External Data Table

The External Data Table (ExtData_tb) contains the persistent copy of the external data files.

A record in this table corresponds to one of two types of external data references in the system, each containing several attributes that describe it. For flat files that are exported, imported, or processed inbound, the type is external data and the external data reference contains information about the flat file. For documents that are sent to a Mailbox message, the type is message and the external data reference contains information about the outbound message.

Table 1. External Data Table field information
Field Name Type Size Use
ExtDataType number (long) 4 Type of external data:

ExtData if Sterling Gentran:Server® data came from or is sent to a flat file

Message if Sterling Gentran:Server data is sent to a Mailbox message.

ExtDataKEY number (long) 4 Unique external data file identifier.
Filename string 255 Original filename before it was copied (if copied) to the external data folder in the system data store.
FileDateTime number (long) 4 Timestamp of the original file.
ActionDataTime number (long) 4 Date and time that the action took place, such as export or import. (Date/time the database was updated.)
Action number (long) 4 Type of action performed on the external data file:
  • Export
  • Import
  • Mailbox Import
  • Process File
  • Mailbox Process File
  • Send
BlobKEY string 255 Name of the file saved in the system data store folder and its path relative to this directory. The name of the file is the ExtDataKEY to ensure it is unique, with .ext as the file extension. The relative path depends on the Directory Format that the user specifies in the System Configuration subsystem.
Restored number (long) 4 Indicating whether the record (external data reference) was restored from an archive.
Msg number (long) 4 Number indicating the message in Mailbox to which the external data was sent for the outbound process, or the message from which the external data was received for the inbound process.
Atm number (long) 4 Number indicating the attachment in Mailbox to which the external data was sent for the outbound process, or the attachment from which the external data was received for the inbound process.
ExtDataCount number (long) 4 Count of the Sterling Gentran:Server documents with which an external data reference is associated. This count is decremented when associated documents are deleted and incremented when documents are added.
SaveFile number (long) 4 Indicates if the external data was saved to the system data store folder.