Permissions: Users must have the Mapper & Mapper Advanced privilege to create Dynamic Mapping Templates.

Dynamic Mapping Templates (DMTs) enable users to define reusable mapping rules that handle variations in source table names. They can perform two transformations:

• Union: Uses wildcards to merge multiple, similarly structured tables into a single domain.
• Rename: Maps a single source table directly to a target domain.

DMTs provide an alternative way to create mappings and mapped domains. Created globally, they can be linked to study data by scope or manually added to a specific mapping within a study. A DMT can automatically create its target mapping and domain, or work alongside existing, study-specific mappings. 

Why Use Dynamic Mapping Templates?

• Automate Repetitive Mappings: A single Union DMT with wildcards can capture entire families of similarly named tables (e.g., AE1, AE2, AE_OLD), eliminating the need to build identical mappings one by one.
• Enforce Cross-Study Consistency: Because DMTs execute at import and can be scoped globally or per study, the same Rename or Union rules are applied everywhere, ensuring uniform domain structures and variable handling.
• Centralized Maintenance: Update a DMT once (including auto‑create options or variable exclusions), and every linked study inherits the change automatically—no more editing individual mappings across multiple projects.

Create Dynamic Mapping Template

1. Click the 9-dot icon to open the Platform Menu.
2. From the Platform Menu under the Data Mapping & Computing, select Dynamic Mapping Templates.
3. From the Dynamic Mapping Templates page, click the Add icon in the master header.

The New Dynamic Mapping Template window opens.

The values in the image below illustrate how fields are populated when creating a Dynamic Mapping Template. Any item marked with a red asterisk is required.

Define Template Settings

1. Template Name (required): Enter a clear, descriptive name for the Dynamic Mapping Template.
2. Template Description: Provide a concise summary describing the purpose of the DMT.
3. Transformation (required): Select one of the two options. The fields available for variable settings adjust depending on the selection.
   • Union: Merges two or more similarly structured tables, resolving minor differences, such as extra fields, column order, or renamed variables. 
   • Rename: Performs a one‑to‑one mapping, directly renaming a single source table to a new target domain.

4. Source Table(s) (required): Enter the name(s) of the source tables that the DMT monitors. This field is case-insensitive.

   • Union: Use wildcards to match multiple source tables (e.g., LB_* to merge all tables beginning with LB_).
     • * matches any sequence of characters.
     • ? matches exactly one character.
   • Rename: Enter the exact source table name without wildcards (e.g., AE to rename it to AE_NEW).

   Note: For a Union transformation, if a wildcard only matches one table, the DMT still processes that single table into the target domain.

Specify Target Mapping & Domain

1. Target Mapping: Enter the mapping that will receive the new domain created by the DMT.

   • Mapping Already Exists: The DMT sends results to the existing data store defined in that mapping; the Target Datastore field is ignored.
   • Mapping Does Not Exist: When Auto Create is checked, a new mapping is automatically created in the selected Target Datastore.   

   Note: A domain created by a DMT never overwrites an existing domain in the specified mapping.

2. Target Datastore: From the drop-down menu, select the data store that will hold the new domain. Only use this field when the target mapping does not exist and Auto Create is checked. If the mapping already exists, its current data store overrides the selection. 

3. Auto Create: 

   • Checked: elluminate creates the target mapping if it does not exist and then adds the target domain if it is not already present.
      
   • Unchecked: The DMT remains inactive until the mapping and domain are created manually, providing full control over activation.

   Important: When Auto Create is checked, Target Mapping and Target Datastore become mandatory fields. 

4. Target Domain (required): Enter the name of the new domain the DMT will generate.
5. Target Domain Label: Specify an optional descriptive label for the newly created domain.
6. Active: When checked, the DMT runs automatically when imported data match its scope. If unchecked, the template does not run automatically but can be triggered manually.
7. Domain Tags: Click the drop-down menu and select one or more applicable tags for categorizing the domain.

Set Variables & Scope

1. Exclude variables: Enter a comma-separated list of columns / variables to omit from the source table(s). These fields are not included in the resulting domain. Common examples include userid, project, EnvironmentName, or DataPageName.
2. Always Add Variables: Enter any variables that must be present in the resulting domain, even when they are missing from some of the source tables. elluminate creates these columns / variables and populates them with NULL values. 

3. Variable Configuration: Select from the options below.

   
   (The options outlined in red, display only when Union is selected.)

   • Include All Variables: Adds every column found in any source table included in the union transformation. Columns missing from some tables are added to the resulting domain and filled with NULLS.

   • Include Matching Variables: Limits the merged domain to columns shared by every source table, excluding any variable missing from even a single table.

     Important: While users can select either Include All Variables or Include Matching Variables, these options cannot be selected simultaneously.

   • Append Source Identifier: Adds a FormOID column to the resulting domain, recording the source table name for each row. This option is particularly helpful when merging tables with the Union transformation but is also available with the Rename transformation.
4. Scope (required): Select one or more categories, such as Therapeutic Areas, Programs, Compounds, Studies, or Global Data Stores. Each selection broadens the scope: the DMT monitors every import within these criteria, and if Active is selected, it executes automatically when matching source tables are imported into the Input Data Store.
5. Input Data Stores (required): Select one or more Input Data Stores the DMT should monitor. This field is mandatory. The DMT executes automatically when data matching its scope are imported into these selected data stores, provided the Active box is checked.  
6. Click Save to add the DMT to the Dynamic Mapping Templates list. When data are imported into the selected Input Data Store and matches the defined scope, the DMT triggers automatically (if Active is checked). During its initial run, the template creates the target mapping and domain (if Auto Create is checked); it refreshes the domain’s data on every subsequent import.

Verify DMT Execution & Results

The following steps confirm that the Dynamic Mapping Template (DMT) executed successfully and that the mapping and domain were created, with the results stored in the designated target data store. The images in this section reflect the example values shown in the New Dynamic Mapping Template window at the beginning of this article.

1. Import the data into the selected Input Data Store within the specified scope. If the DMT is active, it executes automatically. On its initial run, it creates the new mapping and domain in the target data store through Auto Create.
2. Open Mapper to verify the results. In the Mappings section, confirm that the newly created mapping appears; in the Domains section, the new domain displays a lightning‑bolt icon, indicating that a DMT generated it.
   
3. Inspect the domain design by double‑clicking the domain row to open the Domain Editor. The left panel displays the domain under its target data store, while the right panel visually illustrates the applied transformation.
   
   
4. In Data Central, confirm the domain’s presence under the appropriate data store in the Data subpanel. Selecting the domain displays its listing, verifying column configuration, including excluded variables and appended columns such as FormOID. Note that this step requires the study to be configured for use with Data Central.