I'd appreciate if anyone can explain the difference b/w a complex flat file, delimited flat file and a fixed width flat file.
Possibly with an example. It would be very helpful.
Thanks in advance,
AR
Complex flat file, Delimited flat file, Fixed width flat fil
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A fixed-width flat file is a text file in which the data columns are specified explicitly by their width.
A delimited flat file is a text file in which the data columns are specified as lying between a known delimiter character. Common delimiter characters are comma (hence "comma-separated values", or CSV, files) and tab (hence "tab-delimited file").
Both of the above have the same structure in every line in the file.
A complex flat file does not have the same structure in every line in the file. Some lines contains repeating subsets of other lines. For example
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100010SOCKET HEXAGONAL 12.3475012
100011DRIVER HEXAGONAL 29.5032017
Code: Select all
100010,SOCKET,HEXAGONAL,12.34,75,0,12
100011,DRIVER,HEXAONAL,29.50,32,0,17
A complex flat file does not have the same structure in every line in the file. Some lines contains repeating subsets of other lines. For example
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BEATLES 09 FEB 1962BRIAN EPSTEIN
JOHN LENNON 09 OCT 194008 DEC 1980JOHN WINSTON LENNON
PAUL McCARTNEY 18 JUN 1942 JAMES PAUL McCARTNEY
GEORGE HARRISON 25 FEB 194329 NOV 2001GEORGE HARRISON
RINGO STARR 07 JUL 1940 RICHARD STARKEY
ROLLING STONES 15 JUL 1962ANDREW LOOG OLDHAM
MICK JAGGER 26 JUL 1943 MICHAEL PHILIP JAGGER
KEITH RICHARDS 18 DEC 1943 KEITH RICHARDS
BRIAN JONES 28 FEB 194203 JUL 1969LEWIS BRIAN HOPKIN JONES
BILL WYMAN 24 OCT 1936 WILLAM GEORGE WYMAN
CHARLIE WATTS 02 JUL 1941 CHARLES ROBERT WATTS
IBM Software Services Group
Any contribution to this forum is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect any position that IBM may hold.
Any contribution to this forum is my own opinion and does not necessarily reflect any position that IBM may hold.