Overview
The Datatype Translation Rules feature enables platform-level mapping of source data types to target data types during replication operations in Replicate Preview. This feature eliminates the need to manually specify data type conversions for every field in a replication, particularly when working across heterogeneous database systems.
With Datatype Translation Rules, Administrators can:
Define rules that apply across all replications for a given tenant
Match rules based on source data type and optional field attribute constraints
Apply different target types based on field characteristics
Override target field length and decimal/scale values
Mapping Rule Precedence: Replication-Level vs Platform-Level
The Syniti Knowledge Platform (SKP)’s Replicate module evaluates mapping rules in the following priority order, from highest to lowest:
Map Explicit: Specified in replication task configuration. Overrides everything including platform-level rules.
Admin > Datatype Translation Rules: Tenant-wide global rule. Automatically applied when field has no explicit Target Datatype mapping.
Map By Ordinal: Fields are mapped based on their position (order) in the table rather than their names. This rule is only applicable when the target table associated with the source table is already available in the target datastore; otherwise, Map By Name is used.
Map By Name: The default mapping rule. Used if no explicit mapping or platform-level rule is applied.
Create a Datatype Translation Rule
In the SKP Admin module, select Datatype Translations under the Field Translations section. The Datatype Translation Rules page is displayed.
Click Add Rule. The Add Rule dialog box is displayed.
In the Source section, enter the following information as required:
Field
Description
Database Type From
Select the source database system.
Datatype From
Specify the source data type to match. Case-insensitive, use actual type name from source system.
Datatype From Min Field Length
Rule only applies to fields with length >= this value. For example, 100 - only applies to Varchar(100) or larger. Leaving blank applies to all sizes.
Datatype From Max Field Length
Rule only applies to fields with length <= this value. For example, 50 - only applies to Varchar(50) or smaller. Leaving blank applies to all sizes.
Datatype From Min Decimal Value
Rule only applies to numeric/decimal fields with scale >= this value. For example, 2 - only applies to DECIMAL with 2 or more decimal places. Leaving blank applies to all scales.
Datatype From Max Decimal Value
Rule only applies to numeric/decimal fields with scale <= this value. For example, 2 - typical for currency. Leaving blank applies to all scales.
In the Target section, enter the following information as required:
Field
Description
Database Type
Select the target database system.
Datatype To
Specify the valid target data type to use for the target system.
Datatype To Field Length
Enter a value to override the target field length (size). For example, 500 - force all matching fields to 500 characters. Leave blank to keep original size from source.
Datatype To Decimal Value
Enter a value to override the target decimal scale (number of decimal places). For example, 2 - force all to 2 decimal places. Leave blank to keep original scale from source.
Turn on the Active toggle to enable this platform-level datatype translation rule.
Click Save.