When you define a Normalizer transformation, you configure the columns in the Normalizer tab. The Designer creates the ports. You can view the Normalizer ports and attributes on the Ports tab.
Pipeline and VSAM Normalizer transformations represent multiple-occurring source columns differently. A VSAM Normalizer transformation has one input port for a multiple-occurring column. A pipeline Normalizer transformation has multiple input ports for a multiple-occurring column.
The Normalizer transformation has one output port for each single-occurring input port. When a source column is multiple-occurring, the pipeline and VSAM Normalizer transformations have one output port for the column. The transformation returns a row for each source column occurrence.
The Normalizer transformation has a generated column ID (GCID) port for each multiple-occurring column. The generated column ID is an index for the instance of the multiple-occurring data. For example, if a column occurs four times in a source record, the Normalizer returns a value of 1, 2, 3, or 4 in the generated column ID based on which instance of the multiple-occurring data occurs in the row.
The naming convention for the Normalizer generated column ID is GCID_<
occuring_field_name
>.
The Normalizer transformation has at least one generated key port. The Integration Service increments the generated key sequence number each time it processes a source row.
The following figure shows the Normalizer transformation Ports tab:
In this example, Sales_By_Quarter is multiple-occurring in the source. The Normalizer transformation has one output port for Sales_By_Quarter. It returns four rows for each source row. Generated key start value is 1.
You can change the ports on a pipeline Normalizer transformation by editing the columns on the Normalizer tab. To change a VSAM Normalizer transformation, you need to change the COBOL source and recreate the transformation.