RE: Getting Data from iSeries to PC -- MIDRANGE-L

Bob,

You do realize that when you bring a spooled file down to the PC, it is a
replica of what will be printed. You get a line in the text file for each
spooled line. Headers, footers, spacing, etc. are all part of the text file.
The data is not "split" by any AS/400 or OpsNav function. If your intent is
to "extract data" from the spooled file, you would need to "import" the file
(say using Excel) and define columns as necessary.

If you need to "extract data", converting each line's data into Excel cells
for instance, you need to use a tool like Monarch. 

I've been plagued with requests like "I have this printout, how do I get it
as Excel data?" You don't without manual intervention. A problem with our
ERP system is it generates "folded" spool file records (like folded subfile
records), which are difficult if not impossible to extract from spooled data
to Excel.  For instance, a general ledger transaction report may have 3
lines of data for each "entry". However, the users want each "entry" as a
single row of Excel data. 

I've been thinking about writing a spooled file template program that would
allow users to define a template for extracting "complex" spooled file data
into a downloadable file. Such a template would need to account for header
information, multiple spooled lines per data record, data transforms (where
the negative sign is on the "wrong side" for Excel to handle), etc. Output
options might be to a AS/400 outfile, or direct CSV file on the IFS. Maybe
in my copious free time....

I'm not sure what your intent is, but just wanted to warn you that if you're
trying to "process" the spooled file data on a PC, simply automating the
transfer will not accomplish your goal.

--  
Loyd Goodbar
Programmer/analyst
BorgWarner Incorporated
ETS/Water Valley
662-473-5713
lgoodbar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx


-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Kohlndorfer [mailto:kohlnbob@xxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 4:56 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Getting Data from iSeries to PC


Hello,

I have been given the task of getting the data from spool files on the
iSeries to PC's.

I have used CPYSPLF to turn the spool file into a data file.  Then I have
been able to use Client Access File Transfer utility to bring it down to a
PC.  I have saved the .TTO file of the file transfer and can run that to
download the file.

I would like to automate the process so that it could run either when the
people on the PC side want to run it or when the someone on the iSeries side
decides it is time to download.  That is I am not sure which side will
initiate the download of the file to the PC.

Any ideas on how I can accomplish these tasks?

Thanks in advance,
Bob

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