User Guide › Design › Data Acquisition › Adapters › Adding Adapters › Add a Text File Adapter › Select a Data Source from an Existing Template

Select a Data Source from an Existing Template

You complete the Data Source Interface step to define the way the adapter handles the source file, how it is collected and how the files are being parsed. An adapter must have at least one data source interface.

When creating Text File adapters, or when editing existing ones, the user has the ability to manage data sources in the Data Source Interface step by:

• Saving the data source as a template (click )
• Selecting a data source from an existing template (click )
• Setting an existing data source interface as default (click )

For more information, see Managing Predefined Data Sources.

When first entering the step, the page opens with already filled-in values according to the template which is defined as the framework.

To select a data source from an existing template

1. In the Adapter Wizard page Data Source Interface step, click .

   The Data Source Templates window opens.

2. Select a data source from the list shown and click OK.

   The data source is uploaded to the Data Source Interface step.

-OR-

In the Details tab:

1. In Data Source name, type the name of the data source.
2. In File path, type the path to the location of the source data files.

   Note: The path should refer to the target machine where the adapter is being deployed.

3. In Name pattern, specify the data source file name. Use wildcard if more than one file is of the same structure and uses the same Input structure.
4. If you are an advanced user, click Advanced to configure advanced parameters related to the Data Source Interface step.

   The Data Source Advanced Settings window opens.

   1. In the Details tab, configure more details on how the source files are identified and collected. For more information, see Details Tab.
   2. In the Notes tab, type any desired comments. For more information, see Notes Tab.
   3. Click Save. The Adapter Wizard page Data Source Interface step opens.
5. In the Parsing definition tab:
   1. In Title, select or clear the check box. This specifies if the first non blank line in the data source file is a title line. The title can be used by the adapter when parsing the data.
   2. In Delimiters, set one or more characters (e.g. comma (,), semi colon (;), tab (\t) and/or new line (\n)) to serve as delimiters, according to which data rows are parsed into fields.
   3. Select the Ignore redundant delimiters check box to have consecutive delimiters treated as one. Otherwise, a blank field is created between the delimiters.
   4. If you are an advanced user, click Advanced to configure advanced parameters related to the Parsing definition tab. The File Parsing Definitions Advanced Settings window opens.

      In Line definition, select what is considered to be a line that is parsed to a structure represented by the input structure:

      One record is a line to have each record in the file considered as one logical line

      Entire file is a line to have the entire file considered as one record and one logical line

      Multiline to have multiple logical line definitions

      If Multiline is selected, at least one of the following fields must be filled:

      In First line, type a regular expression that defines the first line of the logical line. It can be specified with/without Last line and/or No. of lines. For more information on regular expression syntax, see Regular Expression Syntax.

      In Last line, type a regular expression that defines the last line of the logical line. It can be specified with/without First line and/or No. of lines. For more information on regular expression syntax, see Regular Expression Syntax.

      In No. of lines, type the number of lines in a logical line. It can be specified with/without First line and/or Last line.

      Select the Match case check box to define if the regular expression matching is case sensitive.

      Click Save. The Adapter Wizard page Data Source Interface step is displayed.

6. In Sample file, click Browse and select the file that contains the information that is similar to the data source file.

   Note: The selected file does not have to contain the entire data source information, but can be just a sample of it.

7. Click Test File to run a simulation of the adapter and view the results in the test area.
8. Click Next.

   The Adapter Wizard page Mapping step opens.