A data mapping template can be used to create one or more data table. A data table must always reference a data mapping template. A single data mapping templates can be referenced by several data tables.
It is possible to create a table column in a template without specifying an XPath for the column. When a column does not have an associated XPath, it is not tied to a specific data source. A data mapping template with such columns can be reused for any generic XML data source.