Using Format Designer

Use Format Designer to define the format of data in external (non-SunSystems) files. These format definitions are called data formats. Once a data format is created, it can be used to import non-SunSystems data into SunSystems. Format Designer can also be used to export data from SunSystems into formats understood by other applications.

Data formats describe the format of the data in an external file. The types of external file format are:

  • user XML
  • simple XML
  • flat file.

Flat files are files containing data with a delimited or non-delimited (fixed width) layout. Data formats that describe flat files are called Flat File Schema Definitions.

Note: Entries in Format Designer must consist of valid XML characters, as defined by the XML 1.0 Specification. This means that many half-width characters, including some Japanese and Korean half-width characters, are unsupported.