About Lookups
When you create a mapping, you choose the source and destination of the data that the integration moves. But what if the applications use different terms or values to describe the same thing? Use a lookup to translate the values so that the target application receives the expected value.
When Terms or Values Differ, Create a Lookup
A lookup associates the value that an application uses for an item with the value used by other applications for the same item. A lookup is a table, and it can define one or more terms or values for two or more applications.
An integration might require you to include several fields in a lookup, depending on the applications that you're integrating and the number of fields that require mapping.
Examples
Consider an integration in which the source application uses numeric country codes and the target application uses alphabetical country codes. In such a case, add all the country code values to a lookup so that the mapping translates the numeric country codes to alphabetic country codes and displays the expected value in the target application.
Other examples of fields that might require lookups include currency codes and gender codes.
What Happens When You Don't Create a Lookup
If the applications that you're integrating use different terms or values and you don't create a lookup, the target application won't receive data the way that you expect. For example, you might attempt to copy a numeric country code into an alphabetic country code field.
Available Either Globally or Within a Project
A lookup is automatically available in multiple integrations, with some limitations:
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When you create lookups in a project
The lookups are available only within the project. You can use the lookups in any mapping that you create in any integration in the project.
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When you create lookups outside a project
The lookups are available only outside projects. You can use the lookups in any mapping that you create in any integration, as long as the integration is not in a project.
A Lookup Ensures That the Destination Application Receives the Correct Value
When an integration that calls a lookup runs, the integration checks the values in the lookup and matches the different codes. For example, if a source application provides a country code of 91 for India, the lookup table matches the value to alphabetic code of IN and sends the IN value to the destination application.
Lookup values are static. Runtime activities reference them but don't change them.