How do I build solutions that read CSV or other custom format input files?
You will firstly need to create a custom encoder for reading non-XML file formats. You can do this in the NetBeans IDE by building a custom-defined XML Schema Definition (XSD) that describes your format. The XML schema editor also provides a testing tool so that you can verify your encoder against your sample files. Once you have defined the encoder, you need to apply the encoder in the message definitions and settings of the component(s) that require it e.g. File BC (as shown in this screencast). This will allow you to see your CSV or custom message format as an XML structure. If your format contains repeating nodes (or multiple records in a single CSV file), you can use a simple BPEL process to iterate over them and perform the required transformations and / or service invocations.
