Add Logical Paths

Logical Paths is a configuration setting required for the FileIterator event, which copies files from a source folder to a target folder, then deletes the files from the source folder. Refer to About Automate Events for more information.

A logical path points to a folder (a local or networked file system mapped with a drive letter) or an FTP site where files are either created or to where files are copied.

A logical path has no concept of source or destination outside the context of a File Operation, so in some cases it is a target destination and sometimes it is a source destination.

To add a logical path in Automate:

  1. Select IO Config > Logical Paths in the Navigation pane.

  2. Click Add.

    View the field description for the Logical Paths page

  3. Enter a file path of the folder or the FTP site in the LOGICAL PATH field.

    NOTE: This is where files are either created or to where files are copied. It is a good idea to name logical paths descriptively, for example, if a logical path is only used as a source and not a target, indicate this in the name of the logical path.

  4. Select a value to determine how files are moved from the TRANSPORT TYPE list box. Options are:

    • Local – Local File System, which means the files are in folders to which that the DSP can read/write.

    • FTP – File Transfer Protocol (FTP), which means the files are located in an FTP address. FTP is a standard network protocol used to copy a file from one host to another over a TCP/IP-based network. All transmissions are in clear text; user names, passwords, FTP commands and transferred filed can be read by anyone on the network.

  5. Select a modification from the FILE MODIFICATION list box. Options are:

    • Batched – When the files are copied to the destination, they are broken into files with the amount of records noted in the Batch Size field (configured on the Vertical View of the Logical Paths page).

      NOTE: Excel libraries may need to be installed on the DSP application server if Batched is used when copying Excel files.

    • Segmented By Field – When the files are copied to the destination, a file is created for each unique value in the Segment By Field field (configured on the Vertical View of the Logical Paths page).

      NOTE: Excel libraries may need to be installed on the DSP application server if Segment By Field is used when copying Excel files.

    • None – File is not modified. This is the recommended selection when moving files from one folder to another.

      NOTE: The FILE MODIFICATION field is only taken into consideration on Logical Paths designated as a source or an input.

  6. Select a format from the FILE FORMAT list box. Options are:

    • Delimited – For each record in each file, fields are separated by a delimiter (configured in the Delimiter field on the Vertical View of the Logical Paths page). In a comma-separated values (CSV) file, the data items are separated using commas as a delimiter, while in a tab-separated values (TSV) file, the data items are separated using tabs as a delimiter. Column headers are sometimes included as the first line, and each subsequent line is a row of data.

    • Excel – Each file is an Excel file. When performing a straight copy of Excel files, the version does not matter. Excel libraries may need to be installed on the DSP application server if Segment By Field or Batched are used when copying Excel files.

    • Fixed Width – Each field is specified by column widths, pad character and left/right alignment.

  7. Click Save; the Vertical View displays.

    NOTE: The fields available depend on the File Modification and the File Format selected.

    View the field description for the Logical Paths page’s Vertical View

  8. If the FILE MODIFICATION is Batched, enter a value in the Batch Size field to control the number of records written to each file.

  9. If the FILE FORMAT is Delimited, enter the value of the delimiter used between each field in a record within the file in the Delimiter field.

  10. If the FILE FORMAT is Delimited, populate the Text Qualifier field with a character used to enclose text strings. For example: if the Delimiter is set to ;, the Text Qualifier is set to “ and this string exists in a record: Test;”test one;”;”test two”;None. The second field in the record would be test one;. The ; in the double quotes would be considered part of the field and not evaluated as the delimiter.

  11. Click the Contains Header check box to enable it, if there is a header record in the file that must be ignored. Enabling this field is useful when the FILE MODIFICATION is set to Segment by Field.

  12. If the FILE MODIFICATION is SegmentByField, enter the name of the field being segmented in the Segment by Field field.

    NOTE: Segment by Field displays the field in the file used to produce one output file for each unique value in the field. For example, given a file of Customers named Customers.txt, entering a “State” in the Segment by Field produces one output file for each unique value found in the state column, e.g., CustomersMA.txt, CustomersNY.txt, CustomersTX.txt. This field only displays when SegmentByField is selected in the FILE MODIFICATION field on the Horizontal View.

  13. Click Save.

  14. Click the Instances icon for the desired logical path.

  15. Click Add.

    View the field description for the Logical Path (Instance) page

    NOTE: Depending on the Transport Type, different fields display.

If the Transport Type is FTP

  1. Select an environment from the INSTANCE list box.

    NOTE: The instance configured must match the instance selected on the Parameters page in Automate. If the instances do not match, the file processing will not work correctly.

  2. Enter the hosting server name in the HOSTNAME field.

  3. Enter a value on which the server listens to the FTP connections in the PORT field. The default value is 21.

  1. Enter an FTP path in the PATH field.

    NOTE: Do not include a ftp.// destination or a port number; only a server name or an IP address is required.

  2. Populate the User ID field.

  3. Populate the Password field.

    NOTE: The User ID and Password fields are used to control access to the FTP site.

If the Transport Type is Local:

  1. Select an environment from the Instance list box.

    NOTE: The instance configured must match the instance selected on the Parameters page in Automate. If the instances do not match, the file processing will not work correctly.

  2. Enter the complete path of where the files will be read or written in the Path field.

View the field description for the Logical Path (Instance) page’s Vertical View

  1. Click Save; the Vertical View displays.

  2. Click the Can Read check box to enable it, which grants read access to the folder.

  3. Click the Can Write check box to enable it, which grants write access to the folder.

  4. Click the Can Delete check box to enable it, which grants delete access to the folder.

  5. Click Save.

  6. Click the Test icon to test the connection to the path field.

    NOTE: When the record is saved, the access privileges at the location specified by the Logical Path instance are tested. Results display on the Vertical View.

  7. Click the Browse icon browse the FTP site or the path for other folders or files, and change the FTP site or path if necessary. Refer to Browse FTP Site or Path for more information.