Integration Engine Solutions to Connect Anything to Anything

Log out?

eiConsole v.21R1


Tutorial 60 mins

eiConsole Foundation

Source Transformation / File Specification Editor

You will need to download sample files to do this tutorial. If you have not done so yet, please click this LINK. Unpack them to any folder on your disk. In our case is c:\Program Files\PilotFish Technology\Samples\data\

Note: The Tutorials in the eiConsole Foundation, 1-13, are modular and are designed to be used in the sequence presented.

File Transformation Parsing Options eiConsole

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.

Describe the logical structure of inbound route data in file specification editor.

This will launch the File Spec Editor (File Specification Editor). Here the developer will describe the logical structure of the inbound file so that it can be parsed and translated into XML. When you create a new file specification you will have the ability to import the description of that file from a number of different formats. In this case, you will 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.

Select the File from the Directory.

Open the selected file.

You will be presented with an Open File dialogue that allows you to point the File Spec Editor at a sample Tab-delimited file. In the data folder of the Sample Interface, provided with your distribution. In this case is C:\Program Files\PilotFish Technology\Samples\data. You will see Photos.txt which is a sample input file. Select this and choose Open.

Option to load the selected data file as a test file.

Select Yes to Load selected file as a Test file.

Parse Data into an XML File Structure by Selecting the Option.

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 the field names.

Next, to parse this file into an XML structure, click Execute Transform to XML.

View the output of the parsed file data.

You will see that the file has been parsed into a set of logical records.

View the parsed fields of each parsed record in XML format.

Double click the nodes to expand the record. As you scroll and expand each record, you can see the information that 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.

Then click Execute Transform to XML again.

Parsing Option to Define Data Headers.

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.

View Parsed File in XML Format.

After you have clicked the Edit Spec XML tab you will be presented with this window:

Since the tool is correctly processing the file, no additional work is needed. Click the Save icon at the top.

Enter the file name for the XML parsed data.

Give the file specification a name: “FlatFileSpec”, then click OK.

Next, click the Return to Console icon at the top.

File Transformation Parsing Options eiConsole

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.

Lastly, select New (in the XSLT Configuration right panel) to move on to the next step.

This is a unique website which will require a more modern browser to work! Please upgrade today!