XSLT Transformations in Dell Boomi: Shaping Your Data for Success

Dell Boomi’s AtomSphere platform offers a powerful tool for integration specialists: XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations). This blog post will explain XSLT, explain how it benefits your Boomi processes, and provide some examples to get you started.

What is XSLT?

XSLT is a standardized language designed to transform XML documents into various formats, including other XML structures, HTML, or plain text. Within Boomi, XSLT allows you to perfectly manipulate incoming data to match the format required by your downstream applications.

Why Use XSLT in Boomi?

There are several advantages to using XSLT in your Boomi integrations:

• Flexibility: XSLT provides a robust and adaptable way to transform complex data structures.
• Standardization: XSLT is an industry-recognized language, making your integrations more maintainable and reusable.
• Data Cleansing and Shaping: XSLT empowers you to clean up messy data, filter out unwanted elements, and restructure your data to meet specific requirements.

Everyday Use Cases for XSLT in Boomi

• Data Mapping: Transform data from one format to another for seamless integration between disparate systems.
• Data Enrichment: Add additional data elements or manipulate existing ones to meet downstream application needs.
• Dynamic Document Creation: Generate custom reports or messages using XSLT to format the data for presentation.

Getting Started with XSLT in Boomi

Boomi provides a dedicated XSLT Transformation step within the process builder. Here’s a basic outline for using XSLT:

1. Design your XSLT script: This script defines the transformation rules using XSLT syntax.
2. Access the data: Boomi allows you to reference data from the inbound document or process properties within your XSLT script.
3. Apply the transformation: Boomi’s XSLT engine executes your script, transforming the data based on your defined rules.
4. Route the transformed data: The resulting data can be used further within your Boomi process or sent to the target application.

Example: Extracting Specific Data from an XML Document

Imagine you have an XML document containing customer information but only need the customer name and email address for your downstream application. Here’s a simplified XSLT snippet to achieve this:

XML

<xsl:stylesheet version=”1.0″ xmlns:xsl=”http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Transform”>

  <xsl:output method=”XML” indent=”yes”/>

  <xsl: template match=”/customers/customer”>

    <customer>

      <name><xsl:value-of select=”name”/></name>

      <email><xsl:value-of select=”email”/></email>

    </customer>

  </xsl: template>

</xsl: stylesheet>

This script selects the customer elements within the root element and creates a new, streamlined customer element containing only the name and email elements.

Conclusion

XSLT is a powerful tool within the Dell Boomi platform, enabling you to manipulate and transform data for seamless integrations. By leveraging XSLT, you can ensure your data is always in the format required by your target applications, streamlining your integration processes and improving overall efficiency.