Continuing our breakneck development pace, we are getting ready to release the R2 update of DataMapper 2008 beta. This release considerably expands DataMapper connectivity by including XML and ODBC connectors. I will take a brief moment to discuss these features. For details on existing DataMapper 2008 production release features. Please look here.

XML Support

This feature provides high-speed XML parsing and conversion to any of the supported destinations including a large and continuously expanding collection of databases and files.
The XML connector provides an intuitive object model that can be used to create various types of data mappings using a drag-and-drop interface. For more involved mapping, DataMapper's rules language is available to do the job. The rules language features Excel-style syntax and provides access to the XML object model. It features a large library of built-in functions for numeric, date, and string processing. Built-in function library also includes a set of aggregate functions such as sum, count, min, max, etc. These aggregate functions can be used to calculate summary values for XML tree collections. DataMapper 2008 supports schema validation. You can either provide a pre-defined XML schema or let DataMapper generate schema for you.

ODBC Database Support

Out of the box, DataMapper 2008 ships with built-in drivers for Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, DB2, Sybase, Microsoft Access, and MySQL. DataMapper 2008 R2 significantly expands the connectivity through our ODBC implementation. You can now connect to a substantially expanded list of databases and data sources including dBase, FoxPro, Informix, Ingres, Mimer SQL, Pervasive/Btrieve, PostgreSQL, Progress, Quickbooks, and Teradata. For some of these data sources, you will need drivers from the manufacturer or a third-party to be installed on your machine. The support portal is being updated to provide information about the drivers and data sources that we have tested. This section will be updated on a regular basis. We are continually developing more connectors and testing more data sources. If you would like us to develop or test specific data source connectivity, please contact support@astera.com. If you are a driver vendor and would like us to test your drivers, please send an email to support@astera.com.

Pivot/Unpivot

DataMapper 2008 V2 now adds pivot (many-to-one) and unpivot (one-to-many) transformations. Pivot transformation denormalizes a normalized data set by combining multiple records into a single record. Data in each source row is populated in a series of repeating column groups in the destination. Unpivot, on the other hand, normalizes a flat record and creates multiple output records for reach source record. Repeating groups are converted into separate records.
Continuing with our philosophy of keeping things simple, the user interface is designed to enable you to perform these transformations visually and quickly while providing more power and flexibility than most other products.

Automatic Layout Building from Specifications

The current version of DataMapper can scan a source file and automatically determine data types and sizes. Many of our customers told us that they receive Excel files from their partners that describe layout specifications. Entering these layout specifications manually takes a great deal of time and effort. The DataMapper R2 now provides the ability to build layouts using the specification files eliminating the tedious and error-prone manual work.
To participate in our beta program, please send an email to sales@astera.com.