Using a Visual Warehouse 5.2 program to load data from a delimited flat file into a DB2 UDB EEE database, replacing existing data

This step is intended for Data Warehouse Center users who previously used Visual Warehouse Version 5.2.

Use this step to run the Visual Warehouse 5.2 Load flat file into DB2 UDB EEE (AIX only) (VWPLDPR) program in the Data Warehouse Center. This step loads data from a delimited flat file into a DB2 UDB Extended Enterprise Edition database, replacing existing data.

Before you use this program, you must be familiar with parallel system concepts and parallel load.

VWPLDPR performs the following steps when it is loading data to a parallel database:

1. Connects to the target database.

2. Acquires the target partitioning map for the database.

3. Splits the input file so each file can be loaded on a node.

4. Runs remote load on all nodes.

If the load step fails on any node, VWPLDPR does the following:

1. Builds an empty load data file for each node.

2. Loads the empty data files.

VWPLDPR extracts the following step and warehouse source parameter values from the Process Modeler and your step definition:

• The flat file that is selected as a source for the step. The step must have only one source database selected.

• The warehouse target database name.

• The user ID and password for the warehouse target.

• The target table that is defined for the step.

These parameters are predefined. You do not specify values for these parameters.

Additionally, there are a number of parameters that you must provide values for.

Authorities and privileges

To define a DB2 UDB EEE (AIX) (VWPLDPR) Data Warehouse Center program:

1. Open the step notebook.

2. Specify information for your step:

   • In the Name field, you can type a new name for the step. Otherwise, you can keep the name that the Data Warehouse Center automatically supplied for the step. This field is required.

   • In the Administrator field, type the name of the person who is responsible for the maintenance of this step. This field is optional.

   • In the Description field, type a business description for your step. This description can be a maximum of 255 characters. This field is optional.

   • In the Notes field, type detailed information that might be helpful to users who can access this step. This field is optional.

   • In the Update Security Group drop-down list, you can authorize access to the step. This list contains only security groups that your current user ID belongs to. This field is optional.

3. On the Parameters page, provide values for the following parameters:

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the Column delimiter parameter, and type the column delimiter. The most common values are a comma (,) or a semicolon (;).

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the string parameter, and type the string parameter. The most common value is a double quotation mark ("), entered as "\""

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the Decimal delimiter parameter, and type the decimal delimiter. The most common values are a period (.) or a comma (,).

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the local, non-shared file directory parameter, and type the local, non-shared file directory.

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the Path name and prefix for the... parameter, and type the path name and prefix for the split files. The name of each file will consist of the prefix plus a numeric identifier.

   • Double-click the Parameter value field for the Partition key parameter, and type a parameter for each partition key. The partition key must be in the format used by the db2split database utility. The format generally is as follows: col1,1,,,N,integer followed by col3,3,,5N,character.

4. On the Processing Options page, in the Agent Site list, select an agent site where you want your step to run. The selections in this list are agent sites that are common to the source tables, the target table, and the transformer or program that you are defining.

5. If you want to have the option to to run your step at any time, select the Run on demand checkbox. Your step must be in test or production mode before you can run it.

6. Optional: Select the Populate externally check box if the step is populated externally, meaning that it is invoked in some way other than by the Data Warehouse Center. The step does not have to have any other means of running in the Data Warehouse Center in order to change the mode to production.

   If Populate externally is not selected, then the step must either have a schedule, be linked to a transient table that is input to another step, or be started by another program in order to change the mode to production.

7. In the Retry area, specify how many times you want the step to run again if it needs to be retried and the amount of time that you want to pass before the next run of the step.

8. Click OK to save your changes and close the step notebook.

Related information

Moving and transforming data

Population type descriptions

List of steps and step subtypes

Data Warehouse Center concepts