6.4.8.3.3 Import Wizard, The Variable Extraction by Delimiter Page

This page is available only if Specify location of variable names and values using delimiters is selected on the Variable Extraction page (and there is at least one header line in your data file). Use the controls on this page to extract variables from the file path/filename and file header information by parsing the information using one or more user-specified delimiters.

Import Wizard Variable Extraction by Delimiter Page-1.png

Variables Preview Window

Use this preview window to select variables for extraction. The contents of this preview window include four standard file name variables (path + filename.extension, path, filename.extension, filename). Also included are any file header lines that were identified on the Header Lines page. Each variable name/value is preceded by a line number -- the Line value in the Variable group (see below).

Variable Group Controls

Each line of information in the variable preview window is presumed to contain variables and variable values (you decide which is which). Note that each of the following can be chosen independently from each line in the preview window.

Line Select the line number of the desired variable.
Delimiter Specify a delimiter to be used in parsing the variable names and values. The options in the drop-down list include Comma, Tab, Space, Equal, Colon, Other and Multiple. Here Other or Multiple is used to specify one or more characters in the adjacent text box. When entering Multiple characters, no separator is needed; each entered character is treated separately.
Value Each Line is broken up, using the specified delimiter(s). Potential values can be selected from the Value drop down list.
Enter variable name Variable names can be specified in two ways. Select this radio button to enter a string constant (spaces and special characters not allowed) to be used as the variable name. To extract the variable name from the information contained in the Variables preview window, select the Extract variable name from file radio button (next option).
Extract variable name from file When you select this radio button, additional fields are added to the Extraction by Delimiter page. These fields allow you to specify a Line, Delimiter(s), and Name for a given variable. This radio button is used to assign names to selections from the Value drop-down list.

Variables to Extract Window

Method You can opt to extract variables by more than one method and they are tracked across both Delimiter and Position pages, regardless of the method/page by which they were specified. Variables specified on this page are of type Method = Delimiter.
Name Name as specified using the Variable group controls.
Value Variable Value as specified using the Variable group controls.
Add Add an user-defined variable to the Variables to Extract Window after inputting the variable name in Enter variable name text box.
Replace Click this button to replace the chosen variable with a new variable.
Delete Delete the chosen variable(s) from the Variables to Extract Window.