System and method for data manipulation

1. A method for designing data transformation from a source file to a target file, comprising:

receiving a first data format and a second data format, wherein the first data format is associated with a source file and the second data format is associated with a target file, and wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format comprises an XML format;

displaying a source format element associated with the first data format in a source format window of a graphical user interface;

displaying a target format element associated with the second data format in a target format window;

determining, based on the second data format, whether the target format element includes a repeating element;

in response to determining that the target format element includes a repeating element, generating a repeating element window and displaying one or more child elements of the repeating element in the repeating element window;

determining a user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element from the source format window onto one or more selected child elements of the repeating element in the repeating element window;

in response to determining the user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element, creating a mapping between the dragged child elements of the source format element and the selected child elements of the repeating element; and

generating a script representing a movement of data from the first data format to the second data format, based on the mapping.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a connection indicator, the connection indicator indicating a relation between the repeating element in the target format window and the repeating element window.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying a second source format window within the graphical user interface, wherein the second source format window contains one or more additional source format elements associated with the first data format; and

displaying a constraint line in the graphical user interface, the constraint line indicating a relationship between a child element of the first source format element in the first source format window and a child element of the second source format element located in the second source format window.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format is received as a result of a user dragging-and-dropping a source file object definition or a target file object definition into a predetermined portion of the graphical user interface.

5. Software encoded on a computer-readable medium for designing data transformation from a source file to a target file, the software, when executed by a processor, operable to:

receive a first data format and a second data format, wherein the first data format is associated with a source file and the second data format is associated with a target file, and wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format comprises an XML format;

display a source format element associated with the first data format in a source format window of a graphical user interface;

display a target format element associated with the second data format in a target format window;

determine, based on the second data format, whether the target format element includes a repeating element;

in response to determining that the target format element includes a repeating element, generate a repeating element window and display one or more child elements of the repeating element in the repeating element window;

determine a user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element from the source format window onto one or more selected child elements of the repeating element in the repeating window;

in response to determining the user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element, create a mapping between the dragged child elements of the source format element and the selected child elements of the repeating element; and

generate a script representing a movement of data from the first data format to the second data format, based on the mapping.

6. The software of claim 5 , further operable to display a connection indicator, the connection indicator indicating a relation between the repeating element in the target format window and the repeating element window.

7. The software of claim 5 , further operable to:

display a second source format window within the graphical user interface, wherein the second source format window contains one or more additional source format elements associated with the first data format; and

display a constraint line in the graphical user interface, the constraint line indicating a relationship between a child element of the first source format file element in the first source format window and a child element of the second source format element located in the second source format window.

8. The software of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format is received as a result of a user dragging-and-dropping a source file object definition or a target file object definition into a predetermined portion of the graphical user interface.

9. A system for designing data transformation from a source file to a target file, comprising:

memory operable to store a plurality of source files and target files;

one or more processors, collectively operable to:

receive a first data format and a second data format, wherein the first data format is associated with a source file and the second data format is associated with a target file, and wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format comprises an XML format;

display a source format element associated with the first data format in format window of a graphical user interface;

display a target format file element associated with the second data format in a target format window;

determine, based on the second data format, whether the target format element includes a repeating element;

in response to determining that the target format element includes a repeating element, generate a repeating element window and display one or more child elements of the repeating element in the repeating element window;

determine a user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element from the source format window onto one or more selected child elements of the repeating element in the repeating element window;

in response to determining the user has dragged one or more child elements of the source format element, create a mapping between the dragged child elements of the source format element and the selected child elements of the repeating element; and

generate a script representing a movement of data from the first data format to the second data format, based on the mapping.

10. The system of claim 9 , the processors further operable to display a connection indicator, the connection indicator indicating a relation between the repeating element in the target format window and the repeating element window.

11. The system of claim 9 , the processors further operable to:

display a second source format window within the graphical user interface, wherein the second source format window contains one or more additional second source format elements; and

display a constraint line in the graphical user interface, the constraint line indicating a relationship between a child element of the first source format element in the first source format window and a child element of the second source format element located in the second source format window.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first data format and the second data format is received as a result of a user dragging-and-dropping a source file object definition or a target file object definition into a predetermined portion of the graphical user interface.