Data mapping for SOAP and dotNet services

Data mapping defines the relationship between parameter-value pairs in external systems and property-value pairs in the Pega Platform. SOAP and dotNET services forms have two tabs for data mapping:

  • Request — Use this tab to specify how the service rule maps arguments from the incoming SOAP request messages to properties on the clipboard (Map To).
  • Response — Use this tab to specify how the service rule maps arguments for the reply message to the external client application from properties on the clipboard (Map From).

For SOAP and dotNet services, the Pega Platform supports a subset of the primitive data types supported by the World Wide Web Consortium standard.

Simple data types

Because XML is text-based, you can map any XSD data type into a Single Value property of type Text. However, when possible, a more restrictive mapping is better — for example, the XSD type float corresponds to the Pega Platform type of Double. In specific situations, you may be aware of values and format that allow even more restrictive mappings than listed below.

When an incoming or outgoing message contains scalar arguments (or arrays of scalar arguments) that match Pega Platform properties or activity parameters and the data is to be treated as a single value, you create simple argument-property mappings. The following table lists the XSD data types that appear in the Data Type selection list and the typical Pega Platform property type to map it to or from.

XSD Data Type Type Notes and XSD examples
string Text Also used for User Name and Password .
Boolean True or False True
double Double  
float Double XSD represents single-precision values (originally 32 bits) only.

-1E4, 12687.433E12, 12, INF (infinity)

int Integer Same as Java
long Integer Same as Java
short Integer Same as Java
byte Integer Same as Java
base64Binary Text Encoded binary value as characters
dateTime DateTime  
date Date 1999-10-26
decimal Decimal 3.14159
integer Integer -7, 43
time DateTime UTC zone (Zulu) only.

2004-03-04T21:15:00Z

For the array counterparts of these XSD types — string(n), short(n), for example — map them to or from properties of mode Value List that have the types specified above.

Complex data types

To map complex data types, assess the data that is to be transmitted in the SOAP messages. Determine whether the message contains a string parameter with XML code embedded in the value. or contains an XML object:

  • If the message contains scalar arguments, the data in the argument is XML, and the SOAP operation style is RPC-encoded: identify the data type as String and map the data from XML Stream rules and to Parse XML rules. Typically, the XML provides values from or for an aggregate property.
  • When the SOAP operation style of your services is document, specify the data type as XML Literal. On the XML Page tab, specify which data transform to use to map the data to and from messages. The service package uses the data transform to define schema when it generates the WSDL file for the services in the package.

For information about using Parse XML rules, XML Stream rules, and data transforms (previously known as model rules) for data mapping, see Data Mapping XML, a document in the Integration area of the PDN.

Integration-Services category