Defining delimited text files

You can define ACL tables from delimited text files. The Data Definition Wizard allows you to select the field separator, the text qualifier, and the fields to import from any delimited text file.

You can access delimited text files on your local computer or a network drive, or from a folder located on an ACL Server (if installed).

To create a table from a delimited text file:

  1. Select File > New > Table.

    The first page displayed in the Data Definition Wizard depends on your configuration. If integration with ACL Server is enabled the Select Platform for Data Source page is displayed, otherwise the Select Local Data Source page is displayed.

  2. Complete one of the following steps to select the location of the file:

    • If the Select Platform for Data Source page is displayed and you want to use ACL to define the file, select Local and click Next. In the Select Local Data Source page select Disk and click Next.

    • If the Select Platform for Data Source page is displayed and you want to use an ACL Server to define the file, select ACL Server and select the Windows server profile from the drop-down list, and then click Next. In the Select ACL Server Data Source page select Flat Files and click Next.

    • If the Select Local Data Source page is displayed select Disk and click Next.

  3. In the Select File to Define page, locate and select the file you want to create the ACL table from and click Open.
  4. In the Character Set page, verify that the correct character set option has been selected and click Next.
  5. In the File Format page, verify that the Delimited text file option has been selected and click Next. Delimited text files typically have a .txt, .csv (comma separated), or .tsv (tab separated) file extension.
  6. In the Delimited File Properties page, modify the following properties for the delimited text file you are importing, as necessary:

    • Start on Line – Enter a value greater than one to specify the number of lines the Data Definition Wizard should skip when reading the file. Use this option to omit header information at the top of the file from the table definition.

    • Field Width – Select the column heading in the preview table and either keep the value assigned by ACL for the field length in the table layout, or enter a different length.

    • Use first row as field names? – Select this option to use the values in the first record as the field names in the ACL table.

    • Treat Consecutive qualifiers as one – Select this option to indicate that qualifier symbols inside qualifiers should be ignored.

    • Field Separator – Select the character used to separate fields in the file you are importing. You can select Comma, Tab, or Semicolon, or you can select Other and enter the character to use as the field separator.

    • Text Qualifier – Select the text symbol used to identify characters that belong inside the field. You can select Double Quote or Single Quote, specify None to indicate that a text qualifier is not being used, or you can select Other and enter the character to use as the text qualifier.

  7. Click Next.
  8. In the Save Data File As dialog box, enter a name for the ACL data file, and if necessary modify the location where the file will be saved, and click Save.
  9. In the Edit Field Properties page, you can modify the name and properties for each field by selecting the appropriate column heading in the preview table, in the bottom half of the page, and updating any of the following properties:

    • Ignore this field – If you do not want the field to be included in the ACL table layout, select this checkbox.

    • Name – Keep the name assigned by ACL for the field in the table layout, or enter a different name.

    • Column Title – Enter the column title to display in the default ACL view. If a column title is not specified the Name value is used.

    • Type – Select the appropriate data type from the drop-down list. For information about the supported data types in ACL, see ACL data types.

      The Decimal and Input Format text boxes appear automatically when you select the corresponding data type.

    • Value – A read-only property that displays the first value in the field. The value is updated based on any edits you make.

    • Decimal (numeric fields only) – Specify the appropriate number of decimal places.

    • Input Format (datetime fields only) – Specify the format that matches the data. For more information about date and time formats, see Formats of date and time source data.

  10. Click Next after you have finished editing the field properties you want to change.
  11. In the Final page, verify the settings for the new ACL table and click Finish.
  12. Enter a name for the ACL table you are adding to the project, or keep the default name, and click OK.

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