A mapped elements relationship with other elements cannot be preserved

Question

Hi,
I am trying to create an XML file from an XSD using excel macros and data from excel worksheet. The mapping takes place fine. However, when I try to save the mapped items into an XML file using SaveAsXML function, it gives me the following reason why the
XML is not exportable:
A mapped elements relationship with other elements cannot be preserved
Could someone please help is resolving this issue?
Thanks

Answer 1

Preamble: I am not a specialist, on the contrary. I discovered xml a few days ago trying to submit returns based on two quite different compulsory xsd schemas established by local authorities. So this note has no other pretention than
to try to help others starting from same level.
The plus: I discovered I could do it (with limitations) from Excel 2010 by attaching the provided xsd and mapping the relevant fields to excel data cells. This is reasonably described on MS sites & elsewhere, although the MS tutorials
do not focus on this particular objective, which is important as authorities are using more and more XML to expect returns.
The minus: I stumbled across stupid issues (in fact pulling my hair...), which could be better highlighted in MS doc for the newbies like me, because at that stage of knowledge and on your own, all seems unsurmountable. When Excel gives
the error messages, there is little indication on why and where the error occurs. My two common errors difficult to debug:
1. Denormalized data error
2. Relationship cannot be preserved error
What I was doing wrong for the first xsd then even for the second by accident:
1. In error, I was mapping an element occurring max once in the XSD schema to an element in an "Excel Table" (the “new” table formatting available in Excel 2010). I solved this by de-mapping the culprit element, converting the "Excel Table"
to ordinary ranges using the button provided in the ribbon for this, and re-mapping. From there, (nearly) each time I was mapping a new element / attribute to a cell in the worksheet, I used the button "Verify map for Export" giving me debugging message soon
enough before mapping the whole data set and finding it was wrong a bit late and not knowing exactly where it started to go wrong. Also, for the repeating component, I had set manually the Excel table for the whole recursive element beforehand as I found out
that when using the dragging process, the results could be random (some attributes in the table, others in other tables resulting in errors type 2 relationship).
2. Relationship error is a more nagging issue as it seems to relate to a structural limitation of this Excel 2010 export mechanism. Flattening a database with several depth levels (list of lists) is not trivial, so Microsoft stipulates
a bit buried in notes while it should be in bold at the top that Excel (which version? also 2013?) "does not support recursive structures that are more than one level deep". Happily, while the xml schemas I had to follow where providing for several levels
deep (3 in my case), I needed only one for both xml files.  So, I copied the “too complex” xsd schema, updated it manually to suppress 2 levels. I remapped and tested. The error messages had gone. I exported. Then, I had to simply add the
previously deleted opening & closing tags manually using a free editor (Vim with thanks to that author).  
But unless my understanding is wrong, which is quite possible, readers should understand that this documented limitation can become a structural stumbling block if they need absolutely recursivity with more than one level depth (list of lists). So, if
I can do it in Access from a DB (I still need to find out how & forum guidance is more than welcomed), this will be my future way to explore.
To finish, I validated the exported xml against the compulsory xsd schema using the online tool provided free by CoreFiling to ensure basic formatting mistakes had not been committed before submitting the returns for online validation
by Authorities application. I have MS Visual Studio Express installed which may help as well but I don’t know how to use it for this.
NB: I found also easier to copy (dragging top of the xsd tree) all the xsd elements /attributes in bulk from the xsd schema from the box on the right to a worksheet. While results would not be useable “as is” to map (it would most probably
give errors), at least, it provides a good initial template with the right headings for all the elements / attributes facilitating restructuring (occurring once, elements part of a recursive table) then map properly and reasonably fast. Before doing this,
I was copying manually the xml headings from the Word documentation provided by Authorities, which worked but was more cumbersome and risky.
Conclusion
I had never read about xml before (just heard often about it). It took me around 6-7 hours to learn some critical basics about it and about these specific xsd schemas. With a few trials & errors, I could use Excel 2010 to produce the
xml files required for the two schemas I needed. The great advantage compared to an online submission of data to Authorities is that it a process easy to repeat quietly at work (or at home) and enabling to check peacefully and thoroughly the xml data files
before submitting them.  If wrong submissions have been made, it enables automated corrections much easier as well. It is within reach for users with reasonable but not outstanding Excel / Xml knowledge but it requires some initial time investment.  
Hope this saves time for others.
acontrario
Brussels