Oracle-L: RE: Flat file generation integrity ideas...

From: Kevin Lange <kgel_at_ppoone.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 10:54:51 -0800
Message-ID: <F001.004F2BB4.20021024105451@fatcity.com>

Chris;

I would suggest the following:

Generating Check Sums of the files before they are sent.
Send the files.
Generating an after Check Sum and compare.

Here are the steps I go thru to make sure our Oracle Archive Logs are correctly transfered to our Standby Server:

Zip the Archive Logs into 1 Zip.
Check Sum the Zip.
Use the TEST option to make sure the Zip is good.
RCP the zip file to the standby location.
RSH a test of the Zip.
RSH a Check Sum of the Transfered Zip and compare to original value.
Unzip the file

With this method you have 2 independent checks.... the Check Sum and the Zip Integrity Check.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2002 12:35 PM To: Multiple recipients of list ORACLE-L

I have to create packages that will generate several flat files of data from tables that will be sent to other systems to be processed.

I am looking for ideas on how to ensure data integrity in the flat files.

For example, the expected record count is stored on the first line of the file to ensure that the correct amount of records was received.

The systems group is chartered to ensure the flat files are correctly FTPed between systems, so that's covered.

I just worry that if "somehow" a flat file is scrambled then the scrambled data is loaded into the database, therefore corrupting it.

At this phase, XML is not an option

I keep thinking that some sort of CRC should be stored with each line in the flat file. And then before the line is loaded into the database, the CRC is compared against the generated CRC of the just read line. Has anyone done anything like this? Any examples out there?

Many TIA!!

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Author: Kevin Lange
INET: kgel_at_ppoone.com

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