A delimiter is the character that separates one column from the next in a text file, such as a comma, tab, semicolon, or space; for Excel workbooks it is instead a format setting, because the workbook already knows its own columns. In an EDGEBIC import mask, the delimiter tells the reader how to split each line into fields. Get it right and the columns land where they should; get it wrong and the whole line reads as one value.
EDGEBIC by User Solutions uses the delimiter setting on the mask to pick the right file reader. This article defines the term. To set it in context, read how to build an import mask.
How It Works
A text file is just lines of characters, and something has to mark where each column ends. That marker is the delimiter. A comma-separated file (CSV) puts a comma between values; a tab-separated file uses the tab character; some exports use a semicolon or a space.
In an import mask you choose the format so EDGEBIC reads the file correctly. Excel workbooks use their own reader, because the spreadsheet already stores columns as discrete cells and needs no character delimiter. Comma, semicolon, space, and tab each route to the text reader configured for that separator, which also handles common text extensions.
Two related settings often travel with the delimiter. First, whether the file has a header row: with headers, you map columns by name; without, you map by numbered column position. Second, whether fields are wrapped in quotation marks: a well-formed CSV quotes any value that itself contains the delimiter, and the mask can be told to respect that quoting so an inner comma is read as data rather than a column break.
The delimiter you pick must match how the file was actually saved. It is a property of the file, not a preference.
A Concrete Example
Think of a delimiter as the lines painted on a parking lot. If cars park between the painted lines, everyone lands in a tidy space. Repaint the lines in the wrong places and cars end up straddling two spaces or crammed into one. The paint has to match how the lot is actually used.
In EDGEBIC, the same file read three ways:
| Delimiter setting | What the reader does |
|---|---|
| Comma | Splits each line on commas: a proper CSV lands in neat columns |
| Tab | Splits on tabs: correct for a tab-separated export, wrong for a CSV |
| Excel | Reads workbook cells directly: correct for an .xlsx file |
Point the comma setting at a tab file and every row collapses into one column, because there are no commas to split on. Point the Excel setting at a real workbook and each cell lands in its own column with no guessing. The setting has to match the file.
How EDGEBIC Uses It
The delimiter is a field on the import mask, chosen once alongside whether the file has headers and whether its values are quoted. From those settings EDGEBIC selects the correct reader and splits each row into the columns you then map to fields.
Matching the delimiter to the file is the first thing to check when an import reads as one giant column, which is the classic symptom of a mismatch. For files from locales that use the comma inside numbers, a semicolon delimiter usually keeps the two from clashing. For the surrounding mask mechanics see how EDGEBIC handles import masks, and for the numeric-conversion companion setting see the sibling term conversion factor. Browse more definitions in the manufacturing glossary.
Expert Q&A: Deep Dive
Q: Our import lands everything in one column no matter what we do. What is wrong?
A: The mask delimiter almost certainly does not match the file. When the reader splits on the wrong character, it finds no breaks and treats the whole line as a single value, so every row collapses into one column. Open the file in a plain text editor and look at what actually separates the values: if you see tabs, set the mask to tab; if you see semicolons, set it to semicolon; if it is a real Excel workbook, choose the Excel option instead of any character delimiter. Save the mask, re-run, and the columns will split correctly. This is the single most common cause of a file that reads as one giant column.
Q: A European supplier sends files where the comma is used inside numbers. Can EDGEBIC read those?
A: Yes, but choose the delimiter carefully. Files from locales that use the comma as a decimal separator typically use a semicolon to separate columns precisely so the two never clash. Set the mask delimiter to semicolon and the reader will split columns on semicolons and leave the decimal commas inside the numbers alone. If instead the file is genuinely comma-separated with quoted fields, use the comma delimiter and enable quoted-value handling. Either way, verify a couple of numeric values after the first run to confirm the decimals came through as you expect rather than being cut in half.
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