Make some fields on the header of a flatfile schema optional - biztalk

Question

I have a flat file schema that has the header and the data.
I made some data fields optional by changing the property min occurs to 0 and it worked.
I tried doing the same in the header and the header details properties but it didn't work.
What else do I have to change?
Here's part of the schema. Contains the header, headerdetails and data nodes properties, the first field of each that's mandatory and the first trailling field I want optional which is the 7th
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<xs:schema xmlns="http://ABC.ao/middleware/servicos/docfinanceiro/balancete/v1" xmlns:b="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003" targetNamespace="http://ABC.ao/middleware/servicos/docfinanceiro/balancete/v1" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<schemaEditorExtension:schemaInfo namespaceAlias="b" extensionClass="Microsoft.BizTalk.FlatFileExtension.FlatFileExtension" standardName="Flat File" xmlns:schemaEditorExtension="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003/SchemaEditorExtensions" />
<b:schemaInfo standard="Flat File" codepage="1252" default_pad_char=" " pad_char_type="char" count_positions_by_byte="false" parser_optimization="speed" lookahead_depth="3" suppress_empty_nodes="false" generate_empty_nodes="true" allow_early_termination="true" early_terminate_optional_fields="false" allow_message_breakup_of_infix_root="false" compile_parse_tables="false" root_reference="Balancete" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name="Balancete">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:recordInfo structure="delimited" child_delimiter_type="hex" child_delimiter="0xD 0xA" sequence_number="1" preserve_delimiter_for_empty_data="true" suppress_trailing_delimiters="false" child_order="postfix" />
<b:properties>
<b:property distinguished="true" xpath="/*[local-name()='Balancete' and namespace-uri()='http://ABC.ao/middleware/servicos/docfinanceiro/balancete/v1']/*[local-name()='Header' and namespace-uri()='']/*[local-name()='Data' and namespace-uri()='']" />
</b:properties>
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<groupInfo sequence_number="0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name="Header">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:recordInfo structure="delimited" child_delimiter_type="char" child_delimiter=";" child_order="infix" sequence_number="1" preserve_delimiter_for_empty_data="true" suppress_trailing_delimiters="false" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<groupInfo sequence_number="0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name="Entidade" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="1" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Data" type="xs:date">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="2" datetime_format="yyyy-MM-dd" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_1" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="3" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_2" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="4" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_3" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="5" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_4" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="6" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_5" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="7" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="Field_6" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="8" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_7" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="9" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_8" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="10" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_9" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="11" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_10" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="12" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_11" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="13" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_12" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="14" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_13" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="15" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_14" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="16" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_15" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="17" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_16" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="18" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_17" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="19" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_18" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="20" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_19" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="21" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_20" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="22" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_21" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="23" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_22" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="24" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Field_23" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="25" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
</xs:sequence>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name="HeaderDetails">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:recordInfo structure="delimited" child_delimiter_type="char" child_delimiter=";" child_order="infix" sequence_number="2" preserve_delimiter_for_empty_data="true" suppress_trailing_delimiters="false" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<groupInfo sequence_number="0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name="HeaderDetails_Child1" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="1" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="HeaderDetails_Child7" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="7" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element maxOccurs="unbounded" name="Data">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:recordInfo structure="delimited" child_delimiter_type="char" child_delimiter=";" child_order="infix" sequence_number="3" preserve_delimiter_for_empty_data="true" suppress_trailing_delimiters="false" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<groupInfo sequence_number="0" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/BizTalk/2003" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name="NumConta" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="1" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
<xs:element minOccurs="0" name="Especificacao" type="xs:string">
<xs:annotation>
<xs:appinfo>
<b:fieldInfo justification="left" sequence_number="7" />
</xs:appinfo>
</xs:annotation>
</xs:element>
I want this file to be accepted.
But at the moment this is the one that works
Because biztalk is looking for the semicolon delimiters, using the first file, the first rows of data (first 6) are considered as part of the header. That's why I have to add the extra semicolons as shown in the second picture.

Answer 1

Well....what kind of flat file? And what do you mean by 'optional'?
You generally cannot make flat file fields optional unless they are trailing fields and the first and all subsequent fields are optionable.
This is because all flat files are position sensitive. Field "First Name" is always in position 8 and can't shift to 7 because 6 is 'optional'.