16.2.1.2 Control Tab

Using the Control tab, you can:
  1. Reconcile between source data received and data loaded into AFCS, using the control information available from the source system. This feature is used to implement record count validation or amount reconciliation from a source file. It also allows specifying a threshold for validation. The specified threshold is compared with the difference (record count or amount) to perform the validation. The execution fails only if the difference is more than the threshold value.
  2. The threshold can be an absolute or a percentage value. The connector execution process considers the threshold type while performing reconciliation.
  3. Generate control information for file extracts from AFCS. Specifying control for extract EDDs generates control details, based on the configuration in the EDD. Both record count and amount value (sum, average, max, and so on) for specific columns are recorded into the control file.

    Note:

    This option is applicable only for file type EDDs (ASCII and EBCDIC).
  4. Descriptive metadata provides additional information about an input file, such as the source system, file creation date, business date, or file name. Metadata records are extracted during connector execution. They are not used for reconciliation unless the same key is explicitly configured as a control.

    Table 16-2 Control Tab Description

    Fields Description
    NOTE: The Reconciliation details present in separate file option cannot be modified if the option Is the file archived in Data Tab is enabled. For more details see Data Tab.

    When Archive option is enabled:

    If you want to perform reconciliation, control file must always be present in the same archive as input data files and should be a separate file.

    The control file should have only two columns that are Control Name and Expected Value. Records matching the configured Control Names are processed as control records. Other valid key-value records are processed as descriptive metadata.

    When Separate File is selected as Yes.
    File Name Specify the name of the file.
    File Format

    There are two options:

    • Fixed Length: The file has records and columns with a fixed length. Each column has a predetermined and unchanging size, set when the record layout is designed, and the sum of the column sizes add up to the record size.
    • Delimited: There is a separation of the records and columns using a delimiter character like a comma, semicolon, hyphen, or so on.

    In the previous example, select Delimited.
    Column Delimiter

    If the File Format is selected as Fixed Length, the Column Delimiter would be Other by default.

    If the File format is selected as Delimited, the following options are available in the drop-down list.

    • Other
    • Space
    • Semicolon
    • Comma
    • Tab

    In the previous example, select Comma.
    Control Record Type Code Used to uniquely identify a record within a file. A financial institution sometimes provides files that have data and control records within the same file. In such a case, to distinguish between data record and control record, the first field is Record Type. It has a specific value to identify that. Here, specify the value that identifies the data. Values can be ‘DATA’ and so on. For the Control record, the value is specified under the Control tab. Only the first field of a file is used for Record Type.
    Record Delimiter

    The records are stored differently in different operating systems. The following options are available:

    • MS-DOS
    • Unix
    • No Record Delimiter
    • Other

    For example, select Unix.
    Skip number of records Provide the number of records to be skipped. The records are skipped from the top. Generally, this is used to skip Headers. Example: If you specify this as 1, the first row in the file will be ignored.
    Text Qualifier A character that identifies text. Generally, double quotes are prefixed and suffixed to identify text. This is optional.
    Decimal separator Specify up to which decimal digit you want to view the result.
    Record Type Length The length of the record type value to pick up the correct record. For example, if the control record is “DATATotal Records400” and DATA is the Record type, the length is ‘4’. This is applicable only for Control records that are of fixed length.
    When Separate File is selected as No.
    When Are Reconciliation details present in Separate File option is disabled, the below fields will be enabled.  
    Is Reconciliation file encrypted? This option indicates whether the reconciliation file is encrypted. Enable this toggle if the reconciliation file has been encrypted. When turned ON, the system will decrypt the file using the configured encryption key before processing. If left OFF, the file will be treated as a plain (non encrypted) file.
    Control Record Type Code Used to uniquely identify a record within a file. A financial institution sometimes provides files that have data and control records within the same file. In such a case, to distinguish between data record and control record, the first field is Record Type. It has a specific value to identify that. Here, specify the value that identifies the data. Values can be ‘DATA’ and so on. For the Control record, the value is specified under the Control tab. Only the first field of a file is used for Record Type.
    Specify control and metadata value length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Value field.
    Specify control and metadata name length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Name field.
    Metadata Record Type Code Specify the code used to identify metadata records in the file. For example, METADATA.
    Specify Record Type Length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Value field.
    Does the reconciliation include descriptive metadata Yes Enable this option to extract and store descriptive metadata available in the control file. Metadata must be provided in the same key-value format as control information. If the Separate file is Yes, provide all the file related information.
    Specify control and metadata value length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Value field.
    Specify control and metadata name length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Name field.
    Metadata Record Type Code Specify the code used to identify metadata records in the file. For example, METADATA.
    Specify Record Type Length For a fixed-length file, specify the length of the Control or Metadata Value field.
    Metadata Record Type Code Behaviour  
    Configuration Behaviour
    Data, control and metadata are present in the same file Data, Control and Metadata Record Type Codes are mandatory and must have different values.
    Reconciliation details are present in a separate file Control and Metadata Record Type Codes must be unique. If one Record Type Code is specified, the other must also be specified.
    Controls
    Control Name Specify the name of the control.
    Aggregation Method

    Select either Aggregation Method or Count.

    The supported aggregation methods are as follows:

    • Min
    • Max
    • Average
    • Sum
    Aggregation Column Name

    Select the column on which the aggregation method is applied.

    NOTE: For count, no column needs to be selected.
    Threshold Type

    This field is optional. There are two available options for threshold: percentage or absolute.

    If you select percentage, the reconciliation difference in percent is matched against this threshold value.

    If you select absolute, the absolute difference is matched against this threshold value.
    Threshold Value Specify the difference value in percent or absolute.

    Note:

    • If descriptive metadata is enabled but metadata records are not available in the file, connector execution continues with a warning.
    • Metadata records are stored separately and do not affect control reconciliation.
    • The Metadata records will be ingested into the Execution File Metadata table.