Process Multiple Input Files in a Single Data Mapping

Typical data conversion tasks require processing numerous input files that arrive in batches. Altova MapForce includes features that let you handle groups of files with minimal intervention.

For instance, we recently copied a set of files from the memory card of a digital camera with GPS support. Each .LOG file is a CSV containing GPS coordinates for a single route.

We quickly designed a mapping to convert the CSV data to XML-based .gpx format and processed all three files to generate three output files in a single execution:

Generating a Schema from Multiple XML Instances

I was recently talking with one of our Support Engineers about common questions he receives from customers. One that comes up a lot is schema generation. XMLSpy will generate a valid XSD from a DTD, a relational database structure, and of course, an XML instance. But what many customers don’t know is that the XML editor will also create an XML Schema based on a group of related XML files – and this is a common requirement.

 

Let’s take a look at how it works.

 

Expect the Unexpected – Altova MissionKit Solves a Number Format Mystery

Every time you receive data from an outside source, there is a chance it won’t arrive in the form you expect. This can require special accommodations for the rare and unlikely to make a real-world data mapping and transformation solution robust and reliable.

We processed literally dozens of .gpx files, containing hundreds of coordinates each, through the MapForce mapping we wrote about in the blog post Web Service as a Look-Up Table to Refine GPS Data. Then one day we ran a new file and encountered the error below, which caused the mapping to fail:

Reaching into the Altova MissionKit to combine features of MapForce and XMLSpy, we quickly diagnosed the issue and developed a solution we can also reuse in future mapping projects.