Patent ID: 7788638

Claim:
A method implemented at least partially in a programmed computer for software application development suitable for processing input files with varying file formats or data structures, the method comprising: characterizing the file format and data structure of at least one known input file type using the programmed computer; and creating a library comprising a plurality of jobs to perform predetermined functions using the programmed computer, wherein the library of jobs comprises at least one job to read the file format and data structure of the known input file and convert that input file to a tab delimited file format or data structure that is common to the plurality of jobs, at least one job for extracting data from a file, at least one job for archiving files, at least one job for loading files, at least one job for messaging, at least one job for transforming data in a file, at least one job for validating data in a file, and further wherein each job includes an indicator of job termination success or job termination failure, and the plurality of jobs can be linked according to the indicator of job termination success or job termination failure.