Mapping

Definition: Mapping (at times called crosswalking) is matching a data element in one location with a data element in another location. Mapping is typically used to show which data element in a source file will be moved into a designated field in a destination file.

What This Means: Education agencies must move data from their local systems into compliant file formats for state or federal reporting. To do so, they must map the data elements in the local files to the correct fields in the mandated submission file formats. In the process, transformations may also be required if calculations are needed, if data elements must be combined, or if business rules must be applied. As used in DataSpecs, mapping refers to linking one element to an equivalent element.

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