Connecting to a Fixed-Width Flat File

  1. Access the Connections page using one of these:
    Spectrum Management Console:
    Access Spectrum Management Console using the URL: http://server:port/management console, where server is the server name or IP address of your Spectrum Technology Platform server and port is the HTTP port used by Spectrum Technology Platform.
    Note: By default, the HTTP port is 8080.
    Click Resources > Connections.
    Spectrum Discovery:
    Access Spectrum Discovery using the URL: http://server:port/discovery, where server is the server name or IP address of your Spectrum Technology Platform server and port is the HTTP port used by Spectrum Technology Platform.
    Note: By default, the HTTP port is 8080.
    Click Connect.
  2. Click the Add connection button .
  3. In the Connection Name box, enter a name for the connection. The name can be anything you choose.
    Note: Once you save a connection you cannot change the name.
  4. In the Connection Type box, select Flat File.
  5. Enter the File Path by clicking Browse and selecting the directory of the file.
  6. Select the Character Encoding of the flat file from the drop-down.
  7. Select the Record Type as Fixed Width.
  8. In the Record Length field, enter the total number of characters in a file record.
  9. Click Add Field to add a row for a field in a file record.
  10. In the Name column, enter the name for the field value.
  11. In the Type column, select the data type of the field value.
  12. In the Start Position column, enter the position in the file record at which of the field value begins.
    For the first field in a file record, the Start Position counting begins from 1.
  13. In the Length field, enter the total number of characters the field covers, including the character at the Start Position.
    The sum of the Start Position and Length values for any field should be less than or equal to the Record Length
    If the File Record is: 
    01234Rob Smith29Precisely

    Record Length = 25

    For the field 'Name':

    Start Position = 6

    Length = 9

    Name = Rob Smith
  14. Check the Trim check box if you wish to trim any white spaces at the beginning and/or end of a field value.
  15. Repeat step 10 through step 15 to add details for all fields expected in file records.
  16. Click the Preview button to view field values based on selections you made in previous steps of this procedure.
  17. Click Test.
    A message confirms the successful test of the connection.
  18. Click Save.
    A message confirms the successful creation of the connection.
In order to view a sample record fetched using the created Fixed Width Flat File connection, click Preview in the header bar. File records will be fetched and the Fields sorted according to the details provided by you.