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Understanding Prohibited Characters: A Guide to Ensuring Data Integrity
Understanding Prohibited Characters: A Guide to Ensuring Data Integrity
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Overview

Prohibited characters can significantly impact the usability and integrity of position files. Understanding and avoiding certain characters that can cause file parsing errors or data corruption is essential in ensuring a smooth file upload process and data integrity.

The following characters are problematic because they have special meanings in the context of software systems. They could be system commands, escape characters, or separators that can be misinterpreted when used in your position file, leading to errors in data reading and interpretation.

Characters that you should avoid while creating attributes in your position files are:

  • "|" = Pipe character

  • "_" = Underscore

  • "\\" = Double backslash

  • "_UL" = Suffix added to the end of an underlying instrument identifier

  • "#" = Hashtag

Data Types

The chart below defines how to format input values for each data type. Respecting these defined data types isn't just good practice; it's a fundamental requirement for avoiding errors and failures. This information, along with examples and sample files, can also be found in our Data Specifications.

Commas, while not prohibited, can have a significant impact on data integrity if used incorrectly. To ensure the correct use of commas, it's vital to adhere to the guidelines presented in the chart below.

Remember, when building or manipulating position files, every character has the potential to impact the interpretation of your data. Being mindful of character usage can go a long way in maintaining the clarity and integrity of your data.

Type

Definition

Example

Boolean

Must be the word true or false (case sensitive)

true

Date

Must be in "YYYY-MM-DD" format (ISO 8601)

2015-12-31

Decimal (Precision, Scale)

Must use "." as a decimal separator. Group (thousand) separators are not allowed, and exponential formatting is not allowed. Up to 21 decimal places are supported.

123444.227566

Integer

Whole number (positive or negative). Group (thousand) separators are not allowed, and exponential formatting is not allowed

19944

String

A sequence of characters. When using CSV format, must not include commas (","). All strings are case-INSENSITIVE (except currencies)

Nokia

List

Comma separated string

XNYC,XLON

Technical Documentation

Our Technical Documentation is also an important resource because it contains a full list of properties and their valid input values, as well as helpful notes and descriptions.

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