HDG TRACK DEV WHEN THE FLT CREW OF AN A320 MISSES THE 'DIRECT SWATT' IN AN AMENDED CLRNC FOR A LOC APCH TO 27 AT SAN; CA.

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ARRIVING SAN ON THE BARET 4 ARR; AFTER PASSING BARET INTXN; ANOTHER ATC APCH CTL CLRNC WAS ISSUED TO WHICH WE BELIEVE WAS TO DSND TO 3800 FT; THEN CLRED FOR THE LOC 27 APCH. MAINTAIN 170 KTS UNTIL SWATT INTXN; MAINTAIN 3800 FT UNTIL ESTABLISHED. WE WERE HIGH AND FAST AS THE PREVIOUS CTLR REQUESTED WE MAINTAIN 300 KTS OR GREATER AND HAD DELAYED OUR DSCNT UNTIL WE WERE WELL ABOVE OUR OPTIMAL ARR PATH. WE HAD RECENTLY RETURNED FROM OUR COMPANY'S TRAINING ON THE NEW NON-PRECISION APCH TRAINING. THE LOC 27 AT SAN IS A NON PRECISION APCH; THEREFORE; WE WERE REQUIRED TO FLY THE PRO. WE CONTINUED; AS WE BELIEVE WE WERE CLRED TO THE 'IFHEJ' FIX ON THE ARR AND THE FMS LEADS THE TURN TO SWATT. THE CTLR THEN MADE A COMMENT THAT WE MISSED SWATT BY 5 MI. WE ASKED THE CTLR FOR CLARIFICATION INITIALLY ASSUMING WE HAD A 'MAP SHIFT' PROB. THE CTLR SAID WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO SWATT. WE SAID WE HAD NOT HEARD THE DIRECT PART OF THE CLRNC. OFTEN; WHEN YOU ARE DOING A NEW PROC AT A CHALLENGING FACILITY; YOU HAVE TO PAY ADDITIONAL ATTN TO THE PROC; AND COULD POSSIBLY MISS A PART OF MULTI-PART CTLR CLRNC. WE DO NOT BELIEVE WE WERE OUT OF THE PREDICTED AIRSPACE BY MORE THAN A MI OR TWO; IF IN FACT THAT WE WERE GIVEN A DIRECT CLRNC. I BELIEVE CLRNCS WITH MORE THAN 3 ITEMS OF NEW INFO SHOULD BE BROKEN UP INTO SMALLER CLRNCS WITH 3 ITEMS OF NEW INFO OR LESS IN ANY AIRSPACE WITH HIGH PLT WORKLOAD CONDITIONS.