Re: Flat File Formats definitions

While prying the lemmings from hir ankles 31 May 1996 06:08:01 -0700, porterf_at_primenet.com (Mark E. Porterfield) wrote:

>>We are doing a survey on the structure of inhouse flat-file formats
>>people use when transfering data betwen applications.
>>We are a Messaging company working mostly with EDI. I know this question
 

> There is a "standard" format for EDI as I recall.

Yes--some software packages describe it--I believe some come with subsets of the ANSI X.12 spec.

> Each company
> tends to enhance it a bit.

What I've seen is minor but annoying variations--one vendor uses the tenth element of the line item line for the item #, another uses the eleventh, a third might use the tenth or the twelvth, depending on whether or not there's a value in the ninth field, and so on.

> Please don't send any to me...was this really important to include?

I suppose that some people might find this more of an incentive to send this guy the info he wants.

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