Using a CLOB Field In FIMS

A CLOB (Character Large Object) is a data type that is intended to store large amounts of text data which can include an XML formatted document to be retained in a database. However, due to the inherent language limitations of CLOBs, they are limited in FIMS to only text data.   CLOB fields can be added to FIMS using the Fieldmaker utility and used in online application forms as large text fields for applicants to enter text information such as essays. This text information can then be imported into FIMS through the Internet Grant Application Manager (IGAM).   For FIMS 12.80, the following notes apply: CLOB fields have a maximum size of 100 MB. This allows over 100 million characters. CLOB fields can be exported in the user defined exports.

NOTE: Large CLOB fields can exceed single cell limitations in many applications, including Excel, so it could have import issues into other programs.

For earlier versions of FIMS, the following limitations apply : Data in CLOB fields can be imported into FIMS but cannot be exported afterwards. This includes all user defined exports and reports.

If you expect to use the data for anything other than viewing/changing on screens within FIMS, you should request the applicant to attach a copy of the original file to the application as well so it can be imported into the grants folder as a separate document. The maximum character limit for a CLOB field is 20,480 characters. This is to prevent errors with saving the data that can occur with values larger than this. To use larger fields, you will need to create multiple fields that hold part of the data (for example, a pages 1 to 5 and a pages 6 to 10 field rather than one field that holds all ten pages).