Troubleshooting: Data Load configuration file XML is invalid

An error occurs when you are running the Data Load utility that generates an error message that the configuration XML file is invalid.

Problem

When you try running the data load utility, you get an error similar to the following error message:
The configuration XML file is invalid. The error occurred in: file:yourconfigurationXMLfile, on line: 1, column: 1. 
Error detected was: Content is not allowed in prolog..
Where yourconfigurationXMLfile is the name of the specified configuration XML file.
This error can occur if the file that you specify as the configuration XML file is not an XML file, contains invalid XML syntax, or is not the correct file.
Note: If this error is encountered when the Catalog Upload feature in Management Center is used to load data, your configuration XML file can be incorrectly customized.

Solution

Verify that the file you specify in the command line is the wc-dataload.xml file. Review the XML syntax within this file and ensure that the syntax is correct.