FAQ About Importing Files
Why haven't the FREE ASCII files been updated recently ?
The FREE ASCII data files are updated on a monthly basis. The What's New is updated to reflect the latest update. Often, more current
information is available than that viewed through your browser. Most browsers maintain a cache to make it quicker to retrieve and display pages. It is
possible that an older copy of the screens (pages) reside in the cache. If they do, the older page will be displayed. If you question whether or
not your looking at the most current page, press reload from your browser menu.
What is summary file (*.SUM) ?
A summary file provides a list of all data fields that are contained in the file selected to be downloaded. It describes in
detail what and where each field is within the file, and the fields associated definition. Other fields included within the summary
file are:
Expression - An expression can be built from one or more database columns to create a virtual column (field). The expression is
defined in SQL syntax. If the expression is a single database column, the expression will match the column name. Otherwise, for each column in an
expression, you will see each individual column on separate lines that show the expression from which it came.
Column Name - The actual name of the database column (field). This is the column, or one of the columns, defined in
the expression.
Column Alias - A name specified in the query definition that is used as a heading on reports.
Column - The starting position of the column (field). It is applicable to fixed dumps only.
Length - The length of a column (field).
Type - The data type of a column (field), such as character, integer, date, and float.
Sensitivity - The security classification of the column (field) defined.
Definition - A brief description of the column (field).
What is the domain file (*.DOM) ?
A domain file provides a list of all columns (fields) that have an associated domain. A domain defines the valid list of values
or a range associated with the column. Descriptions are provided for domain items such as codes and abbreviations.
What does it mean or what do you have to do to "Explode" files ?
PKZIP version 2.04G was used to compress the files to make them smaller to download. You can use PKUNZIP to explode the files or use
the WINZIP utilities. Once you have exploded the files (putting them back to their original state) the data files can be imported into a variety
of database packages. I suggested downloading the delimited files, they're easier to import.
Can this date be queried?
Once the data file is exploded, the data fields will be delimited with quotes (") and separated by commas (,).
The data can then be imported into a variety of database or spreadsheet packages to facilitate
queries or reports.
How do I get my file into Microsoft Access?
To load these files into Access, simply use the import option, selecting the data file. Specify the import options as delimited, with quotes separated by commas.
Use the summary file to rename the fields after the import is complete. After this you can use the Wizards to create your reports.
