Uploading CSV and/or numeric data

9402-200 running V3R2 (stop laughing Al).  The PC running Windows ME (everyone 
else, stop laughing) and CA 3.2 is attached via TCP/IP.  I have a program which 
dumps a comma-delimited text file and I'm attempting to get it onto the 400 and 
into a PF.  I've successfully tested creating a file on the 400, downloading 
that file, and using that FDF to upload data in the same layout.  I know you 
can specify that your data to upload is comma delimited but when I do that I 
get a message saying the FDF hasn't been specified.

So I set about to put the data into a format that would be easy to upload.  I 
suck the CSV into Access and use a query to append the data to a table that has 
custom formats of "000000.0000" which will force the fields into the correct 
lengths, thus creating "fixed width" fields.  But exporting the data loses the 
leading zeros and the decimals aren't aligned.  I've tried upload numeric 
fields where the decimals aren't aligned and the 400 puked on the non-aligned 
decimals.  So I try exporting the data as text and get the non-aligned 
decimals.  Then I notice the "Save Formatted" checkbox which offers me the 
choice of saving in Windows, MSDOS, Unicode, or Unicode UTF8.  I try all 4 and 
while I now get decimal alinged fields, I also get a line of dashes (--------) 
between each line of data.  I could write a VB program to strip out the lines 
with dashes.

In a subsequent test I notice that one of the formats I can export the data in 
is ODBC.  So I select this, attach to the 400, and the file auto-magically 
appears on the 400.  But when I look at the data, the first 3 or 4 fields 
(which are text) look fine but the rest (which are numeric) are gibberish.  Not 
hex - I know hex - this is gibberish.  Characters I've only seen on "The 
Matrix".

Is there something really easy I'm missing about:
1)  uploading a CSV file to the 400,
2)  dumping the data out of Access in fixed width fields,
3)  sending numeric data via ODBC?

And yes, I know if I were on V5R1 this would all be a lot easier.