Skip to main content

Linking Mappings

Linking two Mappings lets a single Query pull data from both. To create Links:

  1. Open the Datasource.
  2. Click Links in the left panel.
  3. Click + New.
The Links page for the Northwind Orders Datasource, with the Links nav item and the + New button highlighted, listing existing Field Pairing links
The Links page.

The kind of Link you can create depends on the Datasource.

Field Pairings​

  1. On the Links page, click + New and select U2.
  2. Set the From Mapping and To Mapping (the U2 files to link).
  3. Provide a Link Name (how the Link appears in the Query Designer; defaults to the To Mapping's name).
  4. Select the Field in the From Mapping to match the @ID Field in the To Mapping.
  5. Optionally Embed the Link so all Fields from the To Mapping appear as if they belong to the From Mapping in the Field chooser, with a prefix added to their labels.
  6. Click Save.
The New U2 Link dialog with From Mapping and To Mapping, a Link Name, an @ID Field pairing, and an Embedded option
Configuring a U2 Link.
  1. Set the From Mapping and To Mapping (the SQL tables to link).
  2. Provide a Link Name (defaults to the To Mapping's name).
  3. Optionally Embed the Link (as above).
  4. To create the reverse Link at the same time (swapping From and To), check Bidirectional and name the reverse Link.
  5. By default the Link uses a single Field-pairing JOIN. You can add more JOINs or literal criteria.
  6. For a Field pairing, choose the JOIN type (LEFT, INNER, or RIGHT), then pick the From Field and To Field with common data.
  7. For literal criteria, choose a Mapping and Field to evaluate, then an operator and a value to compare against when the Link is followed.
  8. Click Save.
note

The Add literal option appears only after you fill in the pairing Fields.

The New Field Pairings Link dialog linking order_details_1996 to orders_1996, with Embedded and Bidirectional options and a Left join row
Configuring a Field Pairing Link.

Remote Datasource​

A Remote Datasource link connects a Mapping to a Mapping on a different Datasource. Remote Field links cannot be used directly as Query criteria; to work around that you can:

  • Apply post-Query Filters to the data.
  • Use a Power Script Flow Step to drop data after the Query returns but before it displays.
  • Build a second Dataset against the remote Datasource with the criteria, then use a Fields from another Dataset Flow Step to pull its filtered data into the main Dataset.

To create one:

  1. On the Links page, click + New and select Remote Datasource.
  2. Set the local Mapping, the Remote Datasource and Remote Mapping, and pair the From Field to the To Datasource Field (the Fields should be the same data type).
  3. Provide a Link Name (defaults to the To Mapping's name).
The New Remote Datasource Link dialog selecting a local Mapping, a remote Datasource and Mapping, a Link name, and a From/To field pairing
Configuring a Remote Datasource Link.

A SQL Link joins Mappings with SQL statements instead of the graphical pairing UI.

  1. On the Links page, click + New and select SQL.
  2. Add tables with the + button, choosing from the dropdown.
  3. Choose the Fields from the Field chooser on the right, and set the JOIN.
The New SQL Link dialog with the Select From Mapping dropdown open, listing tables like categories and customers
Adding tables to a SQL Link.
The New SQL Link dialog with a LEFT OUTER JOIN between orders and order_details_1996 and the ON expression $orders.OrderID = order_details_1996.OrderID
Configuring the SQL Link join.

To edit a Link, double-click it and reconfigure it.

Also available through the REST API
Everything on this page is built on Informer's public REST API, the same one the product uses, so your scripts and integrations can do it too. Developer reference: Datasources.