Flat File Properties

To view or edit a flat file's properties, double-click its diagram symbol or Browser or list entry. The property sheet tabs and fields listed here are those available by default, before any customization of the interface by you or an administrator.

The General tab contains the following properties:

Property

Description

Name/Code/Comment

Identify the object. The name should clearly convey the object's purpose to non-technical users, while the code, which is used for generating code or scripts, may be abbreviated, and should not normally include spaces. You can optionally add a comment to provide more detailed information about the object. By default the code is generated from the name by applying the naming conventions specified in the model options. To decouple name-code synchronization, click to release the = button to the right of the Code field.

Stereotype

Extends the semantics of the object. You can enter a stereotype directly in this field, or add stereotypes to the list by specifying them in an extension file.

Separator

Specifies a column separator which separates fields. Select the Custom Delimiter mode in order to select a predefined value or enter a new one.

Row delimiter

Specifies a row delimiter, which separates records. Select the Custom Delimiter mode in order to select a predefined value or enter a new one.

Default: comma

Mode

You can choose one of the following values:
  • CSV (Comma Separated Value) [default] - Specifies a file which contains tabular data, and which uses a comma to separate fields. When you select this option, the Separator field and the Row Delimiter field are not available.

  • Custom Delimiter – Lets you specify a column separator and a row delimiter to separate records.

  • Fixed Length – Lets you specify a row delimiter to separate records. When you select this option, the Separator field is not available.

Header

Specifies whether the file whose path is specified in the Path field contains a header.

Path

Specifies the path to the file containing data. Click the Select File tool to the right of the field to browse for a file.

Keywords

Provide a way of loosely grouping objects through tagging. To enter multiple keywords, separate them with commas.

The following tabs are also available:
  • Columns - lists the data structure columns associated with the flat file (see Data Structure Columns (DMM)). Click the Retrieve Columns by Parsing File Header tool, if you want to retrieve columns by parsing the header of the file, whose path is specified in the Path field. The list of columns can be ordered.