template. In these cases, no information map template is available. Likewise, an aggregation table that was constructed from an aggregation template, but which has been modified by the user to have a different name, might not be recognized as having an information map template.