Use field name parsing to make your Data Prep process more resilient to changes in file structure. Instead of mapping fields by their position, Duco can now map them by name.
What Is Field Name Parsing?
By default, Duco identifies fields in your input files based on their position (e.g. column 1, column 2). This works well when files follow a consistent format.
Field name parsing adds flexibility. It allows Duco to match fields based on their header names instead. This is useful when:
- fields are reordered,
- column names vary between files,
- new or missing columns appear.
You can also define aliases and set required fields.
Enabling Field Name Parsing
1. Go to your Data Prep Input settings
2. Under "Analyse submissions by," select Field name (1)
3. Define aliases (2) for any known variations of a field name (e.g. “Trade Date,” “trade_date”)
4. Mark fields as mandatory or optional (3):
- Mandatory: Submission fails if the field is missing
- Optional: Submission continues, but the field appears blank
You can also define aliases and set required fields.
Differences Between Field Name and Position Parsing
| Scenario | Position parsing | Field name parsing |
| New column is added in submission | The submission will fail due to a mismatch between the expected and received number of columns. | The submission will be processed successfully; the new column will be disregarded. |
| Column is removed in submission | If a field is not marked as mandatory, submissions will be processed successfully, but null values will appear under the removed column. However, if the field is mandatory, the submission will fail. | |
| Columns are reordered in submission | Data type mismatch resulting from a new column sequence is the only cause for potential submission failure. | The submission will be successfully processed. |
| Column has different header name in submission | The submission will be successfully processed. | The submission will be processed successfully, but the column with the new header name will be disregarded unless the user configures an alias for the new name. |
| Column has different data type in submission | The success of a submission relies on whether the new data type was upcasted or downcasted; if it was upcasted, the submission will fail. | |
When to Use Field Name Parsing
This feature will be helpful in situations when:
- your files come from systems that often change,
- field order isn’t consistent,
- column names vary slightly across files.
This lets you reuse one Input definition across file versions—no need to duplicate your setup.