Introduction

ConnectALL's normal mode of operation is to directly synchronize field values between the linked applications. This means that by default the value in the source application is sent as-is to the destination application.

There are often cases, however, in which allowed values for a field in one application do not match the allowed values in the other application. For example, Priority values might be Minimal, Significant and Critical in one application but 1, 3 and 4 in the other application. Additionally, you may wish to map some specific text values in the source to other values in the destination.

For these situations, ConnectALL allows you specify the field-level value mappings between the applications.

Configure Value Mapping

Click on the Modify () icon on a field mapping to add or edit field-level value mappings. This will display the Value Mapping pop-up window

In the Value Mapping window that is displayed below, click the plus sign icon to add the necessary number of value mapping relationships. Next, if you are matching values that use a drop-down list in the original application, select the values for both applications so the relationships match based on your desired synchronization. Choose your sync direction for each value, and click Save Mappings to save.

The process is similar if you are matching values that use text fields in the original application. Add the number of value mapping relationships, then type out the values that you would like to synchronize in the text fields. If the text from the source application matches the text you provided in the mapping, ConnectALL will send the mapped value to the destination application. Choose your sync direction for each value, and click Save Mappings to save.

This can be useful if, for example, you might wish to map specific Environment hostname values (like ax3547-01, devserver-zs43, etc) to friendlier labels (like Dev, QA, Pre-Prod, Production). 

Once a Value Mapping is saved, you will see a 'Chain' symbol indicating that the field holds value mapping, as shown below. Selecting the field mapping will show your value mapping details on the right side of the screen.

Import and Export Value Mapping

ConnectALL provides you with the ability to import/export a. CSV file for Value Mapping to map bulk values such as user name/value. This is useful if you need to make a large number of mappings for a given field. A CSV file can be used for bulk uploads to make the mapping process easier.  Use the Import/Export value mappings button in the Value Mapping screen to Import/Export value mappings. 

Import Value Mapping

Below is the sample file format for CSV upload:

In the above graph, Column 'A' and Column 'D' represent the Value. Column 'B' and Column 'E' are the associated Names. In the Value Mapping review screen, you will see both: "Name(Value)". Both the name and the value are used when matching field values from the source application. The value is what is sent to the destination application. In the above example, if the left application sends either Nithya or nkanden, ConnectALL will send Suresh to the destination application. Conversely, if the right application sends either Suresh or sbillu, ConnectALL will send Nithya to the destination. This is typical for Combo Boxes that display a Name but send a different Value. For a text field, the Name and the Value column are locked in with identical values. Column 'C' is an annotation for ConnectAll to specify whether the mapping is one-way (right or left) or bi-directional (both).

As part of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), users may not be able to directly map user-related fields (such as Assigned To, Reported By) for some applications. In order to mitigate this, end-users are allowed to do a bulk upload of user-related field value mappings using the "Import Value Mapping" feature.

After the upload has been saved to the Automation link, you'll see a pop-up confirming that the import is successful.

You will also see the chain-link icon next to your field mapping to let you know that the imported values has been added.

Export Value Mapping

The "Export Value Mapping" feature is to download the field value mappings in the csv format. This allows you to download and edit the values, and then upload again using the "Import Value Mapping" button.

Property File Settings

The ConnectALL application UI has a limit to how many values can be mapped using the UI. The threshold is set in ConnectAll.properties with the key as "valuemapping.edit.threshold". A larger number mappings can be made by using the"Export/Import Value Mapping" tool. For example, say you have set the threshold limit as 2 and have created three value mappings. When you try to modify the value mappings, ConnectALL will display the following message: Value Mappings for this field are above the configured threshold (2). Use the Import/Export feature to modify Value Mappings. Refer to the documentation for more details. 

ConnectALL also provides a way to completely disable value mapping across the fields in the adapters after the first time the mapping has been created. For this, use the key "valuemapping.edit.disabled.applinks" and provide the respective Automations in a comma separated (CSV) format.

Sync By Value

In certain applications, you may see an option for "Sync Value Type" available under the Field Configuration settings. 

You can use the By Value option against the Sync Value Type field  in lieu of manual value mapping when your field uses custom IDs in addition to values. By default, the custom ID will be mapped to the other application, which is often unclear. Selecting the By Value option will ensure that ConnectALL maps the value instead. As an example, let's say that an ALM Octane field uses custom IDs and values that are aligned as below: 

When you sync this application field to another system like Jira (which doesn’t have an ‘Application’ field), you may create a string field in Jira to avoid maintaining a separate pick list since an infinite number of applications might get created in Octane. Without any mappings, ConnectALL would send the Custom List IDs from ALM Octane to Jira (Jira users would have no use for those unreadable IDs). Instead of having to create manual value mappings for each individual ID, this is where the option to choose 'By Value’ against the Sync Value Type field comes in. After selecting the 'By Value' option, you will not have to do a value mapping for each custom ID. ConnectALL will convert “xayw01bzg0q7" to “Application 1,”10zbsalw7gas" to "Application 2," and so on automatically when you choose the option to sync by value.

The above is not the only use case for 'Sync by Value.' You can also use this feature to avoid manual value mapping in situations where both fields you are synchronizing have some (or all) identical values. 

What if: 

• Both applications have identical values and support the ‘Sync By Value’ feature.
  In this case, you could select the ‘Sync by Value’ field for both applications and all values will sync.

• Both the applications had a few identical values and a non-identical value, and both support the ‘Sync By Value’ feature.
  In this case, after selecting 'Sync by Value' for both applications, any identical values will sync automatically. You will then need to create a manual value mapping for any non-identical values that you would like to synchronize. Let's say you are syncing application 'A' to 'B,' and both applications have identical values and one non-identical value. Example below:
  

  Application A	Application B
  Critical	Blocker
  High	High
  Medium	Medium
  Low	Low

  In the above scenario, selecting the ‘Sync by Value’ option will map all common values between both applications without requiring manual synchronization. You will then do a manual value mapping between ‘Critical’ (in Application ‘A’) and ‘Blocker’ (in Application ‘B’).