Troubleshooting: XML issues in PowerCenter

Content
This article provides a step by step approach to troubleshoot the issues that arise when using XML files with PowerCenter. PowerCenter supports the 2001 Schema definition standard (2001 XSD) and it uses the Apache Xerces XML Parser for parsing XML files. This troubleshooting document pertains to using XML files as sources or targets in PowerCenter.

Importing XML Definition in Designer

An XML definition can be imported into PowerCenter using XSD, DTD, or XML files. However, Informatica recommends importing an XML definition using XML schema/DTD instead of XML files.

Note
PowerCenter has limit of 100K for XML files used for importing definition. The following steps should be taken when there are issues importing XML definition on PowerCenter Designer:

1. Open the XSD/DTD/XML file in an external XML tool(XMLSPY). Validate the file. If the file is invalid, the definition cannot be imported in designer. 2. When importing an XML definition from XSD file, if the Designer crashes or fails with a message " XML definition too large" follow the steps given below: While importing from an XSD file, Click Advanced options on the dialog.Select Override all infinite lengths and enter the default length for the elements with undefined lengths.

Note
If the default length is not set, then the precision for these elements will be set to infinite and the import process may run out of memory. If the problem persists, then in the XML Wizard select Skip Create XML Views to import the definition. This will not create any XML views.

Note
The XML Editor can be used to create XML views in the workspace at any point of time.

Reset/Restart options in XML Source Qualifier

To reset/restart the generated Primary and Foreign keys for an XML source, follow the steps given below: 1. In the XML SQ Properties tab, select Reset (the keys will start running at the same start value for every session) 2. Select Restart , to restart the value of the keys from 1.

Rules for connecting XML SQ in Mapping

1. Ports from Multiple groups cannot be linked to the single input transformation. 2. Only when the Sorted input joiner is selected, the Ports from multiple groups can be joined using a Joiner transformation.

Rules to connect ports to XML target in Mapping

1. Confirm that both the Primary key and the Foreign key ports are connected whenever a port in a group is connected. 2. Confirm that the associated Primary key port of the parent group is connected when a Foreign key port in a group is connected. 3. Confirm that for an XML schema with a default attribute value, the attribute port to create the default attribute in the target is connected.

Note If a NULL is passed to the port, then PowerCenter Server will write a default value to the target.

PowerCenter Integration Service

XML Source
The following are few tips for troubleshooting the XML source on PowerCenter Server: PowerCenter server cannot read from invalid XML file. Hence, when there is an XML parser error, validate it with an XML file outside Informatica using an XML tool (XML Spy). Utilize XML error action file to ignore non-fatal errors and proceed with session execution. (refer to article 9106) To read the empty strings as null, select Read empty stings as null in the Session Properties for XML source. To validate the XML source against DTD/XSD files, select Validate XML source in Session Properties. (If the validation is not required, select Do not validate )

XML Target
The following are few tips for troubleshooting the XML target on PowerCenter Server: The PowerCenter Server creates multiple XML documents when the root group receives more than one distinct primary key value. Hence, to create single document, Informatica recommends a topmost parent group to receive no value or single value for primary key. When a data is passed to a column in the root group and not to the Primary key, the session log displays the following error message: Primary key for the root group is not projected, and the generated xml file may not have the complete data.

General
In XML Target properties, select Validate target to validate the XML target against XML schema In XML Target properties, select Format output to format the target XML file. This will indent and the elements and attributed based on hierarchy. If the XML file is not formatted correctly then all the output elements will be in single line.

 To avoid passing a null value or empty string into the target element, select No tag/Output the tag in XML Target properties. To refer Target XML file to a DTD, specify the DTD file name against DTD Reference in XML Target properties To refer the Schema for target XML file, follow the steps given below: 1. In XML editor, Select Components > Edit namespaces . 2. In the Edit Namespace Prefixes and Schema Locations dialog, enter the XSD file name against SchemaLocation.

Performance
The following are few tips about performance while using XML files as Source/Targets: The Performance can be increased by skipping the schema validation To improve performance while creating a large XML target file, increase the Cache size in XML target properties .

Compatibility
Confirm that the XML datatype is supported in PowerCenter (The Binary and Year datatypes are not currently supported).

Reference
For more details on XML definitions and other related topics, refer to the PowerCenter XML User Guide

Related Documents
Efficiently extracting data from an XML source in PowerCenter (17880) HOW TO: Configure the behavior of a PowerCenter session when an XML error occurs (9106)

Applies To
Database: Product: XML PowerCenter

Last Modified Date: 7/29/2009 4:04 AM ID: 16733