Uploading Data Files

In Developer Studio, you can upload (import) external data files for use in WebFOCUS reporting tools. This functionality enables you to easily create a WebFOCUS file description and data file for use in your reporting application. The Upload Data File option is available from the Master Files folder while developing in the Projects or Data Servers areas.

Procedure: How to Upload a Data File

Right-click the Master Files from the New menu, and select Upload Data File, as shown in the following image.

The first page of the Upload Data File dialog box opens displaying three sections that require you to make a selection:
- Select a file
- File Format
- Field Names
Click the Browse button to the right of the Select a file section.
A Choose file dialog box opens.
Navigate to where the file is located and select Open.
The following image shows the first page of the Upload Data File dialog box.
In the File Format section, select one of the following supported formats for the file you want to import:
- Excel® Spreadsheet (XLS)
- Comma-separated values (CSV)
- Tab-separated values
- Pipe-separated values
In the Field Names section, select one of the following supported methods for how you want the field names created:
- Auto-generate field names
- First row contains field names
Click Next at the bottom of the Upload Data File dialog box.
The second page of the Upload Data File dialog box, as shown in the following image, appears for you to review and customize the file conversion options.
For each field in the file you imported, you can select the field column heading and then edit the following attributes for that field:
- Field Name
- Alias
- (Data) Type
- Format
If you change any of the attributes for a field, click the Apply button to apply the changes and refresh the data.
When all fields have been reviewed, enter a valid name in the File Name input box (spaces are not allowed) and use the Application Directory menu to select where you want the file created.
Click Next to upload the file.
Two files are created:
- Master File
- Comma-delimited data file (.DAT)
Note: If a file with the same file name already exists, a dialog box is displayed prompting you to allow file replacement.

Reference: Upload Data File Considerations

When uploading data from a supported text file, the file must have the same type of data in each field and the same fields in every row.
When uploading data from an Excel spreadsheet:
- The data must be arranged in an appropriate tabular format and the spreadsheet must have the same type of data in each column and the same fields in every row.
- The data must be stored in the first worksheet of the workbook.
- Cells with formulas and special characters are not supported. For example, if percentages are used the cells should be formatted using the percentage data type and should not have the percentage special character "%" in the cell.
- Excel files must be saved in a binary format. To ensure this, open an Excel file, select File, select Save As, use the Save as type drop-down list to select either Microsoft Office Excel Workbook (*.xls) or CSV (Comma Delimited)(*.csv), then click Save.