Input

Document

• Min:0

• Max:0

• File Reader

• Zip File Reader

The input to this Snap must be a flat binary file containing the data that must be mapped by the COBOL structure(s) provided as part of the configuration.

Output

Document

• Min:1

• Max:1

• JSON Splitter

• Sort Snap

The output is structured results in JSON format based on the data provided.

Error

Error handling is a generic way to handle errors without losing data or failing the Snap execution. You can handle the errors that the Snap might encounter while running the Pipeline by choosing one of the following options from the When errors occur list under the Views tab:

• Stop Pipeline Execution: Stops the current pipeline execution when the Snap encounters an error.

• Discard Error Data and Continue: Ignores the error, discards that record, and continues with the rest of the records.

• Route Error Data to Error View: Routes the error data to an error view without stopping the Snap execution.

Learn more about Error handling in Pipelines.

Label*

Default Value: Cobol Copybook Parser
Example: Process The 038 Copybook

String

Specify a unique name for the Snap. You can modify the default name especially if you have more than one of the same Snaps in your pipeline.

Copybooks*

Use this field set to define the Copybooks to use.

Copybook File*

Default Value: N/A
Example: PipeRecFileOfPS.json

String/Expression

Specify the Copybook file which describes the data. Alternatively, click the upload icon to browse and upload the desired copybook file.

Copybook Split*

Default Value: SPLIT_NONE
Example: SPLIT_01_LEVEL

String/Expression

Select the option to split the copybook for processing. The available options are:

• SPLIT_NONE: No split.

• SPLIT_01_LEVEL: Splits on all 01 levels.

• SPLIT_TOP_LEVEL: Splits on the top-level structures defined by a level that is is greater than level 01.

• SPLIT_REDEFINE: Splits on the highest level of COBOL REDEFINE structures.

• If the Copybook contains multiple ‘01 entries’, it must be split for processing.

• If the Copybook contains multiple structures below the 01 level, that must be used.

Organization*

Default Value: IO_DEFAULT
Example: IO_UNICODE_TEXT

String/Expression

Specify the type of file organisation for the data payload. Alternatively click the Suggestion icon to fetch a list of file organisation types and select the desired organisation.

• IO_DEFAULT: Attempt to automatically detect the file organisation.

• IO_STANDARD_TEXT_FILE: Standard file using CRLF or LF as newline delimiter.

• IO_UNICODE_TEXT: Unicode/double byte file using CRLF or LF as newline delimiter.

• IO_FIXED_LENGTH: Every record (or line) is a standard fixed length based on the maximum record length (determined from copybook).

• IO_CONTINOUS_NO_LINE_MARKER: Files where there are no End-of-Line markers. Records are based on Record-Lengths.

• IO_VB: Mainframe VB (Variable Record length file). Records consist of a Record-Length including the length of the following data followed by the Record-Data.

• IO_VLI: Mainframe like VB (Variable Record length file). Records consist of a byte swapper Record-Length excluding the length of the following data followed by the Record-Data.

Dialect*

Default Value: FMT_MAINFRAME
Example: FMT_INTEL

String/Expression

Specify the COBOL dialect. The available options are:

• FMT_MAINFRAME: Mainframe COBOL (Big Endian).

• FMT_INTEL: Intel COBOL (Little Endian).

• FMT_FUJITSU: Fujitsu Cobol 3 compiler.

• FMT_OPEN_COBOL: GnuCobol (formerly Open Cobol) on a Little-Endian machine.

• FMT_OC_MICRO_FOCUS_B: GnuCOBOL running in Microfocus compatibility mode on a Big-Endian machine.

• FMT_BIG_ENDIAN: Generic Big Endian.

The selected dialect determines how the parser deals with binary information in the input file.

Encoding*

Default Value: UTF8
Example: CP1252

String/Expression

Specify the format for encoding the input data. Any supported Java encoding is available for use. Some common code pages to be used:

• CP1141: Standard mainframe EBCDIC code page.

• ASCII: Standard ASCII files.

• Windows-1252: Standard code page used on Windows platforms.

Enclose character values in quote

Default Value: Selected

Checkbox

Select this checkbox to wrap all character fields in single quotes. Many applications need to differentiate between character and numeric fields.

