Example using IRS MeF XML Files (In demo Directory)

This example demonstrates loading a sample IRS Modernized eFile tax return using a Joost STX transformation. The data is in the form of a complex XML file.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) made a significant commitment to XML and specifies its use in its Modernized e-File (MeF) system. In MeF, each tax return is an XML document with a deep hierarchical structure that closely reflects the particular form of the underlying tax code.

XML, XML Schema and stylesheets play a role in their data representation and business workflow. The actual XML data is extracted from a ZIP file attached to a MIME “transmission file” message. For more information about MeF, see Modernized e-File (Overview) on the IRS web site.

The sample XML document, RET990EZ_2006.xml, is about 350KB in size with two elements:

• ReturnHeader
• ReturnData

The <ReturnHeader> element contains general details about the tax return such as the taxpayer’s name, the tax year of the return, and the preparer. The <ReturnData> element contains multiple sections with specific details about the tax return and associated schedules.

The following is an abridged sample of the XML file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> 
<Return returnVersion="2006v2.0"
   xmlns="http://www.irs.gov/efile" 
   xmlns:efile="http://www.irs.gov/efile"
   xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.irs.gov/efile"
   xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> 
   <ReturnHeader binaryAttachmentCount="1">
     <ReturnId>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA</ReturnId>
     <Timestamp>1999-05-30T12:01:01+05:01</Timestamp>
     <ReturnType>990EZ</ReturnType>
     <TaxPeriodBeginDate>2005-01-01</TaxPeriodBeginDate>
     <TaxPeriodEndDate>2005-12-31</TaxPeriodEndDate>
     <Filer>
       <EIN>011248772</EIN>
       ... more data ...
     </Filer>
     <Preparer>
       <Name>Percy Polar</Name>
       ... more data ...
     </Preparer>
     <TaxYear>2005</TaxYear>
   </ReturnHeader>
   ... more data ..

The goal is to import all the data into a HAWQ database. First, convert the XML document into text with newlines “escaped”, with two columns: ReturnId and a single column on the end for the entire MeF tax return. For example:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA|<Return returnVersion="2006v2.0"... 

Load the data into HAWQ.