In order to process changes in metadata, you can configure port and link types that a regular mapping does not contain.
The following image shows the ports and links that you can see in a dynamic mapping:
Static port (port)
Dynamic port
Generated port
Design-time link (link)
Run-time link
Port Group
Static port (port)
A port that you can create in any type of mapping, dynamic or non-dynamic. Data can pass in to and out of the port and does not contain any dynamic configuration.
Dynamic port
A port in a transformation that can receive one or more columns from an upstream transformation. Dynamic ports can receive new or changed columns based on the metadata that passes through the mapping.
Generated port
A port that represents a single column within a dynamic port. The dynamic port creates a generated port for each column based on the dynamic port rules.
Design-time link (link)
A link that you create to connects ports that propagate data from one transformation to another. You also create these links in a regular mapping.
Run-time link
A link between transformation groups that the Data Integration Service uses to determine which ports to connect at run time based on a policy, a parameter, or both.
Port group
A set of ports in a mapping that represents a row of data. In a dynamic mapping, you can drag a group to a downstream transformation to create a dynamic port.