I have an input file in TXT format with fixed columns, with 1 record per line. Each record has 2100 fields. I have the field mapping in an Excel file, which specifies the field name, the start of the field, the end of the field, and the field size.
I would prefer not to map each field individually, due to the significant amount of manual work involved. Is it possible to import this Excel file, or another file format, into DATAMAPPER, where it will then define the field extraction according to the layout defined in Excel?
Can you describe a situation please in which you would like to extract data from a data file in TXT format with that many fields? The reason why I’m asking is because it isn’t a good idea to configure a datamapper with dynamic field names and column widths, especially with that many fields – sooner or later you will run into (performance) issues.
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Marten, thank you very much for your response.
This concerns a tax collection from a municipality here in Brazil. It’s a file for generating payment slips with many fields.
The file provided by the client has this characteristic of having many fields in its composition.
That’s why I made this request. What I can send you is the file that defines the layout of the file, field by field. We cannot send the data file due to the LGPD (Brazilian General Data Protection Law).
I am working on a Workflow process to try and create the needed file from within the Datamapper. Will keep you informed but am currently blocked as I hit a snag in my Workflow config
@jchamel thanks a lot. At the moment, I’m not in such a hurry, because in this case, since we had a deadline to meet with the client, we did the mapping manually. But having a solution for these cases, which appear fairly frequently, would be very interesting. These blocks that appear out of nowhere delay us a lot… but, it’s an IT thing.
Sorry but I was unable to do it using a Workflow process and a script. I thoughed I had it and my logic was sound but am afraid that the Datamapper isn’t configured for us to play around with its internal config file. All I get is a Invalid Config file error.
Although the XML is valid and well formatted, something must be amiss. Sorry to have had you hopes up.
Jchamel, thank you very much.
There’s nothing to apologize for, we’re here to help each other in any way we can.
I greatly appreciate your commitment, dedication, knowledge, and time in trying to help me.
Having a feature like this would be a significant improvement to the software. Many of our clients have a CSV or XLS file mapping. Importing what’s already prepared and then simply configuring the fields would save a huge amount of time.
