Record properties

When a record is selected in the Schema Layout tab or a record type is selected in the Type Library tab, the following sections of properties are available in the pane:
  • Basic Properties
  • Delimiters

Basic Properties

The Basic Properties of a record are defined in the following table:

Property Description
Name Specifies the name of this record.
Attention: The field name must be a valid node name.
Type Optional: Specifies the record type used as a basis for the record. The Type list is only active if the selected record node does not contain any children and a record type has been created. A record cannot inherit fields or subrecords from a record type if the record contains children.
Attention: Selecting a new type might reset some of the existing properties of the record with the new settings.
Reset Resets properties that have been set locally for this record to the values for the selected type. Reset is only active if a record type has been selected from the Type list.
Structure
  • Specify Delimited if the structure of the record is determined by delimiters.
  • Specify Positional if the structure of the record is determined positions in the record.
Record Identifier Specifies the unique string that identifies this record. Record identifiers are called segment IDs in X.12 message standards such as EDI or HL7, and typically begin each record.
Record ID Starting Position Specifies the character position where the record ID begins after the end of the previous record. The default is 0, which places the record ID at the beginning of the record.
Minimum Occurrences Specifies the minimum number of repetitions for this record. The default is 1, which means the record is required. Specify 0 if this record is optional. WARNING:  When specifying the optional property for a record, be careful not to create an ambiguous grammar for the Flat File Schema. For more information, see Specifying Optional Fields and Records.
Maximum Occurrences Controls repetitions of the single record. Select one of the following options: Unbounded -  Specifies this record can repeat any number of times. Range  - Specify the maximum number of repetitions for this record. The actual occurrences in a specific message can be less than or equal to this limit. NOTE: Multiple occurrences are only allowed when the parent node has specified

Delimiters

If the Delimited option is selected for the Structure property for the record, the following record delimiter properties are active:
  • Child Delimiter
  • Include Trailing Delimiters for Empty Data
  • Child Delimiter Position
  • Repeat Delimiter

Child delimiters

Child Delimiters

The Child property defines the character that delimits children of the record. This character is commonly called the record delimiter, segment delimiter, or line delimiter.

Specify the type of child delimiter by selecting one type from the three options listed in the following table:

Option Definition
Character Specifies the character for the child delimiter. If the Character option is selected for the Child Delimiter, you must enter a single character using one of the following actions:
  • Type in the character.
  • Type in the Unicode value of the character. For example, enter /u0020 for the space character.
  • Click [...] to browse for a character. The Character Selection dialog box opens listing the valid character choices for delimiters. In the Display column, the character or a mnemonic representing the character is displayed. In addition, the corresponding hexadecimal value and Unicode code point for the character is displayed.

    Select a character and click OK.  If the selected character does not have a visual symbol, a mnemonic or the Unicode value might show for this character.

    For more information about any of these characters, see the Basic Latin and Latin-1 Supplement character sets at: http://www.unicode.org/charts/.

Line End Specifies that the child delimiter is the end of the line, either a LF (line feed) or CRLF (carriage return, line feed). If the children are delimited with just a CR (carriage return), select the Character option and specify a CR (carriage return) character as the delimiter. The Integration Appliance accepts both line end characters (LF and CRLF) when parsing data. When writing data, the character used for line ends is determined by the Write Line Ends As CRLF property.
Dynamic Position Specifies that the character used as the child delimiter is defined dynamically within the data. Dynamic delimiters must show at a specific position within the first record of the data, such as in EDI or HL7 data. How the character is used by the Integration Appliance depends if the Flat File data is incoming or outgoing:
  • While parsing incoming Flat File data in the Read Flat File activity, the Integration Appliance reads the character is the specified position and uses it as a child delimiter to parse the rest of the data. The Write Default text field is not used when incoming Flat File data is read.
  • While writing outgoing Flat File data in the Write Flat File activity, the Integration Appliance uses the character specified in the Write Default text field to delimit the children of the record. In addition, the specified character is written at the specified position of the first record in the outgoing data.
Write Default Specifies the character that should be used as the child delimiter when the Integration Appliance writes outgoing data in the Write Flat File activity. In addition, the specified character is written at the specified position of the first record in the outgoing data. The character specified in this field is not used when incoming Flat File data is read in the Read Flat File activity.
In the Write Default text field of the pane, enter a single character using one of the following actions:
  • Type in the character.
  • Type if the Unicode value of the character. For example, enter /u0020 for the space character.
  • Click [...] to browse for a character. The Character Selection dialog box opens listing the valid character choices for delimiters. In the Display column, the character or a mnemonic representing the character is displayed. In addition, the corresponding hexadecimal value and Unicode code point for the character is displayed. Select a character and click OK.  If the selected character does not have a visual symbol, a mnemonic or the Unicode value might display for this character. For more information about any of these characters, see the Basic Latin and Latin-1 Supplement character sets at: http://www.unicode.org/charts/
Include Trailing Delimiters for Empty Data

