Property Mappings
From Informer 4 Wiki
A Property Mapping is a reference to a specific table column. There is a one-to-one relationship between property mappings in Informer and columns from tables within your datasource.
As with tables, you should only map properties that are useful for reporting purposes. You should add columns to Informer judiciously so to ensure your users have access to only those data elements they require for use within Informer. Remember you are merely creating a reference to the actual column – any changes you make to Informer’s view of a table will not affect the actual target database. Informer assigns a data type (Text, Numeric, or Date) to each property that you map. The data type determines formatting options as well as how the property behaves within calculated columns. Informer assigns a best guess default data type that can be overridden. Note again, any modifications will only affect Informer’s view of the data, not the datasource definition itself.
Adding Property Mappings to Informer
In order for your users to create selects against and include columns from a table in a report, the column itself must be added as a property mapping to Informer. Managing which columns are included for use in Informer is done through the properties tab on the table mappings page.
To add a new property mapping to Informer, browse to the properties tab on the table mappings page by following the path Datasource > Table > Properties tab. Click the Add button in the menu bar of the properties listing. This will bring up a dialog displaying all the properties existing in the target table. Columns from the table already available as properties display in bold text. You have different options for searching the fields listing in the Add Fields dialog depending on the type of datasource the target table belongs to. Once you find the field you want, either double-click the field name, or click and drag the named row onto the mapped tables listing to create the new property mapping in Informer.
You can also bulk add all fields from a table by clicking the Add All button, though it is recommended you add properties individually to ensure you are only retrieving the properties required for reporting. Once you’ve added properties to the mapped properties grid, they will display in red, meaning they are not yet saved to the system. Continue finding and adding the properties you need, then click Save in the mapped properties menu bar.
Managing Property Mappings
Once a property is mapped, you can choose a number of display options for use within Informer depending on the data type. For numeric properties, you can choose decimal places; for date properties you can choose date format. These options globally affect field display within Informer. There are also Informer specific options for property definitions as detailed below:
| Alphanumeric | There are no formatting options for text fields. Informer displays the property’s raw value as text. |
| Numeric |
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| Date | Date Format: Informer allows you to customize the way dates are displayed on your reports by selecting the format from this drop down. Note: Some property fields, such as Description, are available for edit right in the grid itself. Simply double-click the cell of the grid containing the data you’d like to change, and an editor will appear. |
Once you’ve made changes to all the cells you’d like, simply hit the Save button in the listing menu bar to commit all edits. Modifications made to Properties affect how that property behaves globally throughout Informer. Users also have the opportunity, provided they have the appropriate security rights, to modify property display on a report-by-report basis. For example, one report may display a particular date property in short format, while another may display the same property in long format.
