Mars uses a series of data files to transfer data to and from the host system. There is a Universal File Loader that handles the loading of the host data into Mars. Using this facility allows maximum flexibility in loading data into Mars.
The loader uses two mapping/definition files to define the data fields in the files as well as the validation, keys, and some behavior. You will need the help of Mars support to activate any loader files but the following tables out line the fields available for loading.
When defining a data load file, these general principles apply:
The order of the fields in the mapping file must be the order of the fields in the data file. But the mapping file can define these fields in any order
Data feeds can be split into multiple files (i.e. Item and History in separate files)
Data files can be either CSV or Flat files but this is defined in the mapping file
In the data file, any value supplied will overwrite the value in Mars unless there is a specific flag to "lock" the Mars value. Any field left blank is ignored (the existing Mars value is unchanged).
Numeric values can be in any of these formats:
1234.56
00000012345600
Numeric value 14 (4)
000001234.5600
0000001234.560
12345600
1234.5600
-1234.56
-0000012345600
00001234.5600-
-12345600
-1234.5600
Date values follow YYYYMMDD format
The following behaviors are supported during loading
INSERTONLY - Data rows will be processed only if the operation represents an INSERT operation. No existing records will be updated
PURGE - The existing data in the loaded table will be purged prior to any data rows being processed
DELETE - Identifies a field that is used to indicate the corresponding record should be deleted from Mars. This behavior requires a corresponding value (e.g. "D") to indicate the delete action applies to the current record.
DEFAULT - Identifies a default value to be used on an INSERT operation if a value is not supplied in the data record
KEYS - Identifies the key value fields that can be used to lookup the corresponding Mars record for the data record
VALID - Identifies key fields and table to validate against. If the validation record is not found, the incoming data record is rejected
