For example, you create a mapping that processes customer orders. The mapping reads customer information from a relational table that contains customer data for one country. You want to use the mapping for customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Create a user-defined parameter that represents the connection to the customers table. Create three parameter sets that set the connection name to the U.S. customers table, the Canadian customers table, and the Mexican customers table. Run the mapping with a different parameter set for each mapping run.

You can create the following types of parameters:

Connection parameters

Informatica connection names.

Date/time parameters

Dates.

Expression

An expression that defines a join condition, a filter expression, or a lookup condition.

Input Linkset

A set of ports to link in the

Run-time Linking

dialog box.

Numeric parameters

Integer, bigint, decimal, and double parameters.

Port

Name of a single port. You can use the port parameter in the Rank port of the Rank transformation.

Port List

A list of ports to include a group. You can use a port list parameter in the Aggregator transformation or the Rank transformation, for example.

Resource

The table, view, or synonym name of a relational data object. When the resource name is parameterized, then the Data Integration Service uses the parameter value in the runtime query to fetch the object.

Sort List

A list of ports to sort with a Sorter transformation. The list includes the port name and an indicator for ascending or descending sort sequence.

Sort Key List

A list of ports to sort with order keys in an Expression transformation configured for windowing. This list includes the port name and an indicator for ascending or descending sort sequence.

String

String parameters represent flat file names, directories, table names or run-time properties. Define string parameters with a precision of 32768 characters or less.

When you create a parameter, you cannot include a dollar sign ($) as the leading character in the parameter name.

When you use a parameter to set a property value, you must use the correct parameter type for the property. For example, you cannot use a connection type parameter for a target file name. You must use a numeric parameter type if you are using the parameter in a numeric expression.

In relational data objects, you do not need to escape the dollar sign ($) in SQL overrides, filter conditions, join conditions. The Data Integration Service treats a field that begins with a dollar sign in an SQL statement as a parameter.

A parameter cannot contain a series of values. If you provide a series of values in a parameter, the Data Integration Service treats the parameter values as a single string value.

For example, you have the parameters $IndexParameter1 (value 2) and $IndexParameter2 (value1, value2, value3). You include these parameters in the expression INDEXOF as:

INDEXOF($IndexParameter1,'value1','value2','value3')

The Data Integration Service returns the value 0 instead of the value 2.