Data Transformation Engine Type Designer Reference Guide

Chapter 4 - Type Properties Basic Type Properties
Terminator
A terminator is a syntax object that appears at the end of a data object. The
terminator becomes part of the data type definition.
Property Description
None There are no terminators.
Literal A constant value. Expand the Terminator property to define the
literal terminator Value.
Variable Allow for possible values. Expand the Terminator property to
define the variable terminator Default, Item, and Find
properties.
For example, a carriage return/linefeed (CR/LF) at the end of a record is the
record’s terminator.
Generally, if the data ends with a given syntax object, you should define a literal
terminator. For example, it is very common to define a CR/LF as a terminator of a
record when you know that the record always ends with a CR/LF, regardless of
where the record appears.
Release Characters
A release character is a one-byte character in your data indicating that the
character(s) following it should be interpreted as data, not as a syntax object. The
release character is not treated as data, but the data that follows it is treated as
actual data.
Building Release Characters for Output Data
If a release character is defined for a type, a release character is inserted for each
occurrence of a syntax object in the data of any item contained in that type.
Guidelines for Using Release Characters
Guidelines for using release characters include the following:
♦ Release characters apply to character data only, not binary data.
♦ Characters defined as pad characters are not released.