1. Automating Test File Creation Using Excel, UltraEdit, and Batch files to build test data

2. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 20042 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.

3. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 20043 Four Steps 1.Build a Template file 2.Preparing your file for Excel 3.Using Excel to update the data 4.Using batch files

4. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 20044 Build a Template file Start with a clean file (no errors, IG edits, business edits, etc.) In our example were building X12 837Is (Institutional health care claims) beginning with the following file.

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6. 6 Preparing your file for Excel First we determine differences needed for each file: 1.We need to change the HCPCS code in three places and modify the CLM01 for tracking. 2.To isolate the fields to update, insert a TAB before and after the field. 3.Once this is completed, well 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. Heres how using UltraEdit…

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10. 10 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. 3.Autofill as many rows as you need test files.

11. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200411 Note that each code has its own column

12. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200412 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.

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14. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200414 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.

15. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200415 Paste into each column requiring an update.

16. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200416 You may modify any column as show on these slides.

17. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200417 You may modify any column as show on these slides.

18. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200418 You may modify any column as show on these slides.

19. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200419 You may modify any column as show on these slides.

20. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200420 Using batch files Now well create a batch file to pipe data to multiple files. 1.Copy the data from the spreadsheet into a text file and save. 2.Remove all TAB characters.

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24. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200424 Using batch files, contd. Using UltraEdit we can use column mode to build a working batch file. 1.Save this file as a batch file (*.bat). 2.Identify a unique text pattern on each line. 3.Using the FINDSTR function from a DOS batch file we can build our individual files using each rows unique Text Pattern (aka Regular Expressions). 4.The syntax is as follows: FINDSTR /R "ISA.*I_AE_ADDED_PASS" Example.txt > I_AE_ADDED_PASS.txt

25. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200425 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.

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27. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200427 Your final batch file should look something like the following.

28. Barry DeBruin - November 9th, 200428 We can see the files build as the batch file runs.