With this import method you can import data from text files (as tab-separated
lists) into the database. Choose
Data -> Import -> Wizard
and then the type of data that should be imported, e.g.
Gazetteer data ...
from the menu. A window as shown below will open which will lead you through the import of the data. The
window is separated in 3 areas. On the left side you see a list of possible
data related import steps according to the type of data you choosed for the
import. On the right side you see the list of currently selected import steps.
In the middle part the details of the selected import steps are shown.
As a first step, choose the
File from where the data should be
imported. The currently supported format is tab-separated text.
Then select the Encoding of the file, e.g. Unicode. The Start line and End line
will automatically be set according to your data. You may change these to
restrict the data lines that should be imported. The not imported parts in the file
are indicated as shown below with a
gray background
. If the
First line contains the column definition
is checked, this line will not be imported as well. If your data contains e.g.
date information where notations differ between countries (e.g. 31.4.2013 -
4.31.2013), select an entry of the Language / Country drop-down list to ensure a correct interpretation
of your data. Finally you can select a prepared Schema (see chapter
Schema below) for the import.
In the selection list on the left side of the window all possible import steps for the data are listed according to the type of data you want to import.
Certain tables can be imported in parallel. To add
parallels click on the
button. To remove parallels, use the
button. Only selected ranges will appear
in the list of the steps on the right.
To import information of
logging columns like who created and changed the data, click on the 
button in the header line. This will
include additional substeps for every step containing the logging columns.
If you do not import these items, they will be automatically filled with
default values like the current time and user.
You can either import your items as new data or attach them to data in the database.
Select the import step
Attachment from the list.
All tables that are selected and contain columns where data can be attached
are listed. Either choose the first option
Import as new data or one of the
columns which are displayed below (e.g. PlaceID).
If you select a column for attachment, this column will be marked with a blue background (see also chapter Table data).
You may also merge your items with data which is already in the database.
Select the import step
Merge from the list. For every table you can choose between
Insert,
Merge,
Update and
Attach:
The
Insert
option will import the
data from the file independent of existing data in the database.
The Merge option will compare the
data from the file with those in the database according to the
Key columns. If no
matching data is found in the database, the data from the file will be
imported, otherwise the data will be updated.
The
Update
option will compare the
data from the file with those in the database according to the
Key columns. Only
matching data found in the database will be updated.
The
Attach
option will compare the
data from the file with those in the database according to the
Key columns. The found data will not
be changed, but used as a reference data in depending tables.
To set the source for the columns in the file, click at a step on the right side of the window. All columns available for importing data will be listed in the central part of the window. In the example shown below, the first column is used to attach the new items to data in the database.
A reminder in the header line will show you what actions are still needed to import the data into the table:
= No
column has been selected so far.
=
Whether data will be imported or not, depends on the content of decisive columns, so at least
one must be selected.
=
The position in the file must be selected if the data for a column should be taken
from the file.
= For all merge types other than insert at least one column must be selected for
comparision with data in the database.
= For each column you have to decide whether the data should be taken from the
file or whether one value is specified for all.
= You have to select a value from the provided list.
=
You have to enter a value used for all datasets.
The handling of the columns is described in the chapter columns.
To test if all requirements for the import are met
use the Testing step. You can use a
certain line in the file for your test and then click on the
Test data in line button. If there are still unmet requirements,
they are listed in a window as shown below.
If all requirements are met, the testing function will try to write the data into the database and display any errors that occurred as shown below. All datasets marked with a red background produced some error.
To see the list of all errors, double click in the error list window in the header line.
If finally no errors are left, your data is ready for import. The colors in the table nodes in the tree indicate the handling of the datasets: Insert, Merge, Update, No difference. Attach, No data. The colors of the table columns indicate whether a columns is decisive , a key column or an attachment column.
With the last step you can start importing the data into the database. If you want to repeat the import with the same settings and data of the same structure, you can save a schema of the current settings (see below).
Lines that could not be imported will be marked with a red background while imported lines are marked green:
If you want to save lines that produce errors during the import in a separate file, use the Save failed lines option. The protocol of the import will contain all settings according to the used schema and an overview containing the number of inserted, updated, unchanged and failed lines:
