Data Management Script (DMS) file

The Data Management Script (DMS) file is a text file with a .dms filename extension, which defines a data transformation job. The DMS file provides a scalable solution to your data management tasks. For example, at its simplest, a DMS file can define a simple transfer from one data format or location to another. A more complex example would be a DMS file that includes complex cleaning algorithms, that sets up several different types of weighting and some filter and banner variables for use during analysis, and transfers a subset of the case data to three different formats.

You can create a DMS file using UNICOM Intelligence Professional or a text editor such as Notepad. When using a text editor, if the file contains non-Western European characters, you must save it in Unicode or UTF-8 text format and not ANSI format.

This section defines the syntax of the DMS file and provides some examples. For more information, see Syntax conventions.

Example of a DMS file

Filtering data in a DMS file

Breaking up long lines in the DMS file

Comments in the DMS file

Using include files in the DMS file

Using text substitution in the DMS file

Sections in the DMS file

For more information abut using preprocessor directives in a DMS file, see Using preprocessor directives.

▪The UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library comes with WinDMSRun, an application for generating, validating, and running a simple DMS file. For more information, see WinDMSRun.

▪The UNICOM Intelligence Developer Documentation Library includes some sample DMS files, which you can use as templates. For more information, see Using the sample DMS files.

▪Understanding the process flow shows the order of processing the sections in the DMS file in different situations (such as a typical standard transformation, using the UseInputAsOutput option, a case data-only transformation, and when operating on metadata only).