Unformatted data on workstation-attached systems is data that does not conform to the format of data from a database source. It may, however, originate from a database source, or from other sources, such as a Fortran file.
Unformatted records include:
- Optionally, a variable-length indicator bytes field
- A variable-length data field
Unformatted records have no end-of-record delimiter field.
The following table lists the unformatted record field descriptions.
| Input Record Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Indicator bytes | Optional bytes to indicate null data |
| Input data | Raw data to be loaded into the Teradata FastLoad table on the database |
If the workstation-attached system configuration includes both UNIX and Windows operating system platforms, ensure that the Teradata FastLoad job scripts accommodate the different ways that each platform specifies new lines in ASCII text files.
Windows platforms use a two-character sequence to signify a new line, carriage return + line feed. UNIX platforms use a single new-line character to perform the same function.
When loading unformatted ASCII files from a workstation-attached system, always ensure that the DEFINE command properly identifies the format of the new-line function for the source platform:
- One character for UNIX platforms
- Two characters for Windows platforms