Keywords and templates

The export processes rely on templates that map keywords to XML elements in the output file. For bill output, for example, you would have keywords for the account number, the bill date, the line items, and so on. The export template maps these keywords to XML elements such as <AccountNumber> and <BillingDate>. For each bill in a bill run, the correspondence engine will populate these XML elements in the output file with the values in the database tables and columns that the keywords stand for.

Conversely, import templates map data elements in the input file to keywords so that the imported data can be placed in the correct tables and columns in the Infor Public Sector database.

Note: A variety of sample export and import templates can be found in the Correspondence\Samples folder in the Infor Public Sector Reference Guide.

Data is exported as XML, and can be imported from a variety of different formats.

Infor Public Sector includes these keyword-based export and import processes:

  • Keyword reports
  • ACH output
  • Collection export
  • Payment import: Imports payment information for customers’ billing accounts.
  • NSF import: Imports information on bill payments that were returned due to insufficient funds in customers' bank accounts.
  • Meter export: Exports water meter records so that meter readings can be recorded in an external system.
  • Meter import: Imports water meter records after readings have been recorded in an external system. In most cases a meter import corresponds to a prior meter export.