Compatibility

Default Value: Selected

Checkbox

Select this checkbox to maintain backward compatibility with the original version of the Snap. However, we recommend that you update your pipelines to handle the new format immediately, as this checkbox will be removed in a future release.

Truncate picX field spaces*

Default Value: BOTH
Example: OFF

String/Expression

Specify or select the setting that determines the blanks that are stripped off from a character field. The available options are:

• OFF: No stripping of blanks will occur

• BOTH: Blanks will be stripped from both the start of the data value and the end.

• LEADING: Blanks will be stripped from the start of the data value.

• TRAILING: Blanks will be stripped from the end of the data value.

Selection Criteria

Default Value: N/A
Example:

The following selection criteria would match:

REC-TYPE = “P” or “T” to the DETAIL record. 

REC-IND = “X1” and REC-TYPE = “T” to the TRAILER record.

Button

The provision of XML selection criteria offers complex selection criteria. This is provided using an XML structure as described below.

Selection criteria must be provided in the Snap to match a data record to the copybook structure. The selection criteria is an XML-based configuration as follows:

Where:

• STRUCTURE NAME is the name of the structure containing the field.

• FIELD NAME is the name of the field within the structure to be compared.

• VALUE is the value to be compared. When this is equal to the FIELD NAME contents in a record being processed, this structure will be selected.

It is possible to have AND along with OR conditions:

• <fieldSelection> elements are OR-ed

• <field name> elements are AND-ed

Header Structure (for first record)

Default Value: N/A
Example: Header-record

String

Specify a Header record which is the first record in the file.

• If the data being processed has a header, middle and/or trailer structure name then, specify the name of the header structure to process the first record of the file.

• If the header structure is not provided, the specified middle structure interprets the first record from the file being processed.

Middle Structure Name (all records in between)

Default Value: N/A
Example: Detail-record

String

Specify one or more Middle records which contain the main data.

• If the data being processed contains a header and/or a middle structure and/or a trailer structure name then, specify the name of the middle structure to be used to process the record(s) between the first and last records of the file.

• If no middle structure is provided and a header structure name is provided, the specified header structure will be used to interpret the records subsequent to the first record of the file being processed.

Trailer Structure Name(for last record)

Default Value: N/A
Example: Trailer-record

String

Specify a Footer record which is the last record in the file.

• If the data being processed contains a header and/or a middle structure and/or a trailer structure name then, specify the name of the trailer structure here to be used to process the record(s) between the last record of the file.

• If no trailer structure is provided and a middle structure name is provided, the specified middle structure will be used to interpret the last record of the file being processed.

Configure error processing

Configure the action the Snap must take when an error occurs.

Set maximum acceptable number of errors

String

Set the maximum number of acceptable errors that can occur before the Snap terminates.

Zero (0) indicates no limit on errors that can be issued.

Configure field error processing

Use this field set to configure the Snap's action when an error ocucurs for each field.

Field Name

String/Expression/Suggestion

Specify or select the full name (this must include structure for uniqueness) of the COBOL field being configured.

Error processing configuration*

Expression/Dropdown list

Select or set the action the Snap must take when an error occurs when processing:

• Fail: The pipeline processing fails immediately an error is encountered on this field. This is the default behavior of the Snap.

• IgnoreField: The field is ignored and is not included in the output record.

• IgnoreRecord: The entire record is ignored and not included in the output.

• DefaultValue: The default value provided will be output for the field in the output record.

Default value for field

String/Expression

This is the value that will be output for a field when the DefaultValue is configured for the field.

Debugging configuration

Configure the debugging properties.

Name of only structure to output

String/Expression/Suggestion

Specify or select the name of the only structure for which data is to be sent to the output. Data for any other structure will be ignored and is not sent to the output.

Ranges of records to be output

Specify one or more ranges of records to be output.

Low record for range

String

Specify the first record in the range to be output.

High record for range

String

Specify the last record in the range to be output.

Snap Execution

Default Value: Validate & Execute
Example: Execute only

Dropdown list list

Select one of the three modes in which the Snap executes:

• Validate & Execute: Performs limited execution of the Snap, and generates a data preview during Pipeline validation. Subsequently, performs full execution of the Snap (unlimited records) during Pipeline runtime.

• Execute only: Performs full execution of the Snap during Pipeline execution without generating preview data.

• Disabled: Disables the Snap and all Snaps that are downstream from it.

