External Target stage
The External Target stage is a file stage that allows you to write data to one or more source programs.
The External Target stage is a file stage. It allows you to write data to one or more source programs. The stage can have a single input link and a single rejects link. It can be configured to execute in parallel or sequential mode. There is also an External Source stage, which allows you to read from an external program (see External Source stage)
![Shows an External Target stage used to route data from a transform operation to an external program](../images/ss9_1.gif)
When writing to a program, InfoSphere DataStage needs to know something about how to format the data. The information required is how the data is divided into rows and how rows are divided into columns. You specify this on the Format tab. Settings for individual columns can be overridden on the Columns tab using the Edit Column Metadata dialog box.
When you edit an External Target stage, the External Target stage editor appears. This is based on the generic stage editor described in "Stage Editors."
The stage editor has up to three pages:
- Stage Page. This is always present and is used to specify general information about the stage.
- Input Page. This is where you specify details about the program or programs you are writing data to.
- Output Page. This appears if the stage has a rejects link.
There are one or two special points to note about using runtime column propagation (RCP) with External Target stages. See "Using RCP With External Target Stages" for details.