Ugh. If it didn't have two formats in one, I'd say to use whatever import mechanism your database has. (MySQL has LOAD DATA INFILE, Oracle has several different tools, etc.)

What you're looking for is something like: 

while (<FILE>)
{
    chomp;
    my @data = split /\t/;

    # Do something with the line.
}

[download]

Alternatively, you could pass the file to Text::xSV, which will do the parsing for you and hand you a line. You'll still have to keep track of whether you're dealing with a main line or an award history line, but you'd have to do that no matter what. (If you didn't, you wouldn't use Perl to solve the problem - you'd use an RDBMS tool.)

------
We are the carpenters and bricklayers of the Information Age.

Then there are Damian modules.... *sigh* ... that's not about being less-lazy -- that's about being on some really good drugs -- you know, there is no spoon. - flyingmoose

I shouldn't have to say this, but any code, unless otherwise stated, is untested

In reply to Re: Parsing large text file with perl by dragonchild
in thread Parsing large text file with perl by maida

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