Source Filter at Mapping and Session Levels

This article outlines how Source Filters are defined and applied in Informatica PowerCenter at both the Mapping and Session levels. It explains the behavioral differences between these implementations, their repository storage locations, runtime behavior, and methods to identify whether a session-level override exists.

Understanding the distinction between mapping-level and session-level Source Filters helps maintain consistent data extraction behavior and prevents unexpected filtering during workflow execution.

Source Filter in Informatica PowerCenter

A Source Filter defines the filtering condition applied during source data extraction. The filter can be configured in either of the following layers:

• Mapping level

• Session level

The effective runtime filter depends on metadata inheritance and session-level overrides.

Mapping-Level Source Filter

Definition Location

Mapping Designer > Source Qualifier Transformation

Repository Storage

Repository Table	Description
OPB_WIDGET_ATTR	Stores Source Filter attributes defined at the mapping level

Usage

Mapping-level Source Filters define the default filtering condition used by all sessions associated with the mapping.

This approach is recommended when the filtering logic remains consistent across multiple workflows or sessions.

Details

Property	Description
UI Visibility	Visible in Session Properties as an inherited value and typically displayed as greyed out
Scope	Applies to all sessions using the mapping
Impact of Changes	Any modification affects all dependent sessions
Runtime Execution	Used unless explicitly overridden at the session level

Example

DEPT_ID = 10

Session-Level Source Filter (Override)

Definition Location

Workflow Manager > Session > Source Qualifier Properties

Repository Storage

Repository Table	Description
OPB_SWIDGET_ATTR	Stores Source Filter attributes configured at the session level

Usage

Session-level Source Filters allow customization of the filtering condition for a specific workflow execution without modifying the mapping-level configuration.

This approach is commonly used for:

• Incremental loads

• Temporary data restrictions

• Environment-specific processing

• Session-specific execution requirements

Details

Property	Description
UI Visibility	Editable in Session Properties
Scope	Applies only to the selected session
Impact of Changes	Does not affect other sessions using the same mapping
Runtime Execution	Overrides the mapping-level filter during execution

Example

DEPT_ID IN (10, 20, 30)

Source Filter Visibility in Session Properties

A Source Filter can appear under Session > Source Qualifier Properties even when no explicit override exists. This occurs because the session interface displays the effective runtime properties inherited from both mapping and session metadata layers.

The presence of a Source Filter in Session Properties does not automatically indicate that the filter is overridden at the session level.

Why Entries Appear in OPB_SWIDGET_ATTR

In certain scenarios, records may exist in the OPB_SWIDGET_ATTR table even when the session does not actively override the mapping-level filter.

Common Causes

Scenario	Description
Session cloned or copied	Metadata entries may be retained from the original session
Old override metadata	Historical override records may remain in the repository
Parameter or variable usage	Previous parameterized configurations may leave entries
Runtime metadata retention	Values may be stored for runtime reference
Repository export/import	Metadata migration can replicate attribute entries
Repository synchronization	Metadata replication may occur during synchronization activities
Transformation edit action	Opening the Edit Transformation in Workflow Manager can create metadata entries even without changes
Transformation metadata consistency	Certain transformation types replicate attributes for consistency

The existence of a record in OPB_SWIDGET_ATTR alone does not confirm a session-level override.

Identifying Whether a Source Filter Is Overridden

The most reliable method to confirm an override is to compare the Source Filter values stored at the mapping and session levels.

Mapping-Level Filter Query

SELECT ATTR_VALUE
FROM OPB_WIDGET_ATTR
WHERE WIDGET_ID = <mapping_widget_id>
AND ATTR_ID = <source_filter_attr_id>;

Session-Level Filter Query

SELECT ATTR_VALUE
FROM OPB_SWIDGET_ATTR
WHERE SESS_WIDG_INST_ID = <session_widget_inst_id>
AND ATTR_ID = <source_filter_attr_id>;

Result Interpretation

Comparison Result	Interpretation
Both values are identical	The session inherits the mapping-level filter
Values differ	A session-level override exists
Session-level value is editable in the UI	Indicates an override configuration

---

Copyright © 2026, OvalEdge LLC, Peachtree Corners GA USA