Wizard Tutorial Step 5

Step 5 - Import of categorical states and update of descriptor data

Now we want to import the categorical states that are specified in file column “Values” and set the subclass for those descriptors from “text” to “categorical”. In the selection list on the left side of the window Descriptor, Categorical state 1 and Categorical state 2 are still selected and Descriptor node 1 is deselected (see below). Furthermore the descriptor id is selected for attachment.

Since we want to change the descriptor data, we have to change the import step Merge from the list. For Descriptor we select the Update option (see below).

In the import step Descriptor click on Subclass, select file column “Values” and click on button to open the transformations. By clicking the button the transformations of previous steps are removed. In the tranformation window click on to select a filter, then select Import a fixed value and enter the value categorical. Now click on the button choose column “Values” from the file and select <not equal> blank (see below).

This filter will provide the value “categorical” for database column “subclass” if file column “Values” is not empty. If “Value” is empty, no value is provided and the “subclass” stays unchanged. The column now looks as shown below.

 

Inserting the categorical states

A closer look on the “Values” file column shows that the states are provided as a list of values separated by the pipe symbol and blanks (" | “). To get the single state values, we have to split off a value at the string " | “. This value will then be used for the Categorical state ID and the Categorical state name.

In the import step Categorical state 1 click on Categorical state ID and in the center window the assignemt data for the categorical state id (“id”) are displayed. Click on to make this the decisive column, further click on From file to select the column “Values” as data source. Now click on button to define a transformation.

In the tranformation window click on the cut transformation, enter Position: 1, click on to enter splitter character  |  (blank, pipe, blank). By clicking on button [Test the tranformation] you can check the transformation results (see below).

The column now looks as shown below.  

Remark: The Categorical state ID is a number that is generated automatically from the database when a new categorical state is created. At first sight it seems confusing that we select a string - the catigorical state name - for this numeric key. The point is that in the file with the description data the corresponding catogorical state is idenified by exactly this categorical state name. Since we select this categorical state name for the Categorical state ID, the mapping between these two values will be stored in a separate import mapping table for the actual import session. In the later import steps this mapping table will allow to find the correct categorical state.

Now supply exactly the same filter settings for Categorical state name but do not mark it as decisive column (see below).

Finally we supply the Sequence number. Select For all: with 1 (see below).

And now there is some “fun”:

The longest entry in column “Values” contains four entries separated by pipes and blanks. Therefore click two more times on the button of step Categorical state 1 on the left side and select the new steps Categorical state 3 and Categorical state 4. For each of the remaining steps supply the columns in the same way as for Categorical state 1, but increase the Position: value in the cut transformations and the For all: value in  Sequence number.  

 

Testing

To test if all requirements for the import are met use the Testing step. The test for data line 9, where all eleven descriptor states are present, is shown below.

 

Import

With the last step you can start to import 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. There were 4 lines that contained descriptors (see below).

 

Next: Step 6 - Import of descriptions