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Enhanced Capture File Specifications {#payments-acq-reference-capture-specifications}
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This section contains the layout of the TC 33.A Capture File. For the most up-to-date specifications, please see BASE II Clearing: Interchange Formats, TC 01 to TC 49 in the TC 33.A: Capture Transactions section.  
Use the TC 33.A Capture File to:

* Obtain the purchase and refund transaction data the merchants intend to have funded.
* Create Draft Data TC 05 and Credit Voucher TC 06 transactions for Visa authorized transactions that are then submitted to Visa for clearing and settlement.
* Submit clearing records for non-Visa authorization transactions that are sent to gateway processors.
* Reconcile transaction activity within their own host system.

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Capture File Transaction Layout {#payments-acq-reference-capture-specifications_A.1_Capture_File_Transaction_Layout}
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Each Capture file comprises 3 or more transaction component record (TCR) groups. These TCR groups are a file header HEDR, a file trailer TRLR and a capture data TCR group CPxx.  
The capture data TCR groups identified by an application code CPxx contain one or more logical transactions, each of which is defined by a transaction code TC 33.A. Each TCR group contains one or more transaction component records (TCR). Each TCR is 168 bytes long.  
The TCR group code identifies a group of related TCRs (TCR 0 through TCR E). All TCRgroups (CPxx) for a given transaction are linked by the same message identifier (position 21-35) located only in TCR 0. TCR groups are identified by Application Code located in position 17-20 only in TCR 0.  
All TCRs in a transaction have the same two-character transaction code (positions 1 and 2).The Transaction Component Sequence Number (position 4) identifies the TCR number. Each TCR group must start with TCR 0. TCR groups and TCR numbers are not necessarily consecutive; that is, the TCR group or TCR sequence may skip a number. For example, a capture which has an EMV sales capture transaction may contain Header HEDR, Trailer TRLR, CP01 TCR 0, TCR 1, TCR 4 and CP02 TCR 1, TCR 2. The TCRs must be in ascending order within the transaction, however. Acquirers will only receive the TCR records for which transaction data is available.  
The Incoming TC 33.A Capture File is transmitted with following Edit Package records: TC 90 (File Header); TC 91 (Batch Trailer) and TC 92 (File Trailer).  
The standard file header (TC90), batch trailer (TC91) and file trailer (TC92) are used to identify the beginning of each capture file, batch boundary at the end of each batch, and as an end-of-file indicator respectively.  
The transaction count is not included in any TC91 records if a file is broken into multiple batches. A batch is less than 999 records.  
The TC 33.A Capture File that Visa sends to EA Server acquirers cannot be larger than 4 GB.

#### Figure: {#payments-acq-reference-capture-specifications_fig_oyg_dnx_cfc}

Enhanced TC 33.A Capture File Layout Example ![](/content/dam/new-documentation/documentation/en-us/topics/payments-processing/card-processing/payments/images/a-1-tc33a-cap-file-600x300.svg/jcr:content/renditions/original)
