What is a flat file and how does my company send it to the Board?
A flat file is a data processing format that contains form data without any presentation format. Flat files are usually submitted by large companies that submit high volumes of forms. The company’s computer staff writes the computer programs to produce the files in the specified format. Then the programs are periodically run to prepare the files containing the Claim form data, for transmission to the Board. Flat files are commonly sent to the Board using an automated computer-to-computer transfer called FTP (File Transfer Protocol), but they can also be manually uploaded to the Board using a web browser. The Board does not accept flat files in e-mails. The flat file formats are proprietary, i.e., unique to New York State.
