12 input micro transaction imt file
The Input Micro Transaction (IMT) File
The Input Micro Transactions (IMT) File is the most crucial part of the interface between the State source files and the Exportable QCEW System. It provides the necessary information for the Micro File, which is the heart of the system. The Micro File is a KSDS-indexed fixed-length VSAM file, whereas the IMT File is a straight sequential, or "flat" file. IMT records are processed by program ES2MI01, which matches them against the Micro File and the Micro Omni Auxiliary (MOA) File, to determine what updates are taking place.
An IMT record is 1364 bytes in length. The format once nearly matched that of the Micro File, but now they bear little similarity at all. Now the IMT File contains some elements that no longer exist in micro data, has some administrative fields that must be interpreted as quarter-specific fields (and vice versa), and has several items that are intended for placement in the MOA File. The Micro File now contains extensive new fields related to geocoding and augmented functions, has shortened some year fields to two-digit representations, shows most numeric fields as either “packed” or computational (binary) values, and has migrated several fields either from administrative to quarterly-occurrence data, or to records within other files, such as the MOA File and the Predecessor/ Successor Actual (PSA) File. The IMT File can carry up to six quarters of data, while the Micro File maintains eight quarters. Most often, the IMT quarters will start with the current quarter and work backward. The Micro File starts with the future quarter; so it would have one extra quarter both earlier than and later than the IMT quarter range.
One major difference between the two files is that there are no strictly numeric fields in the IMT record layout. The main reason for allowing alpha values in the numeric fields is for special notation. Low-values (binary zeroes) are used to show that a field is to remain the same as it has been on the micro record. For a new account, low-values indicate that system defaults should be applied to the field. Unknown or missing data, or items that are irrelevant to processing the record could explain the presence of low-valued fields. The use of low-values was elected rather than spaces, since there may be instances when a field should be blanked out, and special characters would be required to distinguish between the "no change" and "blank out" notations. 1,2
In writing IMT records, the entire record should first be initialized to low-values, so as to allow any unset fields to be properly defaulted or left alone. Next, set the Unemployment Insurance (U-I) account number and reporting unit number. Thereafter, fields may be filled in as they are needed. The field descriptions that follow use the variable names as they appear in the exportable system. These begin with "IMT-" or "IMTQ-" (for quarterly data). Otherwise, the field names are identical to those in the Micro File, which begin with "MIC-", "MICQ-", respectively; any exceptions to this rule are duly noted. Fields in the mailing/other address block or contact name in the IMT record will have corresponding values in the VSAM Micro Omni Auxiliary File (once known as the Mailing/Other Address File), but will have no mention in the Micro File itself.
The ES2MI01 interface program has been designed to make the writing of the interface programs as simple as possible. For records that are already present on the Micro File, most of the IMT record elements may be left as low-values. In fact, as a minimum requirement, an IMT record could process with no data except the U-I account number and reporting unit number (which is the primary record key). However, this would not change the micro data at all. New accounts, on the other hand, should be filled in as fully as possible. This will be dealt with on a field-by-field basis in the pages that follow.
Note: Each field name below appears in blue because it is hyper-linked to the IMT record layout at the end of this document. Click on the field ID to see where it is placed in the record, which values are valid, etc. When finished with the hyperlink, click the “back” arrow to return to your place in the document.
1 There are alternative approaches that could potentially be effective. For instance, BLS had once opted to use spaces to show unchanged fields in the EQUI deliverable file, but looked for a right brace ('}') at the beginning of a field to denote a change from non-blank to blank values. This format was short-lived, however, as it presented its own complications.
2 Some States perform extracts through a PC network. PC’s have notoriously had problems with low-value characters, since they normally signal an end-of-record or similar marker. If this becomes problematic, a separate character can be substituted for low-values, such as a pound sign (“#”); the characters can be reconverted by the EXPO job 084S, so that they will be ready for the MI01 program.
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