Rule Specifications and Mapplets
A rule specification is a Model repository object that uses business logic to describe transformation operations. Users create rule specifications in Informatica Analyst. You can add a rule specification to a mapping in the same way that you add a mapplet to a mapping.
You can also add a rule specification to a mapplet and deploy a rule specification from the Developer tool as a web service.
An Analyst tool user can generate one or more mapplets from a rule specification. Each mapplet contains transformations that represent the rule specification logic. When you run a mapping that contains either the rule specification or the corresponding mapplet, you get the same results.
You can edit a mapplet that a user generates from a rule specification in the same way as any mapplet that you create in the Developer tool. You cannot edit a rule specification in the Developer tool. Add a rule specification to a mapping when you want the mapping to apply the logic that the rule specification represents. Add the corresponding mapplet to a mapping when you want to use or update the mapplet logic independently of the rule specification.
Rules and Guidelines for Rule Specifications
- •A rule specification contains a primary rule set and optionally contains additional rule sets. The primary rule set represents the complete logic of the rule specification. Additional rule sets define discrete data analysis operations and provide outputs that other rule sets can read.
The mapplet that represents the primary rule set has the same name as the rule specification.
- •If you rename a rule specification in the Developer tool, the Analyst tool displays the name when the user opens the rule specification. If you rename the mapplet for the primary rule set, you do not change the rule specification name.
- •If an Analyst tool user adds, deletes, or edits an input in a rule specification, the user breaks all input links to other objects in a mapping. If an Analyst tool user adds, deletes, or edits an output in a rule specification, the user breaks all input links to other objects in a mapping. The edits that break the links include changes to the name, precision, or data type of an input or output. Update the links in any mapping that uses the rule specification.
If an Analyst tool user updates the business logic in a rule specification but does not alter the inputs or outputs, the input and output links do not break. The changes that the user makes are available to the mapping when the user saves the rule specification.
Rule Specification Properties
A rule specification has properties that you can view and edit in the Developer tool. Use the properties to review descriptive metadata for the rule specification name. You can also use the properties to determine the number of output ports that the rule specification generates for downstream mapping objects.
To view the properties, open a mapping that contains the rule specification and select the rule specification icon. Then, select the Properties tab in the mapping.
The tab displays the following views:
- General
- The general properties contain the name and description of the rule specification instance.
- If you update the rule specification name or description in a mapping, the changes that you make apply in the current mapping only.
- Properties
- The properties include the rule specification name that appears in the General view. The properties also specify any date range that an Analyst tool user set for the rule specification. The date range indicates the interval during which the rule specification is valid for use.
Note: You can select or clear an option to allow an output for each child rule in the rule specification. A child rule is a rule set in the rule specification. When you select the option, the Developer tool adds an output port for each rule set to the rule specification in the mapping. The option is clear by default. Select the option to make available the rule set outputs to downstream objects in the mapping.
- Ports
- The port properties list the input and output ports on the rule specification instance. The port properties display the name, data type, precision, and scale of each port. You can optionally add a description to a port. The description applies to the port in the current rule specification instance.
- Run-time Linking
- The run-time linking properties determine now the rule specification ports link to other objects in a dynamic mapping.
- Advanced
- The advanced properties include the tracing level setting. The tracing level defines the amount of detail that appears in the log for the rule specification. You can choose terse, normal, verbose initialization, or verbose data. The default value is normal.