Tab-delimited files

A tab-delimited file contains rows of data. Each row of data contains one or more pieces of data. Each piece of data is called a field. Tab-delimited files to be read by the Data Integrator must contain the same number of fields in every row, although not every field necessarily needs a value.

Before Data Integrator starts reading a tab-delimited file, the user assigns a module, business object, and form to the file. This information instructs the Data Integrator where the data in the file must go when uploaded.

The Data Integrator uses the data fields in each row (except the first) of a tab-delimited file to create or update a record in the IBM® TRIRIGA® Application Platform. If Data Integrator determines that the business object assigned to the file already contains the uploaded record, it updates that record with values from the file. If the Data Integrator determines that the uploaded record does not yet exist, it uses the business object and form that are associated with the file to create the record.

Data Integrator needs to determine which field contains the data from each field from a row of the tab-delimited file. Data Integrator finds out where to put data from each field by looking at the first row, called the Header, of the tab-delimited file. Data Integrator does not use the first row of a tab-delimited file as data to create or update a record. Instead, it expects the fields of the first row to contain the name of a field in the business object that is associated with the file. The field name identifies the field to which the data for that field goes.

The easiest way to generate this tab-delimited file is to use an application that can generate a tab-delimited file and place the field names in the first row. For example, some applications can export or print a report to a tab-delimited file. If you can specify the column heading for each column, that probably means that the application can place the heading value in the fields of the first row. If you're working with an application to generate tab-delimited files for Data Integrator, specify column headings that match the IBM TRIRIGA field names where you want the field values to go. After you correctly set up the column headings to match the field names of the IBM TRIRIGA object, creating tab-delimited files for Data Integrator becomes an automated process.

If an application cannot put headings on a tab-delimited file, you can still use data from it with Data Integrator. However, the process of preparing the tab-delimited file for Data Integrator requires extra work. If the program you want to import data from cannot put field names in the first row of a tab-delimited file, you can add them by editing the file. Use Microsoft Excel to edit tab-delimited files.

When you edit a tab-delimited file with Excel, Excel might prompt you for some information about the file. Excel asks these questions just to be certain it understands the kind of file you are asking to edit. Excel might ask if the file is Delimited or Fixed Width. Respond to this question by selecting Delimited. Excel might then prompt you to select the delimiters that the file uses. Select tab. Do not select any other delimiter or options.

After you insert a new first row that contains the field names, save the file as a tab-delimited text file. If you previously saved the Excel file in its native format, you can ignore any warnings that the file might contain features not compatible with the tab-delimited format. The tab-delimited file is now ready to be processed by Data Integrator.

You can use Data Integrator to import data from an application that cannot create a tab-delimited file if the application can export data in a format that Excel can read. If the application can create a file that Excel can read, then read the file into Excel. If necessary, add a first row to the file that contains the appropriate field names. Then, save the file as a tab-delimited text file.

If you need to edit a data file to add a first row that contains field names, it is not necessary to manually type the names of the fields. You can use the Data Integrator to create the first row.