Importing with a specification

An import specification defines how Analyst's Notebook interprets data imported from other file formats and converts the data into entities and links for analysis on the chart surface.

An import specification controls how your data is imported and displayed. You can work with import specifications in three distinct ways, depending on what is appropriate for your data. You can run your import with an existing specification, edit an existing specification, or create a new specification.

When you choose your data source, which can be a text file, data on your clipboard, or a spreadsheet, Analyst's Notebook inspects the data and lists any import specifications that are compatible. You do not have to use a suggested specification and can create a new specification for any of these data sources.

Note:

Depending on the application you use, and whether you are connected to an i2 Analyze server, there are different types of import specifications. The 'classic' unaligned specifications that are used in Analyst's Notebook have a file extension of .ximp. The import specifications in Analyst's Notebook connect to i2 Analyze, are aligned to a schema and have a file extension of .oimp. The schema controls what items are available when you define your import, which is different from a standard template in Analyst's Notebook. You cannot convert .ximp specifications into .oimp files or upload them to the Information Store.