CDD mapping and generic visits
CDD mapping definitions include the control path for each data source. If a form occurs in multiple visits, a CDD mapping definition is necessary for each control in each visit where it occurs, each mapping definition differing from the others only in the visit name. If you generate mappings for all of the data points in a trial, a large number of almost identical mappings can result, creating a heavy and error-prone maintenance burden.
To reduce the number of CDD mapping definitions required, the InForm and InForm Architect application support the concept of generic visits. A generic visit is a reserved MedML visit RefName (“PF_ALL_VISITS”) used in a CDD mapping definition. The generic visit RefName indicates that the control is a source data point for a CDD table in every visit in which it occurs. In the following example, as in the CDD window, a CDD mapping definition is represented by a string of RefNames connected by periods.
The VITAL SIGNS (VS) form occurs in almost every visit in the PFST sample trial—that is, in vstBASE, vstCORE1, vstCORE2, vstCORE4, vstCORE8, and vstUnschVisit. To generate CDD mapping definitions for the txtVSPulseRte control by using explicit visits, you would need to create six definitions—one for each visit in which the form appears. Using the concept of the generic visit, only a single definition is necessary, as shown in the following figure.
When you create a CDD with automatically generated mapping, the InForm Architect application creates mappings that specify the generic visit by default. When you create a CDD with manual mapping, you can specify the generic visit when you create a mapping definition for a form control.