Informatica Developer Overview
The Developer tool is an application that you use to design and implement data integration, data quality, data profiling, data services, and data engineering solutions.
You can use the Developer tool to import metadata, create connections, and create data objects. You can also use the Developer tool to create and run profiles, mappings, and workflows.
Informatica Developer Views
The Developer tool workbench includes an editor and views. You edit objects, such as mappings, in the editor. The Developer tool displays views based on which object is selected in the editor.
You can select additional views, hide views, and move views to another location in the Developer tool workbench.
To select the views you want to display, click Window > Show View.
The Developer tool displays the following views by default:
- Connection Explorer view
- Displays connections to relational databases.
- Data Viewer view
- Displays source data, profile results, and previews the output of a transformation.
- Object Explorer view
- Displays the domain and the design-time and run-time objects in the domain. Design-time objects are stored in projects and folders in the Model repository. Run-time objects are stored as part of a run-time application on a Data Integration Service.
- Outline view
- Displays objects that are dependent on an object selected in the Object Explorer view.
- Progress view
- Displays the progress of operations in the Developer tool, such as a mapping run.
- Properties view
- Displays the properties for an object that is selected in the editor.
You can also use the Show View menu to show the following views:
- Alerts view
- Displays connection status alerts.
- Checked Out Objects view
- Displays all objects that you have checked out.
- Notifications view
- Displays options to notify users or groups when all work in the Human task is complete.
- Object Dependencies view
- Displays object dependencies when you view, modify, or delete an object.
- Search view
- Displays the search results. You can also launch the search options dialog box.
- Tags view
- Displays tags that define an object in the Model repository based on business usage.
Informatica Developer Welcome Page
The Welcome page appears the first time that you open the Developer tool. Use the Welcome page to learn how to set up and start working in the Developer tool.
The Welcome page displays the following options:
- •Overview. Click the Overview button to get an overview of data quality and data services solutions.
- •First Steps. Click the First Steps button to learn more about setting up the Developer tool and accessing Informatica Data Quality and Informatica Data Services lessons.
- •Tutorials. Click the Tutorials button to see tutorial lessons for data quality and data services solutions.
- •Web Resources. Click the Web Resources button for a link to the Informatica Knowledge Base. You can access the Informatica How-To Library. The Informatica How-To Library contains articles about Informatica Data Quality, Informatica Data Services, and other Informatica products.
- •Workbench. Click the Workbench button to start working in the Developer tool.
Click Help > Welcome to access the welcome page after you close it.
Cheat Sheets
The Developer tool includes cheat sheets as part of the online help. A cheat sheet is a step-by-step guide that helps you complete one or more tasks in the Developer tool.
When you complete a cheat sheet, you complete the tasks and see the results. For example, after you complete a cheat sheet to import and preview a relational data object, you have imported a relational database table and previewed the data in the Developer tool.
To access cheat sheets, click Help > Cheat Sheets.
Data Quality and Profiling
Use the data quality capabilities in the Developer tool to analyze the content and structure of your data. You can enhance the data in ways that meet your business needs.
Use the Developer tool to design and run processes that achieve the following objectives:
- •Profile data. Profiling reveals the content and structure of your data. Profiling is a key step in any data project as it can identify strengths and weaknesses in your data and help you define your project plan.
- •Create scorecards to review data quality. A scorecard is a graphical representation of the quality measurements in a profile.
- •Standardize data values. Standardize data to remove errors and inconsistencies that you find when you run a profile. You can standardize variations in punctuation, formatting, and spelling. For example, you can ensure that the city, state, and ZIP code values are consistent.
- •Parse records. Parse data records to improve record structure and derive additional information from your data. You can split a single field of freeform data into fields that contain different information types. You can also add information to your records. For example, you can flag customer records as personal or business customers.
- •Validate postal addresses. Address validation evaluates and enhances the accuracy and deliverability of your postal address data. Address validation corrects errors in addresses and completes partial addresses by comparing address records against reference data from national postal carriers. Address validation can also add postal information that speeds mail delivery and reduces mail costs.
- •Find duplicate records. Duplicate record analysis compares a set of records against each other to find similar or matching values in selected data columns. You set the level of similarity that indicates a good match between field values. You can also set the relative weight fixed to each column in match calculations. For example, you can prioritize surname information over forename information.
- •Create and run data quality rules. Informatica provides pre-built rules that you can run or edit to suit your project objectives. You can create rules in the Developer tool.
- •Collaborate with Informatica users. The rules and reference data tables you add to the Model repository are available to users in the Developer tool and the Analyst tool. Users can collaborate on projects, and different users can take ownership of objects at different stages of a project.
- •Export mappings to PowerCenter. You can export mappings to PowerCenter to reuse the metadata for physical data integration or to create web services.