Transforming source data

When you import data, you can transform values in source records before you assign them to fields. If the data is being exported from a third-party application, transforming the data in the import specification allows you to change the format of data to match the iBase schema.

About this task

There are two main types of transformation that you can make:

You can create a new value by combining data from other fields in the source record.

For example, if you want to combine a given name with a surname to create a full name. To do create the full name, create a new field, choose the fields to combine, and specify how they are combined. The data is copied from the source data, so you can continue to use the original data for other fields that you want to import.

You can apply actions to the data in individual fields to change the format or value.

For example, you could prefix the text in a specific field with fixed text, suffix it with text from another column, replace it with a value retrieved from a substitution file such as Female for F, or remove ordinal suffixes such as st, nd, rd, and th from (English-language) dates. These transformations are referred to as Actions, and any number of them can be applied to individual fields.

The actions that you specify are saved as part of the import specification.

Note: If you are importing from OLE-DB data sources and change the source table after completing the field assignments, you might invalidate them. In this instance, the Import Wizard prompts you to review the field assignments. You have the option to clear all field assignments, keep the current assignments, or revert to the source prior to the changes being made.

Procedure

To specify one or more actions for a field:

  1. Click a column in the preview table to select that field.

  2. In the Available Actions list, double-click an action to apply it.

  3. Complete the settings for the action.

  4. Optional: By default, the action is applied to every row of data in the source file. If you want to apply the action under certain conditions only, you can set a condition.