Reading from a Mainframe Server

vnspn · Post by **vnspn** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:16 am

Hi,

I need to read a Maifnrame file from a Mainframe server. Hope the only option is to use a FTP stage. Because, upon using the Complex Flat File stage, the file to be accessed has to reside in the DS Server machine. In this case, as the file resides in a remote Mainframe machine, is the only way to read that would be using FTP stage?

If I import the Cobol layout file into DS, then I get the metadata with Level numbers. Hope this kind of metadata can be used only in a CFF stage and not in a FTP stage.

So, hope the only possibility to read a file from Mainframe server itself is only by using a FTP stage. In that case, how should the metadata need to be defined so that the FTP stage recognises the Mainframe file.

Any ideas on this is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

ArndW · Post by **ArndW** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:23 am

You can read from the mainframe using the FTP stage and then write the data to a sequential file that is declared as a named pipe. This pipe is then read via CFF in the same job and interpreted as per the copybook definitions. Using this method you will process the data row-by-row and not have to write&read it from disk before processing.

asitagrawal · Post by **asitagrawal** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:05 am

FTP sometimes results in illegal character translation,
I am using a different tool , which does the file exchange between Mainframes and my Windows server, which till date, did not report any illegal character translations ( as with FTP ) too.

Once the file is on your Windows sever, you can read it using the Sequential File Stage, which the correct Metadata.

vnspn · Post by **vnspn** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:42 am

ArndW,

As per you say, then what should be the metadata that needs to be given in the first FTP stage.

vnspn · Post by **vnspn** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 11:59 am

asitagrawal,

Can you please let me know the tool that you are using to move file from Mainframe to Windows server.

You say that once the file is in the Windows server, it can be read using a Sequential File stage. But what is the metadata that you would give in this Sequential File stage. Because the file that we have transferred to the Windows server is a Mainframe file.

asitagrawal · Post by **asitagrawal** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:53 pm

I am using ConnectDirect .

In my case I know what is the structure of the file, so I have specified the metadata accordingly, so same u can do.
I am not very comfortable with mainframes, so cannot comment on the metadata specific to the mainframe file. I am dealing with text files.
The file to be processed comes from Mainframes to Windows, using the above mentioned tool. And then the same file is read using the Sequential File stage.