Projection System
NeoArc's projection pipeline transforms a canonical domain model into purpose-specific representations for databases, search indexes, API contracts, UI wireframes, and generated documents.
From One Model to Every Target
Projections are the core mechanism in NeoArc Studio for turning a canonical domain model into the specific representations that downstream systems require. Each projection creates a derived entity graph with property-level mappings, type conversions, and transformation logic. The canonical model stays clean and focused on domain semantics, while projections handle the specifics of each target system - whether that is a relational database, a search index, an API contract, a UI wireframe, or a generated document.
How Projections Work
The projection editor presents a mapper interface with source entities on the left and target entities on the right. Property-level mappings connect fields between the two sides. Each mapping can be a direct copy, a rename, a type cast, an aggregation, or a custom expression. The mapper tracks every connection so that lineage flows from the original model property through each transformation to the final target field.
Projection Chaining
Projections can chain: Model to Projection to Projection. Multi-layer architectures like medallion (bronze, silver, gold), data vault, or star schema are just chains of projections, each adding its own transformations. The first projection takes raw model entities and applies initial mapping. The second takes the output of the first and applies further refinement. Lineage flows through the entire chain, from the original model property to the final target field in the last projection.