Today we are going to walk through a really simple way to import flat files and CSV files straight into your IBM i physical files using the CPYFRMIMPF command.
Whether you are pulling in data from a PC, another system, or just a stream file sitting on the IFS, this command is one of the quickest and cleanest tools in the CL toolbox. No fancy APIs, no extra RPG code, just a single command that does the heavy lifting.
In the next few minutes I will show you the exact syntax for both fixed-length flat files and comma-separated CSV files. We will cover the key parameters you actually need, how to handle field mapping, and a couple of gotchas that catch people out every time.
If you work with data imports on IBM i then this one is going to save you hours. So grab a coffee, open your 5250 session, and let us get straight into it.
All the source code is in my public GITHUB repository in the CODESAMPLES folder