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After completing this lesson, you'll be able to:
When FME reads data, each feature type is read with a set of user-defined attributes. Each attribute is defined by its name, data type, width, and number or decimal places.
A high proportion of the top 30 transformers are support transformers for managing attributes. These create new attributes, rename them, set values, and delete them.
A key use for these transformers is to rename attributes for schema mapping.
The main attribute-management tasks and the transformers that can be used are as follows:
| Task | Transformers |
|---|---|
| Create Attributes | AttributeCreator, AttributeManager |
| Set Attribute Values | AttributeCreator, AttributeManager |
| Remove Attributes | AttributeKeeper, AttributeManager, AttributeRemover, BulkAttributeRemover |
| Rename Attributes | AttributeManager, AttributeRenamer, BulkAttributeRenamer |
| Copy Attributes | AttributeCopier, AttributeCreator, AttributeManager |
| Sort Attributes | AttributeManager |
| Change Attribute Case | BulkAttributeRenamer |
| Add Prefixes/Suffixes | BulkAttributeRenamer |
Many of these transformers can carry out similar operations, and you can see that the AttributeManager does so many tasks you can use it almost exclusively.
However, it's important to note that the AttributeManager is a general-purpose tool. Using transformers with more specific functions, e.g., the AttributeRenamer, can offer a performance boost. The only time AttributeManager tends to be faster than individual function attribute transformers is when you need to undertake many different attribute transformations in a row. Then the AttributeManager is more performant.
For further reading check out this article on Attribute Management on the Safe Software blog.