Source systems and Mobio rarely store data the same way — a source might use 1/0 where Mobio expects Yes/No, or a date format that doesn't match Mobio's standard. This guide covers the rules for transforming that data during mapping, so it lands in Mobio exactly the way you need it.
1. Overview
- Definition: Data Transformation is an optional step within Data Mapping setup, where you define the rules that convert source data before it’s recorded in the matching Mobio field.
- Purpose: Solves the problem of different systems storing the same information differently (e.g., a source that stores
1/0while Mobio needs to display Yes/No).
2. Prerequisites
- You’re in the Configure Data Mapping Rules step.
- You’ve selected the source table and the fields you want to map.
3. Step-by-step instructions
Set up a transformation rule
- Click the Data Transformation button on the mapping row you want to apply a rule to, and open the configuration window.
- Select a transformation rule. Mobio only lets you select rules that match the source column’s data type (e.g., the Date Helper rule is greyed out if the source data is a String type).
- Configure the settings for the rule you selected (see each type in detail below).
- Click Add Rule if you want to apply more than one rule to the same field. Mobio supports up to 3 rules per field.
- Check the result using the sample value preview shown right in the window.
- Click Save to apply and close the window.
Note: The output of the previous rule becomes the input of the next — so rule order affects the final result.
4. Supported Transformation Rule Types
4.1. Conditional Helper
Supports creating conditional functions for data values to transform data based on selected conditions.
Use case: The source stores gender as 1/0, but the gender field in Mobio needs to display Male/Female.
How to configure:
- Select the source data format: String, Integer, or Boolean.
- Configure the conversion:
- Source data: choose a condition — Value is/ Value is not — and enter the value
- Destination data: choose an action — Replace with (then enter a value) / Retain the original value / Null. When the destination format is Boolean, this becomes a True/False choice instead.
- Click + to add a condition if you want to add another condition to the same rule.
- Configure the default rule applied when data doesn’t meet any condition above, using the same action options (Replace with / Retain the original value / Null, or is True / is False for Boolean).
- Conditions are processed in order from top to bottom; the first matching condition is applied.
4.2. Convert Data-type Helper
Support converting source data into a system-compatible format.
Use case: The source stores a birthdate as a String, but the birthdate field in Mobio uses the Date format.
How to configure:
- Mobio displays the source data format (read-only).
- Select the data type you want to convert to. The available options depend on the source’s original data type (e.g., a String column can convert to Integer or Datetime).
Supported conversions:
| Source Type → Destination Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| String / Number → Date | You must select the original date format (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY) |
| String / Date → Datetime | You can set a default time (Hour:Minute:Second) if the source doesn’t have one |
| Datetime → String | Select the output display format |
| Datetime → Date | — |
| Double → Integer | The decimal part is truncated (e.g., 3.6 → 3) |
| String → Boolean | Uses Value Mapping to define True/False |
Note: Mobio automatically detects the source column’s data type and only shows valid conversion options.
4.3. String Helper
Supports text processing such as: capitalization, concatenation, substring extraction, cleaning.
Use case: The source stores customer names in all caps, but you want Mobio to display them with the 1st letter of each word capitalized.
Options:
- Capitalization (String): All uppercase / Capitalize the 1st letter / All lowercase.
- Add a prefix/suffix: Adds a fixed string of characters before or after the field’s value.
4.4. Date Helper
Support datetime processing such as: format conversion, time comparison, expiration calculation.
Use case: Convert between date formats (e.g., YYYY/MM/DD → DD/MM/YYYY).
Options:
- Convert time zone: Select the source and destination time zones from a searchable list.
- Set a default time: Choose which components to fix — Year / Month / Day / Hour:Minute:Second.
5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: If I apply 3 rules to the same field, what order do they run in?
- A: Mobio processes rules top to bottom, in order. The output of Rule 1 becomes the input for Rule 2. However, you can only delete the most recent rule (the last one in the list) to preserve the integrity of the logic chain.
- Q: If the source data has a
nullvalue, does the Transformation rule still trigger?- A: No. A record with a
nullvalue in the source column is skipped entirely — the Transformation rule doesn’t run.
- A: No. A record with a