Overview
A binary file collector requires a grammar to define the file so that the collector can extract the data. The grammar is added to the File Format Description tab in the File Collector configuration.
Binary file grammars are defined in XML. In fact, with a binary file grammar you can define the structure of any binary or ASCII file that has a definable structure.
In the case of a Binary File collector, you can also specify a set of target nodes - that is, nodes which will generate an output record. These are specified in the Stream Item Node field, along with the binary file grammar, in the File Format Description tab of the File Collector configuration form.
The user guide CenterView Binary File Grammar Guide.pdf gives details of:
- creating binary file grammars
- creating File Columns in a File Collector that reads binary files, in the section Creating the File Columns for the File Collector
- details of using the data read from binary files in Streams, in the section Referring to File Columns in Stream Attribute Expressions