Sort and Convert CSV Files. CSV to LDIF, XML to CSV, etc.

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CSV (Comma-Separated Values) Files

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File Interchange

Job Sample

To convert from a CSV to LDIF file for example -- in either NextForm or CoSort (SortCL) -- your job script input file declaration would be /PROCESS=CSV. On output it could be /PROCESS=LDIF, etc. At the same time, you can specify different field layouts and/or data types for output as needed.

Click on the job sample above to see how simple this is, and what else is possible at the same time.

Process and Convert to/from CSV Files Quickly

Challenges:

Index, fixed-position, LDIF, XML, web log, and many other file formats are not compatible with spreadsheets, database loaders, and other applications that require delimited input records in CSV format.

Conversely, files exported in CSV format may need to be processed and re-cast into other file formats for mainframe, tape, data interchange, and reporting applications.

Solutions:

IRI delivers CSV and other file conversion functionality in two packages, which you can choose based on the level of need:

CSV File Conversion Only
Now available from IRI is a low-cost, data migration product called NextForm. NextForm allows you to convert CSV files to other formats (like LDIF, COBOL, XML, fixed-length text, etc.) or from those other formats into delimited files. NextForm also supports data type conversion at the field level, and the remapping of record layouts.

Note that NextForm file definitions will also work in SortCL so that you can re-use this metadata if you someday want to upgrade to CoSort's fast transformation, custom reporting, and/or data-centric protection functionality.

CSV File Transformation & Conversion
The CoSort package's SortCL tool can manipulate, report from, protect (at the field level), convert, and create large and small files in CSV format, and frame CSV fields with internal commas.

This wide functional support for CSV data allows you to quickly migrate legacy sequential, index, LDIF and XML files to CSV files for PC applications. In addition, SortCL supports the simultaneous processing and reformatting of huge file volumes in and into CSV so that you can quickly prepare subsets for importation into databases, spreadsheets, BI dashboards, etc. that require CSV input files. This means, for example, that you can go from mainframe COBOL to Excel on a PC, with sorting, filtering, aggregation, joining, masking, and other functions performed during the file format conversion to CSV.

The reverse is also true; you can convert from CSV to other file formats, such as fixed length and tab-delimited, LDIF, MF-ISAM, and XML. Browse the list of supported file formats under File Interchange (on your left), and see their job samples for CSV file interchanges as well.

CSV Test Data & Field Protection
Do you need test files in CSV format? If so, see IRI's RowGen product. RowGen uses the same layout metadata as CoSort (SortCL) and NextForm so you can easily move between test data generation and real data transformation. If you need a standalone method for protecting fields in production CSV files with encryption, masking, etc., see FieldShield.

IRI, The CoSort Company