Flat-File Vs. Text-File

From: Lee Shelton <lee_shelton_at_my-deja.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2001 23:14:52 GMT
Message-ID: <94t0d4$l7c$1@nnrp1.deja.com>

I've been hearing the term "flat-file" used a lot here, where I work, and I think the term is being mis-used.

They way it's used here is to mean what I simply call a "text-file" -- just some ASCII output from a report, or even a dump of a table's contents.

For example, folks here would say that this is a "flat-file":
-->

1101 "Adams, Allen" "123 Anystreet" "Ourtown" "AR" 2202 "Baker, Bill" "224 Park Ave" "Anycity" "CA" <--

When, really (in my thinking), this is a text-file "dump" of the Customer Table (Customer Number, Name, City, State).

I thought that a flat-file contained database structure info and may certainly be a text-file, but not all text-files are flat-files.

I cannot find any good glossaries to straighten us (or probably "me") out.

Anyone here care to offer a definition?

Thanks,
Lee

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http://www.deja.com/ Received on Fri Jan 26 2001 - 17:14:52 CST