Fixed-Width Text Format

[Jeff]

Hey

I'm wondering how the Fixed-Width Text Format is

What I know is that the top line in this text format will contain column
names. and each row beneath the top line represent for example a row in a
table etc...

But does fixed-with mean that every column has a fixed with: for example
first column is 10 char wide and second column is 30 char wide?

or does fixed-with mean something else?

I ask as I'm learning MIIS, and now are trying to import a flat file into
MIIS.

 

[Jeff]

What's MIIS? Yes it is Microsoft Identity Integration Server.
I'm learning MIIS 2003

In MIIS I can import data which are stored in flat files. 2 types of flat
files are supported:
delimited files and fixed-width files.

I think fixed-width, means that each column has a fixed width... I'll do
some more research around this. Read more in the MIIS documentation etc

 

[Jeff Winn]

Basically, a fixed width file format is a file layout that has the size of
each column predetermined when the file was generated.

Column A: 11 characters
Column B: 2 characters

And so on, when compared to a delimited file - delimited files use
characters in between each field to determine the stop and start positions
within the file to locate the columns whereas a fixed width file does not.
Fixed width files generally pad the rest of the column length with spaces to
ensure the layout remains consistent.

Fixed-width sample (using the above layout)
A1234567 AA
A2345678 BB

Delimited sample:
A1234567,AA
A2345678,BB

Delimited files generally also have what is known as text qualifiers around
them to further help locate the fields (in situations where the delimiter is
actually used as part of the field such as addresses).

Delimited sample with text qualifier:
"A1234567","AA"
"A2345678","BB"

HTH