Example ASC file

Following is an example of an ASC file. Each line ends with a line feed sequence (on the Windows operating system, each line ends with a carriage return/line feed sequence). 
   Smith, Bob       4973     15.46
   Jones, Suzanne   12345    16.34
   Williams, Sam    452123  193.78
Note:
  1. ASC files are assumed not to contain column names.
  2. Character strings are not enclosed by delimiters. The data type of a column in the ASC file is determined by the data type of the target column in the database table.
  3. A NULL is imported into a nullable database column if:
    • A field of blanks is targeted for a numeric, DATE, TIME, or TIMESTAMP database column
    • A field with no beginning and ending location pairs is specified
    • A location pair with beginning and ending locations equal to zero is specified
    • A row of data is too short to contain a valid value for the target column
    • The NULL INDICATORS load option is used, and an N (or other value specified by the user) is found in the null indicator column.
  4. If the target column is not nullable, an attempt to import a field of blanks into a numeric, DATE, TIME, or TIMESTAMP column causes the row to be rejected.
  5. If the input data is not compatible with the target column, and that column is nullable, a null is imported or the row is rejected, depending on where the error is detected. If the column is not nullable, the row is rejected. Messages are written to the message file, specifying incompatibilities that are found.