Why add records?
You use records to define the structure of your Flat File data. Records can contain fields, groups, or other records. Records that are children of another record are used to model fields with a complex structure. Records can also be used define additional layers of hierarchy of the data.
You create records in the Schema Layout tab. Records that contain child records and fields and are not based on a record type are displayed in the Schema Layout tab using the following icon:
Records that are based on a record type are displayed in the Schema Layout tab using the following icon:
Why Add Record Types?
Record types define a set of record properties, fields, and child records that can be reused by multiple records. For example, you could define an address record type that contains a street field, a city field, a state field, and a zip code field. You could then use the address record type as the basis of all the addresses in the Flat File Schema, for example to define the shipping address record and the billing address record.
You create record types in the Type Library tab. Record types that contain child records and fields and are not based on a record type are displayed in the Type Library tab using the following icon:
Record types that are based on a record type are displayed in the Type Library tab using the following icon: