Re: FTP Processing

In B2B data exchange one could use the standards, like ANSI X.12 or
EDIFACT, or at least use the basic concepts. For example, in EDI I'll
send some data to a trading partner (customer or vendor) and they'll send
me back a 997 that they have received it.
For more detail there's this exchange: I could send a PO and they could
send me back a PO Acknowledgement.

Is their FTP even capable of handling appending, or frequent updates?
Let's look at how this may be done.
Someone FTPs data to me.
First I either check for the data on a periodic basis to see if the file
exists or have some way of knowing that a new file has appeared.
Then I check for a lock on that file so that I know that they are done
transmitting. (which, if you are doing "row at a time" can be tricky)
I may, or may not, check for the presence of another file indicating "I am
done, you can process what I've sent you".
Then I post that data into my ERP system.

So, if you start doing row at a time updates to this business partner are
you going to bugger up their system?

This logging you are attempting to do almost sounds like there is some
dispute going on between you and this partner as to whether or not you've
sent the data. If you're already in the dispute stage then changing this
to a row at a time isn't going to resolve it.

If a dispute is not the case, and you're simply trying to track what
you're sending out via FTP then write the new rows to a temp file. FTP
them over as one transmission. When the session is complete, then update
the table that the subset has been transmitted.

Rob Berendt