Flat File Properties

You can modify an object's properties from its property sheet. To open a flat file property sheet, double-click its diagram symbol or its Browser entry in the Flat Files folder.

The General tab contains the following properties:

Property	Description
Name	Specifies the name of the item, which should be clear and meaningful, and should convey the item's purpose to non-technical users.
Code	Specifies the technical name of the object, which is used for generating code or scripts.
Comment	Specifies a descriptive comment for the object.
Stereotype	Extends the semantics of the object. You can enter a stereotype directly in this field, or add stereotypes to the list by specifying them in an extension file.
Separator	Specifies a column separator which separates fields. Select the Custom Delimiter mode in order to select a predefined value or enter a new one.
Row delimiter	Specifies a row delimiter, which separates records. Select the Custom Delimiter mode in order to select a predefined value or enter a new one. Default: comma
Header	Specifies whether the file whose path is specified in the Path field contains a header.
Mode	You can choose one of the following values: CSV (Comma Separated Value) [default] - Specifies a file which contains tabular data, and which uses a comma to separate fields. When you select this option, the Separator field and the Row Delimiter field are not available. Custom Delimiter – Lets you specify a column separator and a row delimiter to separate records. Fixed Length – Lets you specify a row delimiter to separate records. When you select this option, the Separator field is not available.
Path	Specifies the path to the file containing data. Click the Select File tool to the right of the field to browse for a file.

The following tab is also available:

Columns - lists the data structure columns associated with the flat file (see Data Structure Columns (DMM)). Click the Retrieve Columns by Parsing File Header tool, if you want to retrieve columns by parsing the header of the file, whose path is specified in the Path field. The list of columns can be ordered.