Release Date: 6/5/2023
Elliott Versions: 8.6 and Higher
Background
Some customers have modified the standard Elliott DDF files to include custom information that is vital to their business. For example, the gun industry requires an FFL number and date to be associated with each customer record. In situations like these, Elliott customers have typically replaced the standard DDFs with their custom DDFs in the ...\Bin86\DDF40 folder.
Unfortunately, the Elliott update process for V8.6 and higher sometimes will need to override the DDFs in the ...\Bin86\DDF40 folder (e.g., when a new, standard field is added to a record). With this update, we are allowing those customers to specify a folder where they can have their DDF files, where Elliott will look for them and where an Elliott update will not disturb them.
Specifying Location of Custom DDFs
In order to specify a location for your custom DDFs, you must manually edit EL860.CFG in the ...\Bin86 folder. Add the following section and entry:
[Transaction-DDF]
Path=<relative or absolute path>
<relative or absolute path> specifies the custom DDF folder, like ".\DDF40\MYDDFS" or "C:\Elliott8\Bin86\DDF40\MYDDFS".
Note: A relative path is specified relative to <Root>\Bin86.
If this entry is missing, as it will be for most Elliott customers, the DDF files will be used from the ...\Bin86\DDF40 folder.
Elliott Usage of Custom DDFs
The following processes will use custom DDFs when they are available:
- The Elliott Export Processor
- Some internal Elliott processes that use generalized File Access
- DDF2BTR
The following processes will not use custom DDFs:
- Elliott Web Services
- PowerSearch
- Report Desk
Note: You can use SQL functions, like SUBSTRING, to create a "custom" field in your searches and reports.
If you use other software (for example a reporting tool like Crystal Reports), they should not point to the ...\Bin86\DDF40 folder directly or indirectly, because that folder can be overridden by an Elliott update.
Programs: NWSMDDFM, DDF2BTR
JEG