Flat File Message Headers

The parsing of the optional flat file instance message header by the flat file disassembler is controlled by the flat file schema that you have configured in the Header schema design-time property of the flat file disassembler or the XMLNORM.HeaderSpecName message context property. If you have not specified a schema using one of these two methods, the flat file disassembler assumes that the flat file instance message does not contain a header.

Outbound messages

For outbound flat file instance messages, you can configure the flat file assembler to produce a header by specifying the appropriate schema in its Header Specification Name design-time property or the XMLNORM.HeaderSpecName message context property. For more information about setting message context properties, see Message Context Properties in the UI guidance and developers API namespace reference.

Inbound messages

Data found in inbound flat file instance message headers can be preserved and utilized in two different ways. First, flat file instance message headers can be saved in their entirety within the message context of the body for later restoration as the header of a corresponding outbound flat file instance message. You can use the Preserve header property of the receive pipeline to specify that the header should be preserved. And if a header is specified in the flat file assembler, the preserved header will be used on the outbound message.

Second, individual items of data from a flat file instance message header can be copied to the message context associated with the flat file message body by specifying property promotion for one or more of the fields in the corresponding schema. For more information about promoting properties, see Promoting Properties.

See Also

Flat File Message Bodies
Flat File Message Trailers
Structure of a Flat File Message
How to Create Schemas for Flat File Messages