GUI Mapper FAQ

A point-and-click visual map designer and tester for creating data conversion maps. Used with the AnyToAny Format Converter Engine, it provides EDI authoring tools for building and editing EDI message definitions.

The GUI Mapper is the design-time tool where you create maps; the AnyToAny Engine is the runtime that executes those maps.

• Visual drag-and-drop mapping — map source fields to target fields graphically
• EDI message definition editor — build and edit message definitions for supported and configurable formats
• Map testing and debugging — test maps with sample data before deployment
• IFD/OFD generation — automatically generate Input File Descriptor and Output File Descriptor files
• Map reports — generate documentation of your mapping logic
• Code check configuration — set up type "A" (inline) and type "D" (codebase) validation
• User-defined procedure support — integrate custom validation routines

Yes. The GUI Mapper is included in the Redix HIPAA Package with the HIPAA definitions and pre-defined maps, and it can also be licensed on its own as a design-time tool for organizations that need only the mapping interface. Running maps in production uses an appropriate AnyToAny Engine license; your quotation identifies the engine, package, GUI Mapper, and add-on licenses included.

The typical workflow is:

• Build or import EDI message definitions for source and target formats
• Visually map source fields to target fields using the drag-and-drop interface
• Configure transformations or business rules as needed
• Generate IFD/OFD files — the GUI Mapper creates the Input File Descriptor (IFD) and Output File Descriptor (OFD) that the AnyToAny Engine uses at runtime
• Test the map with sample data directly in the GUI Mapper

EDI Authoring is the ability to build and edit EDI message definitions directly within the GUI Mapper. Users can create definitions for:

• X12 (historical versions 3040 through 5050)
• EDIFACT
• HIPAA transaction sets
• Flat files, CSV, XML, and other configurable formats

The Editing Message Definition screen allows adding, deleting, and modifying segments, loops, and elements. Authoring a definition is not the same as a pre-built one: the pre-packaged definitions and maps for your versions and transactions are confirmed in your evaluation, and new formats may need implementation work.

Plan the move with support@redix.com before you transfer anything. When a transfer completes, the old machine is no longer licensed, so Redix can arrange a license for the new machine first and you can test it before cutover.

Older GUI Mapper versions have a transfer function in the Help menu (Help → "Transfer the license"). The steps differ by version, so ask Redix which apply to yours before you run it.

The GUI Mapper runs on Windows. The maps it creates run on the AnyToAny Engine builds supported for your project, on Windows or Linux, or in a container.

The GUI Mapper is used at design time to create maps, while the engine runs the maps at runtime on the target platform. Maps created on Windows can be deployed on Linux; test them on the target engine build, including any platform-specific procedures (custom DLLs) or database drivers.

Yes. In the GUI Mapper's Editing Message Definition screen you can remove optional segments and loops that are not used under your trading partner's applicable guide. Never remove structures the guide requires, and test the modified definition. A smaller IFD can reduce processing work; measure the effect on your own files. In an older illustrative example from the Redix Reference Manual (not a performance promise), removing about 50 unused segments and loops from an X12 4010 850 purchase order definition, on a Pentium 2.8 GHz Linux system with 512 MB RAM, gave:

• IFD size: 196 KB to 41 KB
• OFD size: 47 KB to 8 KB
• Processing time: 0.196 s to 0.061 s