Data Transformation Engine Type Designer Reference Guide

Chapter 7 - Group Properties Sequence Group Formats
Sequence Group Formats
A sequence group has either an Explicit or Implicit format.
Property Description
Explicit The explicit format relies on syntax to separate components. Each
component can be identified by its position or by a delimiter in the
data. Delimiters appear for missing components.
Implicit The implicit format relies on the properties of the component
types. The format is not fixed. If delimiters separate components,
they do not appear for missing components.
For example, if each component of a fixed group has a fixed size, the component
is distinguished from the next component by its position in the data. Or, a group
may have delimiters that appear for missing components. In these cases, the
format is apparent; the group has an explicit format.
If a group does not have an explicit format, it has an implicit format. An implicit
format relies on the properties of the component types. In this example, the
components make some pattern in the data and it is possible to distinguish
between them, but the format is not fixed and if delimiters separate components,
they do not appear for missing components.
When deciding what format a group has, it may help to ask first whether it is clear
where one component ends and another begins. Generally, a group has an explicit
format if the position of each component in the data stream is always the same or
if a delimiter always marks the place for each component.
Explicit Format
To specify that a group has an explicit format, choose Explicit for the Format
property. Select a setting for the Track property, and choose the group’s syntax:
Fixed or Delimited.
Track
The Track property indicates whether the system should track only the
components that have content or all components, including those that do not have
content. The settings are Content and Places.
For example, if a group StudyGroup has the component Name(s), and Track
Places is specified, any empty occurrences of Name are tracked.