Process External Input File via Assistant

Explanation

Use this activity to read an external input file, unpack the file data and call a dedicated interface (API) that will continue with the further processing of the data.

The assistant can handle any file type and file template defined in External Files. This means that this is a multi-purpose assistant that can handle the same actions as existing interfaces, e.g. the External Supplier Invoices Interface in Invoice.

Prerequisites

System Effects

The following is will be a result of this activity:

Window

External File Assistant

Related Window Descriptions

External File Assistant

Procedure

  1. Open the External File Assistant.
  2. Choose processing mode, Online or Batch.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Supply file options on this page, i.e. external file type, parameter set, external file template and the file name.
    The file direction is set automatically according to the following:

Make sure that the file direction is InputFile.

  1. Click Next.
  2. If a parameter set was supplied that has associated parameters then these parameters will be displayed along with defined default values. Modify the values for each parameter if necessary. Click List, if available, to get valid values for each parameter.  The field might also support a drop down list with valid values.
  3. If the processing mode is Online then click Finish to start the process, else click  Next.
  4. If the processing mode is Batch then define the scheduling of the batch job and start the process by clicking Finish.