Creating the File for Transfer

Fixed Length Files

A sample fixed length file, if displayed on the screen, would look like the following. Note that this sample has been truncated; the full record is not shown.

                            Fixed Format Record Sample
                            
35950511    01B      00000                      0039044765800390447658
35950511    01D000148JV23989 005206000000000000             0000000008379730-051095DEPENDENT CARE
35950511    01D000148JV23989 001150000000000000             0000000008379730+051095495 05/10/95 85
35950511    01D000148JV23990 005245000000000000             0000000001801293-051095WA FED OF STATE EMPL

Some notes about Fixed Format Files:

Fixed length files have a constant length for each field and record. There is no need to place an * in a field where there is no data since the software looks for the data in the same position in each record.

Although it is possible to create such a file with a spreadsheet, it can be difficult to consistently retain the exact spacing batch after batch. For this reason use of spreadsheets to create Fixed Length Files is NOT recommended.

See File Formats by Transaction Type for fields where there MUST be a non-blank entry.
Fixed Length File names start with the letter C.
Do not mix Space Delimited and Fixed Length records in one file.
Each file should only contain one type of transaction, i.e., ISDs or CTIs.
Each file should contain transactions for one accounting month, i.e., ISDs for month 06 should be in one file; ISDs for month 07 must be in another.
You may submit multiple files on any given day or month.
You may use upper-case or lower-case letters. The software will convert all lower-case text to upper-case during the FAS loading process.
Other Notes:
Review the file formats carefully for the transaction type(s) being used. In some case dollar amount fields require a decimal point followed by exactly two digits, while in others no decimal point is required. Generally the following will be accepted:
- Leading $
- Leading zeroes
- Leading or trailing sign (+ or -)
- Embedded commas
- Surrounding matching parentheses (indicating a negative amount)
Examples of valid dollar amount fields:
```
 
$123.45
$1,234.56
000123.45-
+001,234.56
($234,567.98)
 
```

-> FASTRANS -> Create -> Format -> Name -> Transfer -> Submit