Category Mapping

Category Mapping tells the sync how to translate external registration categories from the source system into ExpoPlatform's own visitor or exhibitor categories. Each entry in the mapping pairs one ExpoPlatform category with one or more external category values. When the sync processes a record, it looks up the incoming category in this table to decide which ExpoPlatform category to assign.

If an incoming record carries a category value that has no entry in the mapping, the Unmapped Category Handling setting decides what happens next.

How to configure

The mapping is configured in the entity settings as a list of pairings. Each pairing has:

Field	Meaning
ExpoPlatform Category	The ExpoPlatform category to assign when the external value matches.
External Category ID(s)	One or more values from the source system that should map to the ExpoPlatform category above. Multiple external IDs can map to a single ExpoPlatform category.

Matching non-text external values

The incoming category value is converted to text before it's looked up in the mapping table, so the external field doesn't have to be a plain string:

A true/false field matches the literal values true and false — enter those exact words as the External Category ID.
A numeric field matches its digits as text (0, 1, 42).
false, 0, and "0" are all valid, mappable values — map them like any other.
A blank value, or a field that resolves to a list or object rather than a single value, is treated as unmapped.

Unmapped Category Handling

Controls what happens when no mapping entry matches the incoming category:

Value	Meaning
Use default (default)	The record proceeds without a category set. No skip occurs.
Skip	The record is skipped and recorded with reason `categoryMapping`.

When the mapping table is empty

If no pairings are configured, every incoming record is treated as unmapped:

With Use default, records proceed without a category
With Skip, every record will be skipped

Behaviour summary

Incoming category	In mapping?	Unmapped Category Handling	Result
Found	Yes	(any)	Record proceeds, mapped ExpoPlatform category is applied
Not found	No	Use default	Record proceeds without a category
Not found	No	Skip	Record skipped with reason `categoryMapping`

Integration-specific behaviour

Some integrations use Category Mapping to also scope the API fetch — not just filter records after fetch. CDS is the clearest example: the API request itself is built from the mapped registration classes, so classes missing from the mapping are never even requested from CDS. See each integration's own page for specifics.