Cloud Data Integration types include all the data types that are recognized by Informatica. The
Informatica Connector Toolkit
API uses ODBC as a model to describe the Cloud Data Integration data types.
In addition to assigning semantic categories to native types, you must match each semantic category with one or more Cloud Data Integration data types. The Cloud Data Integration uses ODBC types to determine what type of data buffers to bind to the run-time connector for data access. In some cases, the match between a semantic type and a Cloud Data Integration type is not exact. For example, the Cloud Data Integration always binds a timestamp buffer if the semantic category is mapped to an Cloud Data Integration date, time, or timestamp data type.
In many cases, a semantic category matches one of the available Cloud Data Integration types. In cases where there is no exact match between types, select the best possible match.
In addition to defining the best mappings to convert native types to Cloud Data Integration types, you can specify alternate mappings. An alternate mapping allows the end user to select alternate transformation data types to associate with the input and output ports of a data source used in a mapping.
Use the
Informatica Connector Toolkit
to add matching Cloud Data Integration data types for the semantic category. You can indicate whether the mapping is the exact match or whether the mapping can result in a lossy data conversion due to a match that is not exact.
Cloud Data Integration types are not the same as the transformation data types that appear in a transformation that you add to a mapping. Cloud Data Integration types are internal data types used only within the connector type system. Informatica can convert Cloud Data Integration types to transformation data types.