Creating a data source from a file

How to format files for uploading

Advanced analytics allows you to use data from files in your reports. You can add a file by URL, file from cloud storage, or upload files in CSV, XLS, and XLSX formats. Before uploading a file as a data source, make sure your data is organized according to the requirements for titles and fields.

Titles format requirements

When uploading a table into Advanced Analytics, the first row is automatically converted into titles. If the table does not contain titles, select the Generate Field Names Automatically box.

Restrictions:

  • Titles must be arranged in columns only.
  • Titles can’t be named Measures. You should rename these titles or you won’t be able to save your data source.
  • Each measure title should be in a separate column. When the table is loaded, the merged fields are not processed.
  • Titles must not contain dates.

Fields format requirements

Adding fields of a Date type

Advanced Analytics supports the following date formats:
YearsMonthsDays
YYYY (e.g., 2017)YYYY MM (e.g., 2017/01)
MM YYYY (e.g., 01.2017)
month YYYY (e.g., January 2017)
MMM-YYYY (e.g., jan-2017)		YYYY DD MM (e.g., 2017/01/01)
MM DD YYYY (e.g., 01.01.2017)
DD MM YYYY (e.g., 01 Jan 2017)
MM DD YYYY hh (e.g., 01-jan-2017 14:20:00)
Possible separators: dot, dash, slash, or space.

Adding fields of a Number type

Before uploading files, check that they don’t contain the following:
  • Cells with currency or percent symbols, as they can complicate the loading process. You reapply the currency and percentage data formats later when plotting.
  • Cells with totals, as this can lead to incorrect display of values. You can make all calculations in Advanced Analytics.

Adding fields of a Territory type

Advanced analytics allows you to create maps from region and country data. The following territorial formats are supported:

  • Country codes (two-letter uppercase ISO-3166-1 alpha-2 codes) or their equivalent English names. E.g., GB or United Kingdom.
  • Region codes (uppercase ISO-3166-2 codes) or their equivalent English names. E.g., US-NJ or New Jersey.

To add a territorial dimension:

  1. Upload the file with tabular data.
  2. In the opened data source editor, click on the column with territorial data.
  3. In the field Type select Territory.

  1. Select the map that matches the data in your table. If you select a map of another country, a blank map will be displayed for this source.

How to upload a file

Note
Before you upload a file as a data source, make sure your data is organized according to the guidelines.
To create a new data source based on the uploaded file:
  1. Go to the Data Sources tab and click the Data source.
  1. Select Upload a File and select the upload option:
    • from a computer
    • from cloud storage
    • from a URL
  1. Edit the format of the fields. To do this, click Options on the settings page of the uploaded file and make changes.
Note
Once you save this file as a Data Source, you won’t be able to make such changes.

  1. Schedule a data refresh and edit the fields. To do this click on the Settings and make changes.

  1. Return to the Data Sources tab and click Save changes in the modal window.

After you have uploaded and saved the files, you can build reports based on them. Use the context menu to manage the file and its permissions.

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Last updated: January 22, 2024

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