Connector Mappings¶
Connector Mappings map attribute fields between your PLM system and aP Connect. Field mappings allow aP Connect to pull data from your PLM system for automated costing and analysis and to author costing results and related reports back to your PLM system. Workflows can use only the field mappings that you define for the associated Connector. Therefore, as a best practice, when you create a new Connector, include all of the field mappings for attributes that are required for the cost analysis and all the mappings for attributes that you want the associated Workflow to write back to PLM or report out to team members and stakeholders.
There are two categories of aP Connect fields:
- Standard Fields – Fields for standard aPriori production and costing inputs, user-defined attributes (UDAs), costing outputs, and administrative information. Several standard fields contain unique information that is required for costing. The standard fields that are required depend on the Connector type. For more information, see Create a Connector.
- Other standard fields are optional because they use default values for component costing.
- Additional PLM Fields – Optional mappings for aP Connect fields that are not standard and not required for costing a component.
For both categories of mappings, the Mapping settings are:
- aP Connect Field – Name for the mapped field in aP Connect.
- PLM Field – Name for the mapped field in the PLM system.
- Usage – Whether aP Connect reads from, writes to, or reads from and writes to the PLM system.
- Data Type – Whether the data in the mapped field is specified as a string, real number, date and time, integer, or email address.
You must configure the Mapping settings for the three required Standard Fields when you add a new Connector. However, the only setting that you must specify is the PLM Field because the Usage and Data Type are determined by the aP Connect Field for required Standard Fields. For example, for Part Number, which is required field for PLM integrations, you cannot edit the Usage, which is set to Read From, or the Data Type, which is set to STRING.
You can add PLM Mappings for other Standard Fields when you create or edit a Connector. The value that you select for the aP Connect Field determines the Data Type. You must select a value for the Usage and specify a value for the PLM Field. For example, if you select Cycle Time for the aP Connect Field, the Data Type automatically updates to REAL, but you must set the Usage and specify the PLM Field.
You can also add mappings for Additional PLM Fields when you create or edit a Connector. However, none of the settings are preconfigured or automatically updated based on another setting. Therefore, for each Additional PLM Fields that you add, you must provide values to each of the four Mapping settings.
Although you can always add mapping for Standard Fields or Additional PLM Fields, you can delete mappings only while you are creating a Connector. After a Connector is created, you cannot delete any pre-existing mappings. Also, after a Connector is created, you can edit only the PLM Field for any given mapping. You cannot edit the aP Connect Field, Usage, or Data Type for any pre-existing mappings.
This table shows which Mapping settings are editable during the creation of a Connector. It also includes information about editing methods and dependencies for Mapping settings.
| Category | Setting – aP Connect Field | Setting – Usage | Setting – PLM Field | Setting – Data Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required Standard Fields | Not Editable | Not Editable | Generally editable via a data entry field. | Not Editable | The fields that are required depend on the selected Connector type. |
| Other Standard Fields (optional) |
Editable via a dropdown menu. | Editable via a dropdown menu. | Editable via a data entry field. | Not Editable. Fills in automatically when you select a value for the aP Connect Field. |
|
| Additional PLM Fields (optional) |
Editable via a data entry field. | Editable via a dropdown menu. | Editable via a data entry field. | Editable via a dropdown menu. |
This table contains all aP Connect standard fields, arranged by category, and the corresponding data type. Valid data types are String, Number, Date Time, Integer, and Email.
| aP Connect Field | Data Type |
|---|---|
| Category: Costing Outputs | |
| Capital Investment | Real |
| Piece Part Cost | Real |
| Fully Burdened Cost | Real |
| Material Cost | Real |
| Labor Time | Real |
| Finish Mass | Real |
| Rough Mass | Real |
| Utilization | Real |
| DFM Risk Rating | Real |
| Currency Code | String |
| Costing Result | String |
| Cycle Time | Real |
| aPriori Part Number | Real |
| aP Design Scenario Link | String |
| aP Workspace Scenario Link | String |
| Material Carbon | Real |
| Process Carbon | Real |
| Logistics Carbon | Real |
| Total Carbon | Real |
| Annual Carbon | Real |
| Category: PLM System | |
| Part ID | String |
| Revision Number | String |
| Check In User Email | |
| Part Number | String |
| Sequence ID | String |
| CAD File Name | String |
| Category: Admin Info | |
| Description | String |
| Category: Production Inputs | |
| Process Group | String |
| Digital Factory | String |
| Material | String |
| Annual Volume | Integer |
| Batch Size | Integer |
| Target Cost | Real |
| Target Mass | Real |
| Machining Mode | String |
| Production Life | Real |
| Category: Costing Input | |
| Scenario Name | String |
| Category: User Defined Attributes | |
| This category contains user defined attributes (UDAs), as applicable, from your aPriori database. | The data type matches the data type for the individual UDA. |