DB2 Version 9.7 for Linux, UNIX, and Windows

Delimited ASCII (DEL) file format

A Delimited ASCII (DEL) file is a sequential ASCII file with row and column delimiters. Each DEL file is a stream of ASCII characters consisting of cell values ordered by row, and then by column. Rows in the data stream are separated by row delimiters; within each row, individual cell values are separated by column delimiters.

The following table describes the format of DEL files that can be imported, or that can be generated as the result of an export action.

DEL file ::= Row 1 data || Row delimiter ||
             Row 2 data || Row delimiter ||
             .
             .
             .
             Row n data || Optional row delimiter
 
Row i data ::= Cell value(i,1) || Column delimiter ||
               Cell value(i,2) || Column delimiter ||
               .
               .
               .
               Cell value(i,m)
 
Row delimiter ::= ASCII line feed sequence^a
 
Column delimiter ::= Default value ASCII comma (,)^b

Cell value(i,j) ::= Leading spaces
                 || ASCII representation of a numeric value
                    (integer, decimal, or float)
                 || Delimited character string
                 || Non-delimited character string
                 || Trailing spaces
 
Non-delimited character string ::= A set of any characters except a 
                                   row delimiter or a column delimiter

Delimited character string ::= A character string delimiter ||
                               An extended character string ||
                               A character string delimiter ||
                               Trailing garbage

Trailing garbage ::= A set of any characters except a row delimiter
                     or a column delimiter

Character string delimiter ::= Default value ASCII double quotation
                               marks (")^c

extended character string ::= || A set of any characters except a
                                 row delimiter or a character string
                                 delimiter if the NODOUBLEDEL
                                 modifier is specified
                              || A set of any characters except a
                                 row delimiter or a character string
                                 delimiter if the character string
                                 is not part of two consecutive
                                 character string delimiters
                              || A set of any characters except a
                                 character string delimiter if the
                                 character string delimiter is not
                                 part of two consecutive character
                                 string delimiters, and the DELPRIORITYCHAR
                                 modifier is specified

End-of-file character ::= Hex '1A' (Windows operating system only)
 
ASCII representation of a numeric value^d ::= Optional sign '+' or '-'
    || 1 to 31 decimal digits with an optional decimal point before,
       after, or between two digits
    || Optional exponent
 
Exponent ::= Character 'E' or 'e'
    || Optional sign '+' or '-'
    || 1 to 3 decimal digits with no decimal point
 
Decimal digit ::= Any one of the characters '0', '1', ... '9'
 
Decimal point ::= Default value ASCII period (.)^e

^a The record delimiter is assumed to be a new line character, ASCII x0A. Data generated on the Windows operating system can use the carriage return/line feed 2-byte standard of 0x0D0A. Data in EBCDIC code pages should use the EBCDIC LF character (0x25) as the record delimiter (EBCDIC data can be loaded using the codepage file type modifier with the LOAD command).
^b The column delimiter can be specified with the coldel file type modifier.
^c The character string delimiter can be specified with the chardel file type modifier.
Note: The default priority of delimiters is:
1. Record delimiter
2. Character delimiter
3. Column delimiter
^d If the ASCII representation of a numeric value contains an exponent, it is a FLOAT constant. If it has a decimal point but no exponent, it is a DECIMAL constant. If it has no decimal point and no exponent, it is an INTEGER constant.
^e The decimal point character can be specified with the decpt file type modifier.

The export utility will replace every character string delimiter byte (default is double quote or x22) that is embedded within column data with two character string delimiter bytes (ie. doubling it). This is done so that the import parsing routines can distinguish between a character string delimiter byte that defines the beginning or end of a column, versus a character string delimiter byte embedded within the column data. Take caution when using an exported DEL file for some application other than the export utility, and note that the same doubling of character string delimiters occurs within 'FOR BIT' binary column data.