How to Set Up a BizTalk Flat File Configuration

Some organizations may have a need to translate an inbound flat file source document into an XML destination document. This article uses the same document specification for both the inbound and the outbound documents, and therefore does not require a map.

The BizFlatFileToXML.exe file that accompanies this article is a self-extracting file that contains prepared files to assist in this task.

If you are having problems understanding how flat files are used in the BizTalk environment, this article and the self-extracting BizFlatFileToXML.exe file will provide you with a simple example of how to work with flat files.

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
The BizFlatFileToXML.exe file contains the following files:

For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Steps to Set Up the Sample

1. Run the BizFlatFileToXML.exe to extract the sample files.
2. Open the BizTalk Editor, open the Comic.xml file that is in the Doc folder, and then click Store to WebDAV on the File menu.
3. Close the BizTalk Editor.
4. Create two folders on your hard disk:
   C:\FlatFile
   C:\XMLDest
5. Run the FlatSetup.vbs file by double-clicking it.
6. Open the BizTalk Administrator, and then create a File Receive function called TestFlat with the following parameters:
   File types to poll for: *.txt
   Polling Location: C:\FlatFile
   
7. For the Advanced options, set the following:
   Envelope name: FlatToXML
   Channel name: Flat To XML Channel

Running the sample

1. Copy the Testcomics.txt file to the C:\FlatFile folder.
2. Open the C:\XMLDest folder to see the file that BizTalk copied to the folder.