Column Name.

The names of columns in the flat file source or target.

File name columns.

You can add a file name column to a flat file source or target. For sources, use the CurrentlyProcessedFileName column to return the names of the source files from which rows of data were read. Use this column if you configure the session to read data from a file list. For targets, use the FileName column to dynamically name flat file targets.

Datatype.

The datatype of the column. For flat files, you can choose bigint, datetime, double, int, nstring, number, or string.

Precision, Scale, and Format.

When importing file definitions, you often need to consider the precision, scale, field width, and format of values in each column. You can edit the field width and format by clicking in the Format column. Enter the precision, scale, and format.

Not Null.

Choose whether you want to allow null data in the source or target.

Key Type.

Choose NOT A KEY for flat file source and target definitions.

Shift Key.

You can define the shift state for shift-sensitive fixed-width flat file sources that do not contain shift keys. This attribute appears when you select User Defined Shift State in the Edit Flat File Information dialog box for fixed-width files.

Choose Shift-In if the column contains single-byte characters. Choose Shift-Out if the column contains multibyte characters.

Business Name.

Optionally, you can add business names to each source or target field.