Data types

By default the data type of extracted data is a String, but each field in the Data Model can be set to contain another data type.

To do this:

  1. In the Data Model, select a field.
  2. On the Step properties pane, under Field Definition choose a data type from the Type drop-down.

Changing the type does not only set the data type inside the record. In the case of dates, numbers and currencies, it also means that the DataMapper will expect the data in the data source to be formatted in a certain way. If the actual data doesn't match the format that the DataMapper expects, it cannot interpret the date, number or currency as such. If for example a date in the data source is formatted as "yyyy-mm-dd" but the default format adds the time, the date cannot be read and the DataMapper will stop with an error.

The default format for dates, numbers and currencies can be set in the user preferences (DataMapper preferences), in the data source settings (Data source settings) and per data field (in the Extract step properties, see Data Format).

Data format settings tell the DataMapper how to read and parse data from the data source. They don't determine how these data are formatted in the Data Model or in a template. In the Data Model, data are converted to the native data type. Dates, for example, are converted to a DateTime object. How they are displayed in the Data Model depends on the preferences (see Default Format).

The following data types are available in PlanetPress Connect.

The Object data type is only available in the DataMapper module. It can be used for properties in the Preprocessor step, but not for fields in the Data Model.