13 imat file development guide introduction
IMAT File Development Guide Introduction
This appendix is essentially a step-by-step (or field-by-field) documentation of how to set up and maintain a State-specific extract program that will create the “IMAT” (Input Micro Auxiliary Transaction) File. This file is a supplement to the standard IMT File; however, the IMAT updates are used by the Micro Omni Auxiliary (MOA) File, rather than the Micro File.
MOA records are not universally present in the manner that Micro records are. Since this is an “Auxiliary” data file, it will only have data for a minority of the employer records. Another significant difference between Micro and MOA data is that there are several different types of records found in the MOA File, compared to a single format used for the Micro File. The address record (for the mailing/other address) is represented by a record type code of “A”. The contact information is found in a “C” type record. Both email addresses and fax phone numbers are placed in the “E” record. A website address can be found in a “W” type of record. And supplemental predecessor/successor data are placed in the “P” record type (though this type of record is not dealt with yet in the IMAT File, and is likely to change in format with the Version 9 release in September 2006).
Originally, “MOA” stood for the “Mailing/Other Address” File, since this was the only type of record found in the file. The additional record types described above were introduced in Version 8, so the file name was changed to the “Micro Omnifarious Auxiliary” File, or simply MOA File. Some of the fields are updateable from the IMT record (including the facsimile phone number, the mailing/other address and the contact name, previously known as the attention name). The IMAT record is more comprehensive than the IMT, since it deals with all of the MOA fields, except for supplemental predecessor and successor information (which may change in the future).
Several of the fields found in the MOA File are difficult to find in a State Tax File or other source file. It is expected, therefore, that there will be few States that will need to develop this file. However, it remains here for convenience and is available whenever these additional fields become available to the State extract process. If an IMAT File development program is produced, it can be processed into the MOA File via the 043D batch job, which parallels 001D in its update method. What follows is a list of the IMAT fields along with their proper utilization.
Hyperlinks are embedded throughout this document. Two types of hyperlinks are in use. For the field ID’s (in titles above a field’s description), the hyperlink connects individual field names to the IMAT record layout that appears at the end of this appendix. Hyperlinks appearing within the text of a description are references to other fields; these hyperlinks transfer to that other field’s description, rather than to the record layout table.
The record layout chart is the same as the table found in the Files Record Layouts of the EXPO system documentation, but doesn’t need to be opened separately (sometimes a time-consuming operation). These hyperlinks are available so you can see how the field fits into the record layout, the valid values, etc. The IMAT copy member can be found in your EXPO/EARS Documentation and Source Code CD in the Source_Code\Copybooks directory, listed as “ES2IMAT.CPY”.
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