"No copybooks provided or found in configuration"

At least one copybook must be configured for the Copybook Parser Snap.

Configure one or more Copybooks for the Snap.

"Header structure, middle structure or trailer structure cannot be specified with selection criteria"

A Header, Middle or Trailer structure has been specified along with the selection criteria for records.

Change the configuration to specify either the Selection criteria XML _OR_ one of more of the Header, Middle or Trailer structure configuration parameters.

"File : <file name> not found"

The file name provided for a Copybook cannot be found while trying to read the copybook file or files configured.

Review the configuration for the copy book files and ensure that they all exist and are accessible.

"Input protocol <protocol> not supported"

The protocol <protocol> provided for a copy book is not supported

Ensure the file names provided for each copybook use a supported protocol.

"No copybooks provided or found in configuration"

At least one copybook must be configured for the Copybook Parser Snap.

Configure one or more copybooks for the Snap.

"Failed to process copybooks due to: <error message>"

The Snap encountered difficulties while processing the provided copybooks using the available configurations, resulting in unsuccessful processing attempts.

Review the message provided in “<error message>” and correct the error highlighted there.

"Structure <name> not found in copybooks"

The structure name <name> has been provided as a configuration parameter but the structure does not exist in the copybooks provided.

Ensure that you provide the accurate copybooks or specify the correct structure name referenced to identify a structure included in the provided copybooks.

"Field <field name> not found in structure <structure name>"

The field was not found in the structure .

Correct the field name to reference the correct name in the named structure or the correct structure where the field name is defined.

"IO Error combining copybooks due to: <error message>"

A system error occurred combining multiple copybooks for processing.

Determine the problem based on the “<error message>” provided and correct the error.

"Range %d:%d overlaps with range %d:%d"

Multiple debug ranges have been provided and one range overlaps with another range.

Identify the range based on the ranges in the message and correct the overlap.

"Invalid range low record number <low> is higher than the high record number <high>

The lower range is higher than the higher range.

Correct the range specification so that the low range is less than or equal to the high range.

"Failed to parse XML selection criteria due to: <error message>"

An attempt to parse the XML provided in the selection criteria failed due to the error provided as “<error message>”.

Determine the problem with the XML based on the <error message> and correct the provided XML.

"Invalid error field configuration setting <setting> for field <field name>"

A field error configuration setting is invalid.

Correct the setting for the field configuration based on the suggestions provided in the configuration.

"I/O Error processing record <record number>, processing terminated"

An I/O error occurred while processing the record number.

Search for system or other errors during the runtime and correct the issue.

"Execution terminated as error count <error count> exceeded configured maximum error count <maximum errors>"

"Failed to process field <field name> due to <Error message>"

The Snap processing has terminated because the number of errors encountered while processing the data is more than the maximum errors configured.

Correct the errors that have occurred or increase the error threshold. You can increase the number of expected errors allowed by adjusting the maximum error configuration. By doing so, the Snap can complete its processing even if additional errors are encountered.

Snap fails to process any data.

The File Organization is incorrect.
For example, IO_FIXED_LENGTH is specified but the file contains CR/LF or LF characters. 

• If a single COBOL structure is provided, the structure does not match the data provided as input.

• If multiple COBOL structures are provided, the selection criteria have been specified incorrectly.

• If header, middle and trailer structures are provided, they do not match the data.

The data must be manually inspected along with the COBOL structures to determine:

• The specified file organization is correct.

• For a single structure, the length of the COBOL structure must match the length of the data records.

• For multiple structures, the matching criteria must identify the correct structure to be used and that structure must be of the same length as the data in that record.

• For header, middle and trailer structures, the COBOL structures provided for each record do not match the first, middle or trailer records.

Snap processes some data but fails mid-way through the process.

This can be caused by any of the reasons where no data is processed so check these first.

Invalid packed decimal data has been encountered which causes an exception processing an individual data record.

• Check all the possibilities included for when the Snap does not process any data.

• Identify the record that is causing the failure. Work through the data based on the COBOL structure that should process this record and identify the invalid data.

Character data is invalid or contains single invalid data.

The encoding selected does not correctly reflect the encoding used for the input character data.

If the character data is totally corrupted, it suggests that you have selected an ASCII related encoding for EBCDIC input or vice versa. You can view a character field in the data to establish if the data is EBCDIC or ASCII encoded.