Fixed-length format

You can use the fixed-length format for loading data into external tables.

Format overview
All data is a series of byte sequences and has an associated data type, used as a conceptual or abstract attribute of the data. Without an associated data type, a byte sequence can be interpreted in numerous ways.
Fixed-length format files
Fixed-length format files use ordinal positions, which are offsets to identify where fields are within the record. There are no field delimiters. An end-of-record delimiter is required, even for the last record.
Fixed-length format options
Certain format options are valid only for fixed-length format data loads, and some options have a different behavior when you use them for fixed-length format data loads.
Layout definitions
A layout is an ordered collection of zone (field) definitions. You must specify a layout for the fixed-length format. Each zone definition is made up of mutually exclusive (non-overlapping) clauses.
Fixed-length format definitions
Fixed-length format files must have a format definition. This topic includes examples of typical fixed-length format definitions for typical data types.
Fixed-length format definition example
This topic provides an example of a sample data record, the corresponding column layout, and the corresponding external table definition.
References
You can use references in the layout definition for fixed-length format data.
Examples of data loading with the fixed-length format
Fixed-length format files use ordinal positions, which are offsets to identify the location of fields in the record. To load fixed-format data into a database, you must define the target data type for the field and the location within the record.
Script example for loading data by using the fixed-length format
You can use a script to load data by using the fixed-length format.

Parent topic: Data loading