AI & autonomy
Field mapping
A documented rule connecting a source-system field to a destination field, including transformation, identity, timing, validation, and error behavior.
Glossary
AI & autonomy
Primary references on this page:
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QuickBooks Online Accounting API entitiesField mapping specifies how data moves between two systems. It goes beyond matching similar labels: “Unit” might mean a display name in one PMS and an immutable identifier in another, while “rent” might mean contract rent, a posted charge, or cash received. A reliable map defines meaning before copying values.
The mapping artifact should list source object and field, destination object and field, data type, required status, transformation, default behavior, identity key, effective-date rule, direction, refresh timing, validation, and exception owner. Keep a version history because a vendor schema or internal policy can change.
During a three-unit migration, Unit 2B is renamed “Garden B” in the new PMS. If transactions map by display name, the opening balance may attach to a newly created duplicate unit. Mapping by a verified stable ID and reconciling property-unit-lease relationships catches the error before cutover.
Ask for a field-level mapping workbook, not only an import completion screen. Test blanks, zeros, credits, inactive tenants, duplicate names, amended leases, and dates around month-end. A transformed field should retain its source and rule so later reviewers can explain the destination value.
Mapping decisions that need an owner
The software can validate types, but a person must decide semantic questions such as which rent amount is authoritative, whether historical residents migrate, and how unapplied credits are represented.
Acceptance evidence
Approve the map only after record counts, control totals, relationship checks, and sampled source-to-destination traces pass. Preserve rejected rows and corrections rather than silently dropping them.