Navigation:  How to Work with Data Files > Populating a Data File for Testing and Simulating Purposes

 

Overview

 

To test and/or debug the project, it becomes necessary to populate the existing data files (especially when dealing with Lookup files).

 

When adding data to a data file, we recommend you avoid the use of wildcard characters to prevent sorting issues and unreliable Lookup Data results.

For instance, if you execute a data file Lookup for a record with a wildcard character, instead of the intended record, it might just return the first record that contains the wildcard or even no records at all.

 

 

To Populate Data Files

 

Step-by-step

 

1. Go to the "Data Files" module and select the data file you want to add data to.

 

2. Right-click the file and, in the resulting menu, select “Edit”.

 

 

3. In the properties window, click (located on the upper right corner) to open a "File Data Viewer" window.

This is where you add data.

 

 

4. Click the desired field and fill in the required values.

 

5. If required, click to sort the entered data according to the available sorting possibilities ("Field 1"/"Fields 1 + 2"/"Fields 1 + 2 + 3"/"Fields 1 + 2 + 3 + 4").

This option is only available if you select a sorting field option in the data file's properties window ("Sort on" drop-down in the "General" tab).

 

6. Click to finish populating the data file or to abort the operation.

 

 

Available Tools/Mechanisms to be used in Data Files

 

•Use the button to add a record.

•Select multiple records using the <Shift + select record>.

•Selected records can be deleted (), duplicated (), moved to the top (), moved to the bottom (), moved up () and moved down ().

•Use "Copy/Paste" to copy one or multiple selected lines.

•Use "Cut/Paste" to move one or multiple selected lines.

•Select multiple columns using the <Shift + select column>.

•Use "Copy/Paste" to copy data from one or multiple selected columns.

•To import data into a data file from an external data file, use the ("Import a File") button (See To Import Data Using the "Import a File" Button) OR  use the Drag-and-Drop mechanism to drag a file from an OS Browse window and drop it into the intended data file. See To Import Data Using Drag-and-Drop.

 

•To search data in an opened data file, click or use <Ctrl + f>. See Search Data in an Opened Data File.