Flat File Schema Editor Overview
A Flat File Schema is metadata that describes the format and structure of Flat File data processed by the Integration Appliance. When you create a Flat File Schema, a corresponding internal XML Schema-based representation of the metadata is also generated.
During run time, the Integration Appliance uses the Flat
File Schema for the following actions:
- Parse incoming Flat File data (valid to the Flat File Schema) and convert it to XML data. This parsing is done in the Read Flat File activity of an orchestration. The converted XML data is valid to the generated internal XML Schema generated from the Flat File Schema. For an example orchestration that reads Flat File data, see the "Developing the BookOrder Project" section of the Getting Started Guide.
- Convert XML data into outgoing Flat File data valid to a Flat File Schema. This conversion is done in the Write Flat File activity of an orchestration.
Use the Flat File Schema Editor to create Flat File Schemas
to describe the following types of data:
- Delimited data
- A Flat File Schema can describe data that is defined using delimiters,
for example: EDI data or by comma-separated values (CSV). A CSV file
containing delimited data is shown in the following figure:
- Fixed
length or 'positional' data: A Flat File Schema can
describe fixed length or positional data. Many mainframe applications
use positional data. Fixed-length data is shown in the following figure:
- Mixed
positional and delimited data - A Flat File Schema can describe
a mix of both delimited and positional data as shown in the following
figure:
