Print Image files consist of lines which may contain different types of data, such as you would see in a report or summary. Using the Data Definition Wizard, you can define even the most challenging print image data. The process is similar to creating a new table layout with some important distinctions:
| • | You can easily define multi-line records and multi-line fields within them. |
| • | You can scroll through the entire report file. |
| • | At the end of the procedure, you create a new, flattened data file. You can use this data as a table for any subsequent analysis, even those involving sorting and indexing. |
Note: If the source print image file is ASCII or EBCDIC based, the resulting flat file will be stored as ASCII data. If the source print image file is UNICODE based, the resulting flat file will be stored as UTF-16 data.
The sophisticated filter logic in the Wizard lets you define records with fields that span more than one line such as an address block or a multi-line description. You can convert multi-line fields into separate fields or concatenate all lines within a single field. You can also define fields that span a varying number of lines.