What is the purpose of Source Mapping in Data Management?

• A. Mapping data to target entities
• B. Setting import formats
• C. Defining data load rules
• D. Managing source periods in relation to global periods

Answer: (C)

Source Mapping is about how incoming data is interpreted and brought into the target system by defining the rules that govern the load. It sets what source fields feed which target dimensions or measures and specifies the transformations and validations applied during the load. In practice, you map each source column to the appropriate target element, define any needed data transformations (like date or number formats), and establish how to handle issues such as missing values or duplicates so the data is loaded consistently and correctly into the target model.

Other options describe related but separate aspects: import formats deal with how the data file is read, and managing source periods relates to aligning timing with the global periods. These are not the primary purpose of Source Mapping, which focuses on mapping the source data and the load rules that govern how that data is loaded.