How to normalize Cyrillic look alike characters in file name and XML content

Hi,I’m looking for a solution to handle Cyrillic look alike characters in an ETL process.We receive two files per document:

• one PDF
• one XML

The issue:

• both file names may contain Cyrillic characters that look like Latin ones (e.g.
  Code:

  вто
  instead of
  Code:

  BTO
  )
• in the XML file, the same Cyrillic characters also appear inside the XML content

Although everything looks correct visually, this breaks matching, routing and validations.I’m looking for a clean approach to:

1. Normalize the file names of both PDF and XML files
2. Normalize the XML content by replacing Cyrillic look alike characters with Latin ones, before further processing

Files look like:
pinv_1010_560279_вто.-2600048.pdf
pinv_1010_560279_вто.-2600048.xml

XML Content:
<Invoice>
    <OrgId>1edacd05-b0cf-52c0-a7c4-a53283485675</OrgId>
    <DocumentName>pinv_1010_560279_ВТО.-2600048.pdf</DocumentName>
    <SourceType>EMAIL</SourceType>
    <LastChangeDate>2026-02-18</LastChangeDate>
    <LastChangeDateTime>2026-02-18T11:13:34</LastChangeDateTime>
    <InvoiceNum>ВТО.-2600048</InvoiceNum>
    <InvoiceDate>2026-02-04</InvoiceDate>
    <PostingDate>2026-02-18</PostingDate>
...

Thx for your Ideas
Thomas
 

This is rather easy.

Please watch the second video on this page.
www.etl-tools.com/wiki/advanced-etl-proc...sources/file-system/

All you need to do is to use a different Replace function called Replace Characters.
www.etl-tools.com/wiki/advanced-etl-proc.../replace-characters/

 

A great piece of software.

Thank you, Mike.

Hello Mike,I’d like to add a filter for the file extension .xml in the [File Data] step of the transformer.It has already corrupted two PDF files.
Do you think this can happen, or was it just a coincidence?Thomas

Good Morning

I think in your case you need two transformations

1 XML

Replace Cyrillic characters inside the file
Replace Cyrillic characters inside the file name

2 PDF
 
Replace Cyrillic characters inside the file name only

Replacing inside the PDF file content may corrupt the file

Please keep us posted on your progress

 

Hello Mike,
Funny thing: when I reopen the Replace Character function in the transformation after closing it,
it shows BTOlace Chara instead of BTO.Does this have any impact?