automating test file creation

Automating Test File Creation

Using Excel, UltraEdit, and Batch files to build test data

Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 2004 2

Introduction

• This presentation provides fives steps that users can follow to automate test file creation.

• The example is for creating files used in a code set release where the test files could be identical with the exception of four fields which needed to have a unique code per file.


Four Steps

1. Build a “Template” file

2. Preparing your file for Excel

3. Using Excel to update the data

• Using batch files


Build a “Template” file

• Start with a clean file (no errors, IG edits, business edits, etc.)

• In our example we’re building X12 837I’s (Institutional health care claims) beginning with the following file.


Preparing your file for Excel

First we determine differences needed for each file:– We need to change the HCPCS code in three places

and modify the CLM01 for tracking.– To isolate the fields to update, insert a TAB before

and after the field.– Once this is completed, we’ll also need to unwrap

the file by removing the carriage return/line feeds to give us a continuous string of data (~^p with ~). NOTE: The same commands can be used in Word.

Here’s how using UltraEdit…


Using Excel to update the data

1. Copy the string of data from UltraEdit to a new workbook in Excel.

2. The tabs will separate your data into their own columns.

• Autofill as many rows as you need test files.


Note that each code has it’s own column


1. Highlight the entire row.

2. Autofill by using the black cross (hold cursor over black dot)

3. Drag it down as many rows as needed.


1. You must have the data for each row separated with carriage return/line feeds.

2. Highlight your data and copy it for pasting onto the Excel spreadsheet.


Paste into each column requiring an update.


You may modify any column as show on these slides.


Using batch files

Now we’ll create a batch file to pipe data to multiple files.

• Copy the data from the spreadsheet into a text file and save.

3. Remove all TAB characters.


Using batch files, cont’d.

Using UltraEdit we can use column mode to build a working batch file.

• Save this file as a batch file (*.bat).• Identify a unique text pattern on each line.• Using the FINDSTR function from a DOS batch file

we can build our individual files using each rows unique “Text Pattern” (aka Regular Expressions).

• The syntax is as follows:FINDSTR /R "ISA.*I_AE_ADDED_PASS" Example.txt > I_AE_ADDED_PASS.txt


Cursor is here

Using Column mode we can insert character into a specific column thereby building our batch file.

Here we are inserting a period in the fourth column to begin building our regular expression.


Your final batch file should look something like the following.


We can see the files build as the batch file runs.

automating test file creation

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