1.8

Using the Data Model
The Data Model is what enables you to create personalized templates in the Designer module.
You can drag & drop fields from the Data Model into the template that you are creating (see
"Variable Data" on page604). For this, you have to have a template and a data mapping
configuration open at the same time, or import a Data Model (see "Importing/exporting a Data
Model" on the previous page).
The Data Model is reusable, meaning that it can be shared amongst different template layouts
and output types.
Different data mapping configurations could use the same Data Model, allowing a template to
be populated with data from different sources and formats, without the need to modify the
template (see "Importing/exporting a Data Model" on the previous page).
In Workflow, when a data mapping configuration is used to extract data from a data source
(see "Data mapping configurations" on page101), the extracted data is stored in a record set
that is structured according to the Data Model.
About adding fields and data via Workflow
The Data Model is not extensible outside of the DataMapper. When it is used in Workflow - as
part of a data mapping configuration - the contents of its fields can be updated but not its
structure.
There are a number of instances however, where fields may need to be added to the data
model after the initial data mapping operation has been performed. For instance, you might
need to add a cleansed postal address next to the original address, or retrieve a value from a
database and add it to the record.
ExtraData field
You an add empty fields in advance to provide space in the Data Model for Workflow to store
data. For convenience, one field called ExtraData is automatically created at every level of
each data record. That means the record itself gets an ExtraData field, and each detail table
also gets one.
By default the field is not visible in the DataMapper's Data Model, because it is not meant to be
filled via an extraction. It can be made visible using the Show ExtraData Field icon at the top of
the Data Model.
Workflow process
Data can be added to the Data Model in a PlanetPress Connect Workflow process as follows:
Page 154