You can use a dictionary to find known values in an input field. Populate the dictionary with the values that you want to find.
At run time, the Parse transformation compares the values in the input field to the values in a dictionary that you select in the parse asset. The transformation writes any values that match the dictionary values to an output field.
Example: product data
A product data set might combine data values about multiple product attributes in the same field. You can configure a parse asset to find the different values and to specify discrete fields for each type of value.
For example, you can configure the asset to split the following paint description into separate inventory elements:
500ML Red Matt Exterior
Create a step for each element that you want to find. In each step, add a dictionary that contains reference data for an element, such as size, color, style, or finish. When a mapping runs with the Parse transformation, the transformation will compare the input field values to the dictionaries that the steps specify.
The mapping will write the values to the following columns:
Size
Color
Style
Finish
500ML
Red
Matt
Exterior
Note: The input field data may contain data values in more than one format. For example, the quantity 500ML may appear as 500 millilitres, 500ml, 0.5L, or simply 500. To capture the data in all formats, use a dictionary that contains a column of values in each format. You can select the format that you prefer when you configure the step. Select the column that uses the preferred format as the Valid column.