User Guide - Business Logic

The mappings between elements in two different data standards are recorded as Business Logic. This section contains conceptual and how-to information about how the Business Logic field works in MappingEDU.

What is Business Logic in MappingEDU?

Business Logic is simply an expression describing an element in the Source Data Standard in terms of the Target Data Standard.

Simple Mapping Example

In the simple mapping below, the student "FirstName" element in the Target (in orange in the Business Logic field) is mapped to the student "First Name" element in the Source (in blue, next to the Path label near the top of the screen).

The system will often show mappings in a working queue or other list view. Here's the same mapping shown in a more compact form.

More Complex Mapping Example

Not all Business Logic is a simple one-to-one match. MappingEDU allows you to enter more complex mappings, including mappings between multiple elements, conditionals, etc. The example below shows a slightly more complex mapping.

A Few Things of Note

The examples above illustrate a few important points:

• The Business Logic field allows free-form text. You can enter logic, equations, or a general description – whatever expresses the mapping at the right level of detail and specificity for your purpose. Most projects elect to use a pseudocode-like notation that balances readability for business users against specificity for developers.
• The Business Logic field automatically applies light syntax highlighting. For example, string values are styled in turquoise; literal, unquoted values are in a deep red; and elements in the Target Standard are highlighted in an orange outline.
• The Target Standard elements are indicated by surrounding text in [square brackets]. (We cover entry in more detail below.) These elements are usually the most important pieces of information in the Business Logic, and so are validated against the Target Standard. If an element with a matching path and name is not found in the Target Standard, the system will warn you and not allow you to save the Business Logic until the error is corrected. 

How Does Business Logic Get Entered?

Entering Business Logic is easy: In the Element Detail screen Mapping tab, click on the Business Logic field and start typing.

As noted elsewhere, the Business Logic field is a free-form text field, so you can enter any mapping logic that clearly and accurately describes the mapping to your satisfaction. When you save your work (by clicking the check-mark button), the system applies any syntax formatting.

In this example, the system highlighted an element from the Target Data Standard and a few constant values.

You'll notice that the elements from the Target Data Standard is enclosed in [square brackets]. Before applying the highlighting, the system validates that anything in [square brackets] is a valid data element (along with its full path) in the Target Data Standard. 

To assist you in picking a valid element, the system has an auto-completion feature (similar to Intellisense in programming environments). Simply type an opening square bracket and start typing a path in the Target Data Standard. The system will provide you with valid path and element options.

The list of options is built dynamically from the Target Data Standard definition – so this will work on pre-loaded standards such as CEDS and the Ed-Fi Data Standards, but also custom standards that you upload for your project.

As an alternative to typing a path and element, the system also has a Matchmaker feature that helps you browse and search the Target Data Standard. That's covered in the Matchmaker section of this documentation.

What if There's no Matching Element? 

Not all elements in the Source Data Standard will have a valid match in the Target Data Standard. Rather than just "leave the Business Logic blank," MappingEDU has a few structured ways of dealing with this common situation.

Mark for Omission

If there's a good reason for not finding a logical match in the Target Data Standard, you can mark an element for "omission" – which simply acknowledges that there's no match to be found. Under Mapping Method, select Mark for Omission. You can optionally enter a reason in the Omission Reason field.

Mark for Extension

In some cases, you may determine that the Target Data Standard requires an additional field through customization or extension. You can also mark a field for "extension." Under Mapping Method, select Mark for Extension. You can optionally enter reasoning for or details about the extension.