Structure Overview in SAP XI Message Mappings

Use

The structure overview displays all fields (elements and attributes) in the source and target structures. In the structure overview, you can assign source and target fields to each other or include them in the data-flow editor (see: Assigning a Field). The structure overview also contains a variety of additional functions that are described below.

Features

Functions in the Header Area

You use the structure overview on both the Definition and Test tab pages. Most of the buttons available in the structure overview are available on both tab pages.

Structure Overview Buttons

Button	Use
Tree View (only on Definition tab page)	View that only displays nodes for fields (elements and attributes) and their names.
Tabular Tree View	When you select this view, on the Definition tab page the field attributes or their type are displayed in addition to the tree view. In the test environment, you can enter values for the test in an additional column in the source structure.
Source Text View	Displays the structure as text in the editor. You can edit the text document directly in the test environment.
Expand Tree Collapse Tree	Expands/collapses tree.
Pretty Print (only on the Test tab page in the source document view)	Makes the XML document more readable by using indentations.
Show/Hide Search Field	Shows or hides the input help to search for fields in the structure. The search function does not support wildcard characters. To search for a node, you simply need to enter the first letter of the node name.
Save Document Source	Saves the structure as an XML file.
Show Complete Path (only in Tree View or Tabular Tree View)	Displays prefixes for namespaces and numbering for duplicated fields in the structure overview (see also Duplicating Subtrees).
Hide Unused Fields (only in Tree View or Tabular Tree View)	Hides all fields in the structure that are not used in any target-field mapping.
Remove Unused Fields (only in the Tree View or the Tabular Tree View on the Test tab page)	Removes all fields from the structure of a test instance that are not used in any target-field mapping.

General Functions in the Source and Target Structures

Differentiating Field Names on the Same Hierarchy Level

The field names of the source and target structure must be unique. The mapping editor supports identical field names on the same hierarchy level in the following way:

● Fields of the source and target structure can be qualified by namespaces

● Attributes are differentiated from elements by way of a preceding at symbol (@) in the mapping editor.

Access Paths for Fields

For fields in the structure overview (on both the Definition and Test tab pages) you can copy the path for a field to the clipboard by choosing the context menu option Copy Path. This also applies to fields in the data-flow editor.

Recursive Structures

The mapping editor does not fully support the mapping of recursive structures (data types that reference themselves). In the structure overview, elements of this type are indicated by means of an icon ().

Due to their recursive nature, the substructures of these elements can theoretically be infinitely long. It is possible to map these elements in the mapping editor in a rudimentary fashion by using the context menu to expand a specific number of subnodes and then use them in target-field mappings.

Special Functions: Source Structure

Where-Used List

● You can display the fields of the source structure in a where-used list:

● Position the cursor on a field to display a quick info that contains information about the target fields this particular field is assigned to by means of a target-field mapping.

● To display a where-used list for a particular field, call the context menu and choose Where-Used List. You can navigate directly to the target fields that a particular field is assigned to.

Special Functions: Target Structure

Navigating to Target-Field Mappings

If a field in the target structure is green or yellow, this indicates that an incomplete target-field mapping already exists. Double-click a field to display it in the data-flow editor.

Target-Field Mappings for Particular Positions

To define target-field mappings for different positions of a target element that occurs frequently, the context menu for the target structure has the function Duplicate Subtree (see: Duplicating Subtrees). You have the option of deleting any duplicates that you create.

Disabling Fields

A mapping is complete when there is a target-field mapping for all obligatory target fields. In cross-system scenarios where the values for such fields are not entered during mapping, but at a later point in time, this specification is too restrictive. To disable a target field and all its subnodes, choose the context menu option Disable Field in the structure overview. The mapping editor shows disabled fields crossed out. The check and the mapping runtime ignore disabled fields.