Re: [PCTECH] FTP flat text file to DDS file on AS400

[Vern Hamberg <vhamberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sure, with a couple provisos. (The following assumes you have almost no 
knowledge of 400 files. No insult intended!)

For direct FTP to a physical file:

1. The flat file needs to be fixed-length, matching character-for-character 
the layout of the physical file. The next 2 items describe things that 
prevent this.

2. If the physical file has what are called packed fields, then not 
directly. It is possible to define what is called a logical file in DDS or 
SQL, and that file can map the packed fields to what are called zoned 
fields. BTW, packed fields store each digit in half a byte, so each byte 
stands for 2 digits.

3. If there are negative numbers, not usually - the sign is held in a 
half-byte of the last byte of the zoned field.

If none of those problems exist, this is very simple. There are a couple 
naming conventions to get used to, but it's just simple ftp at this point.

But if not, there is still hope - there is a command on the 400, CPYFRMIMPF 
(copy from import file) that can do the conversions, especially well with 
delimited PC files. Actually, fixed-length PC files are harder with this 
command - they require another object on the 400 that defines the layout of 
the data.

To use CPYFRMIMPF, the flat file has to get to what is called the IFS 
(Integrated File System) of the 400. This is a PC-like file system, and you 
can either FTP the file to it, or use Windows networking to get there - map 
a network drive.

You can ftp the flat file to the IFS, then use a special 400 ftp server 
subcommand (rcmd) that can execute the CPYFRMIMPF command remotely.

There's more to the details - the ftp manual covers a lot. But ask more 
questions, and let us know your knowledge level on the 400.


HTH
Vern

At 02:20 PM 3/11/2004 -0500, you wrote:
> Help.
>
> Can I ftp a flat text file to a DDS define file on the 400 and if so, how?
>
> Bob Newell
> Delta Galil USA