WRDB is able to import data from many ASCII and binary file formats, including:
Paradox (.db), Access (.mdb), and dBase (.dbf) database tables
Excel (.xls, .xlsx, .xlsm) spreadsheets
ASCII text files (.txt, .csv) created by many different programs
USGS/NWIS text files (.rdb)
Binary modeling files (.bmd) used in EPA programs like WASP
Data Storage System files (.dss) used in Corps of Engineers programs like HEC-RAS and HEC-HMS
Watershed Data Management Files (.wdm) created by HSPF
LSPC input and output files (.out, .air)
EFDC output files (.out)
YSI binary files (.dat)
The import routine handles many difficult tasks for you:
A variety of tabular formats are interpreted; in addition to the one-line-per-record tabular format, WRDB can handle multiple records per line (such as hourly, daily, or monthly values arranged in a table).
Column or field names in your import file can be manually or automatically "mapped" to standard WRDB fields; you can also choose to ignore selected columns of fields.
You can assign global overrides to imported data; for example, all imported records can be assigned a specific Station ID.
A wide variety of date and time formats are automatically recognized.
WRDB handles a variety of identifiers to indicate non-detect values.
Combined numeric and non-numeric data entries can be parsed (e.g., "<1.25" can be interpreted as a numeric value of 1.25 and an RCode of "<")
On-the-fly conversions of numerical and key-field data can be performed; for example, temperatures can be converted from Celsius to Fahrenheit, and PCodes can be converted from STORET numeric codes to project-standard codes.
You can import into either data or Support tables.
You can combine water quality observations and Support data in the same input file, and the appropriate tables will be updated.
Missing Support table entries are automatically added.
You can choose to log your import operations and assign source and quality information to batches of data.
After running the import routine, import files will be converted to a tab-delimited format that corresponds to the record structure within WRDB:
STATION_ID, DATE_TIME, PCODE, LEW_PCT, DEPTH_M, CCODE, RCODE, RESULT, VALIDATED, TRACK_ID
Initially, WRDB will set the database fields VALIDATED and TRACK_ID to default values; all other fields are accessible to the user. If no errors are detected during the conversion process, WRDB adds all the records to the currently selected Working table.
Any Support table records detected in the input file will automatically be appended to the appropriate Support table.
See Also: Data Import Forms, Field Mapping