Select the Include Trailing Delimiters for Empty Data check box to specify that delimiters for empty optional children must be present at the end of the record or field when the Integration Appliance writes outgoing Flat File data in the Write Flat File activity.

Clear this checkbox, if delimiters for empty optional children might be omitted.

This check box does not affect how the Integration Appliance reads incoming data because when reading data the Integration Appliance accepts either the absence or presence of delimiters with empty data.

Child Delimiter Position
This property defines the position of record delimiters for data. Select one option from the following table:
Position Definition
After Specifies that the child delimiter marks the end of a child, including the last child in the data.

After is the most common position for record delimiters.

Before Specifies that the child delimiter indicates the beginning of a child. The end of the last child is marked by the delimiter of the parent.
In between Specifies that delimiters are placed between children but do not show at either the beginning of the first child nor the end of the last child.
For an example with all three types of child delimiter positions, see Mixed positional and delimited example.
Repeat Delimiter
This property determines the delimiter used between repeated occurrences of one record in the Flat File data. Select one option from the following table:
Position Definition
Character Specifies the character for the repeat delimiter. If the Character option is selected for the Repeat Delimiter, you must enter a single character using one of the following actions:
  • Type in the character.
  • Type in the Unicode value of the character. For example, enter /u0020 for the space character.
  • Click [...] to browse for a character. The Character Selection dialog box opens listing the valid character choices for delimiters. In the Display column, the character or a mnemonic representing the character is displayed. In addition, the corresponding hexadecimal value and Unicode code point for the character is displayed.

    Select a character and click OK.  If the selected character does not have a visual symbol, a mnemonic or the Unicode value might show for this character.

    For more information about any of these characters, see the Basic Latin and Latin-1 Supplement character sets at: http://www.unicode.org/charts/.

Line End Specifies that the repeat delimiter is the end of the line, either a LF (line feed) or CRLF (carriage return, line feed).  If the children are delimited with just a CR (carriage return), select the Character option and specify a CR (carriage return) character as the delimiter. The Integration Appliance accepts both line end characters (LF and CRLF) when parsing data. When writing data, the character used for line ends is determined by the Write Line Ends As CRLFproperty.
Dynamic Position Specifies that the character used as the repeat delimiter is defined dynamically within the data. Dynamic delimiters must show at a specific position within the first record of the data, such as in EDI or HL7 data. How the character is used by the Integration Appliance depends if the Flat File data is incoming or outgoing:
  • While parsing incoming Flat File data in the Read Flat File activity, the Integration Appliance reads the character is the specified position and uses it as a repeat delimiter to parse the rest of the data. The Write Default text field is not used when incoming Flat File data is read.
  • While writing outgoing Flat File data in the Write Flat File activity, the Integration Appliance uses the character specified in the Write Default text field to delimit the repeating children of the root node. In addition, the specified character is written at the specified position of the first record in the outgoing data.
Write Default Specifies the character that should be used as the repeat delimiter when the Integration Appliance writes outgoing data in the Write Flat File activity. In addition, the specified character is written at the specified position of the first record in the outgoing data. The character specified in this field is not used when incoming Flat File data is read in the Read Flat File activity.
In the Write Default text field of the pane, enter a single character using one of the following actions:
  • Type in the character.
  • Type if the Unicode value of the character. For example, enter /u0020 for the space character.
  • Click [...] to browse for a character. The Character Selection dialog box opens listing the valid character choices for delimiters. In the Display column, the character or a mnemonic representing the character is displayed. In addition, the corresponding hexadecimal value and Unicode code point for the character is displayed. Select a character and click OK.  If the selected character does not have a visual symbol, a mnemonic or the Unicode value might display for this character. For more information about any of these characters, see the Basic Latin and Latin-1 Supplement character sets at: http://www.unicode.org/charts/



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Timestamp icon Last updated: Thursday, December 17, 2015


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