Creating a single fixed width record data format

To create a new data format for a single fixed width record:

  1. Open Format Designer.
  2. Click Create new data format.
  3. Complete this general information:
    Format Type
    Select Single Fixed Width Record.
    Name
    Specify a unique name for the new data format.
    Description
    Optionally, specify a description for the new data format.
  4. Click the TML Details tab.
  5. Complete this information about separators:
    Initial lines to ignore
    The number of lines to ignore at the start of the external file. The default is 0.
    Record Separator
    The type of separator used at the end of each record in the external file. Select from:
    • Windows New Line
    • Unix New Line
    • Other

      Specify a parameter as the record separator, for example, \t for tab.

    The default separator is Windows New Line. It is displayed in the script as record-sep="\r\n". That is, carriage return and new line.

  6. Specify the fields included in the format:
    1. Click the Upload a file browse button to import existing field names from an example file. The field names are extracted and inserted into the rows, replacing any field names you have already defined.
    2. Click Add to add a new field.
      Note: The start position is automatically generated. It is calculated as Start + Length from the previous record.
      1. Specify the length of the field, that is, the number of characters reserved for that field.
      2. Specify the name of the field.
        Note: These must conform to XML syntax. For example, field names must not start with numeric characters. Field names must also be unique within the field set.
      3. Select Ignore to remove this field from the output.
      4. Click Insert to add a new field inbetween two existing fields.
      5. Click the up and down arrows to change field positions. Or, you can click and drag a field to the desired position.
      6. Click Delete to delete a field.
  7. Optionally, click the Script tab to create or edit a format in text view.
    Note: The script must form valid XML.
  8. Click Save Format.
Parent topic: Transformations in Transformation language (TML)