Transformation language (TML) vs. flat file definition language

Data layout can be described by hierarchical structure. A simple hierarchy would be:

Header
  Line 1
  Line 2
  and so on.

The SunSystems hiearchy records describe the SunSystems hierarchical data structure. These examples use SunSystems Markup Language (SSML) which is the native format understood by SunSystems Connect (SSC).

SSML format data files are XML files that reflect the SunSystems hierarchical structure, and are called 'payloads'. SSML is used here for convenience as TML works with any hierarchically structured data, including data held in flat file format.

To work with flat file format data, the user must provide a Flat-file Schema Definition (FSD) that describes the structure of the data. This definition is used by TML, either to read flat file input data, or to generate flat file output data.