If you've worked with a delimited file format before, then you've seen first hand how it can turn your Excel data into raw, misaligned and unformatted text. While it may be difficult to read as is, the basic textual rendition is the simplest way of making your Excel data highly portable.

In this unrefined text formatting, designated keyboard characters (or "delimiters") are used to maintain the data's tabular organization. To separate the data normally contained in different columns and text fields, inserted commas or tabbed spaces are used, respectively creating a Comma Separated Values (CSV) Delimited and Tab Delimited file format. The meaning of the data values are kept in tact although the spreadsheet formatting is represented differently.

Maintaining this integrity, though, isn't always the case when it comes to the delimiters. Unfortunately, not all applications will interpret the tabbed spaces and comma characters as proper delimiters. Consequently, your data can be misinterpreted and your text file tasks impossible.

What Is A Fixed Record Format?

Unlike a delimited file, a fixed record format contains data with each line of textual information (known as a "record") being divided into fields of fixed byte lengths. When you create a fixed record file, you determine how much space is allocated for each field in the first row, and hence, the space in that field's respective column.

The spacing remains consistent down the entire column. If the vertically aligned values fall short of the required field length, the field will be padded with trailing spaces or, if the values exceed it, will be cut off. These inflexible fixed lengths eliminate the need for potentially misinterpreted delimiters that can make your work difficult.

Creating a fixed record file, however, is never difficult. It only takes the right data converter to change your existing CSV or Tab delimited files into the reliable and readable fixed record format you can easily use within spreadsheet, database and word-processing programs.