eiConsole v.25R1
Tutorial
eiConsole Foundation Tutorial
Using the File Specification Editor for Source Transformation
You will need to navigate to the Working Directory c:\Users\{USER _NAME}\PilotFish eiConsole Working Directories\Foundation where {USER_NAME} is the user’s name which was included in the sample files you downloaded in the first Foundation Tutorial – Creating a Working Directory.
Note: The Tutorials in the eiConsole Foundation, 1-13, are modular and are designed to be used in the sequence presented.
The Delimited and Fixed-Width File Transformation Module uses file specifications to describe the logical layout of a flat or delimited file. These file specifications are built using a tool in the eiConsole called the File Specification Editor. To launch the File Specification Editor, click the Edit button to the right of the File Spec configuration item.
This will launch the File Spec Editor (File Specification Editor). Here the developer will describe the logical structure of the inbound file so it can be parsed and translated into XML. When you create a new file specification, you can import the file description from several different formats. In this case, leave the pre-selected Import Field Names from Tab-delimited File option selected.
Take a moment to click the down arrow to see the other available options, for example, Import From Cobol Copybook Definitions. After you do this, set it back to Import Field Names from Tab-delimited File and click Next.
You will be presented with an Open File dialogue that allows you to point the File Spec Editor at a sample tab-delimited file. Navigate to the data folder of your Working Directory. In this case, it is c:\Users\{USER _NAME}\PilotFish eiConsole Working Directories\Foundation\data.
You will see Photos.txt, which is a sample input file. Select this and choose Open.
Select Yes to load the selected file as a test file.
The record structure tree on the left is now populated with a green node and several blue nodes. Green nodes represent logical records within the file. Blue nodes represent fields underneath that record. The File Specification Editor processed the inbound tab-delimited file. Notice that the first line contains column headers that can be easily translated into field names.
Next, click Execute Transform to XML to parse this file into an XML structure.
You will see that the file has been parsed into a set of logical records.
Double-click the nodes to expand the record. Scrolling and expanding each record, you can see the information it pulled from each field. You can see that the tool has recognized the first line in the file, which in fact, contains headers as data.
To change this, select the First Row is Headers checkbox at the top of the panel and then click Execute Transform to XML again. Now you will see that the tool correctly recognizes the records within the file.
Under the covers, the File Specification Editor saves this information in an XML file. Click the Edit Spec XML tab.
After you have clicked the Edit Spec XML tab, you will be presented with this window. Since the tool correctly processes the file, no additional work is needed. Click the Save icon at the top.
Give the file specification a name: “FlatFileSpec”, then click OK. Next, click the Return to Console icon at the top.
You will now see that the Delimited and Fixed-Width File Transformation Module is now configured to point at the FlatFileSpec.xml.
The next step is to develop the logical data transformation between the XML output of the File Specification Engine and your chosen XML schema. To do this, first, unselect the Use Direct Relay checkbox and then select New (in the XSLT Configuration right panel) to move on to the next step – Source Transformation – Data Mapping.