Workstation Files

To transfer data from a workstation to the iSeries, eServer™ i5, or System i5®, the transfer function uses a special-format workstation file, called a file-description file. Using this file, data is stored in a valid format and converted into a valid type.

A file-description file identifies the format of a workstation data file and contains a description of the fields in the data file. The file-description file also contains a name list of all the fields in the data file. This list reflects the order, as well as the names, in which each field appears within the data file. In addition, this list includes a description of the data type, length, and decimal position of each field. Using this information, the transfer function can recognize not only how data has been modified but also where a certain field exists in a file record.

When data is transferred from the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 to a workstation, you can use the transfer function to automatically create the file-description file. In this case, the information in the file-description file depends on the file description in the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5 file.

You must create a file-description file with the same name as the workstation data file to transfer a workstation data file to the iSeries, eServer i5, or System i5.