Fixed Width Import and Export logic

Definition file

A definition file determines the columns to import/export and the indices of the position of the columns in the data file. You must create a definition file for every type of Fixed Width Import or Export you perform.

The format of the definition file is as follows:

• Each line must be composed of at least three tokens, delimited by comma, in this format:

  field_name, start_col_index, end_col_index, optional_description

  where:

  field_name

  The first token must be the field name in the WBINT_IMPORT or the WBINT_EXPORT table from A to CZ (ensure that the field names correspond to the field columns that you import or export, as specified in the field specification reference of the individual interface chapters).

  start_col_index

  The second token determines the starting index of the column.

  end_col_index

  The third token determines the ending index of the column.

  optional_description

  The last token is optional and is typically used for user descriptions. This token is not used by the processor.

• Any line that starts with the keyword TRAILER is ignored by the processor; these lines are normally comments in the fixed width file.

  Here is an excerpt of a sample definition file:

  TRAILER ###########################################################
  TRAILER This is the definition file for Fixed Width Employee Import
  TRAILER ###########################################################
  A,1,10,OVR_START_DATE
  B,11,20,OVR_END_DATE
  C,21,37,EMP_NAME
  D,38,77,EMP_LASTNAME
  E,78,117,EMP_FIRSTNAME
  F,118,122,EMP_DAY_START_TIME
  G,123,162,SHFTPAT_NAME

Example import conversion

A line from a fixed width file, which is used by the definition file:

10/03/2003 2083 SKINNER

Resolves to:

Field	Value
A	10/03/2003
B	null
C	2083
D	SKINNER