I have several Access files with data from a group of users that I'm importing into one master file. The tables in the user files are each configured with a Before Change data macro that adds a timestamp each time the user edits the data.
("Data macros" are similar to triggers in SQL Server. They are different from UI macros. For more info, see this page.)
I'd like to import these timestamps into the master file, but since the master file is a clone of the user files, it also contains the same set of data macros. Thus, when I import the data, the timestamps get changed to the time of the import, which is unhelpful.
The only way I can find to edit data macros is by opening each table in Design View and then using the Ribbon to change the settings. There must be an easier way.
I'm using VBA code to perform the merge, and I'm wondering if I can also use it to temporarily disable the data macro feature until the merge has been completed. If there is another way to turn the data macros off for all files/tables at once, even on the users' files/tables, I'd be open to that too.
Disable the code? No. Bypass the code? Yes.
Use a table/field as a flag. Set the status before importing. Check the status of this flag in your event code, and decide if you want to skip the rest of the code. I.e.
If [tblSkipFlag].[SkipFlag] = false
{rest of data macros}
EndIf
Another answer here explains how you can use the (almost-)undocumented SaveAsText and LoadFromText methods with the acTableDataMacro argument to save and retrieve the Data Macros to a text file in XML format. If you were to save the Data Macro XML text for each table, replace ...
<DataMacro Event="BeforeChange"><Statements>
... with ...
<DataMacro Event="BeforeChange"><Statements><Action Name="StopMacro"/>
... and then write the updated macros back to the table then that would presumably have the effect of "short-circuiting" those macros.
Related
I have an external file that I don't create which I need to import on a rolling basis, most of the column headers/field names have spaces in them. Is there a query I can write to change all of them at once? I'd rather not write a long query to get rid of spaces for each individual field name. The field names are always the same and in the same order in the file, the spaces are in the middle of the field names (ex: "Employee Number").
First of all, "query" refers to an SQL statement (including those viewed in Design View) that retrieve or act on data already in the database. Importing data from an external file is a separate action, not generally called a query. So strictly speaking the answer is "no".
However, Access does have built-in import functionality in Access. I suppose you can call these import "functions" or "actions" or "processes", just not queries. And I'm not being a smart aleck, since much of getting help with applications and code is learning and using the correct terms.
Go to the External Data ribbon (a.k.a. toolbar) along the top of Access.
Click the Import Text File icon (careful not to click the Export Text File icon, since they look similar. Hover the mouse cursor over each button to see the text description of it).
Choose the filename, and pick which import option
As Gustav instructs in his answer, choosing "Link to data source by creating a linked table" is the most efficient solution for external files that don't change format. The linked table (hence the external file) can be re-queried without repeating numerous steps.
Walk through the Import Wizard steps. Play with the options if you need to figure it all out.
In particular, make sure to check "First Row Contains Field Names"
On one of the wizard steps, you can edit the field names to remove the spaces.
On the last step, click the "Save Import Steps" checkbox, specify a name, then click the "Save Import" button
To re-use the previously-saved import steps:
Go to the External Data ribbon (a.k.a. toolbar) along the top of Access.
Click "Saved Imports" button
Choose your saved import settings
Click Run
OR if you created a Linked table
There is no need to "re-import". Instead, a normal Access query can be used to get the data and update one of your normal data tables.
If the path of the external files changes, this can also be updated by right-clicking the linked table and choosing Linked Table Manager (also available on the External Data ribbon). Select the table in the list and also check "Always prompt for new location" before clicking OK. A standard file selection dialogue will be shown for selecting a new filepath.
(Just to be complete, it is also possible to write VBA code in Access to open a file, read and analyze the headers and then import the data according to your custom behavior, but this isn't for you if you'd "rather not write a long..." something to do this.)
I'd rather not write a long query to get rid of spaces for each individual field name.
Maybe not, but there is no smart way to overcome this.
However, don't import the file but link it. Then use the linked file as source in your query. In this, alias the field names as you prefer, and do basic filtering and conversion of data. Then use this query for your further processing.
I'm looking to write a program to update cells in LibreOffice Calc in real-time (or at least at some fixed tick) with data pulled from a MySQL database. Ideally, when the values in the database are updated, the corresponding cells in the spreadsheet would be updated such that any formulas or calculations existing in calc would continue to operate on the new values. So far, I have yet to find a way to dynamically and programatically insert data in this manner. Is it possible?
The LibreOffice component Base is a database front-end that handles queries, forms, and reports. While by default it uses an embedded version of HyperSQL database to manage the tables, it comes with drivers for any number of other back-end programs, including MySQL.
I think the easiest way to approach this would be to create a Base file with your MySQL database as its back-end (note Base will only be able to see tables and views from MySQL - it won't import queries; although you can save queries in the Base file if you want). Make sure to 'register' the Base file so the rest of LibreOffice can 'see' it. Once the file is registered, any open LibreOffice component can access the data from MySQL (Base file can be closed).
Now you can import any tables or views (from the MySQL component) or queries (from the Base file) into Calc: [Tutorial] Using registered datasources in Calc
Refreshing the imported data can be done through an API call. Here is an example in StarBasic code:
Sub refresh_DBRanges
Dim oDBRangesEnum
Dim oNext
oDBRangesEnum = thisComponent.DatabaseRanges.createEnumeration()
while oDBRangesEnum.hasMoreElements()
oNext = oDBRangesEnum.nextElement()
oNext.refresh()
wend
End Sub
Note in the second posting of the 'registered data sources' tutorial, it gives the API call to set the import ranges on a refresh timer.
Just a note that the Registered DataSources Tutorial is updated further down its page. It says the list of registered data sources can be accessed by hitting F4. That was true once but was changed with version 5. It's now Ctrl+Shft+F4.
I'm trying to understand if it's possible to write to an xls file with a bash script. Situation is outlined below.
I have a cronjob that runs every monday and generates an xls and emails to my client. This xls is filled with data from a MySQL DB. when the report is empty and the client attempts to open it, it shows as corrupt. Originally I addressed this issue by excluding empty files from the email with an if statement. However, the constraint is that all 4 reports much reach the client - empty or not.
So my question is, can I simply add a row of text at the top with a bash script so the file never "empty"? I'm not an expert in bash scripting by any means, so feedback here would be great. thanks!
Tony
I'm not aware of any pure bash implementation for writing XLS files. There are solutions in other languages such as Perl, Python, or PHP. If you think outside the box there is another option available to you. You mentioned that you currently use an if statement to not attach empty files. Create a blank spreadsheet in a program like MS Excel, optionally enter some text in A1 like "No records", save it, and transfer that to a known location on the server that runs the cronjob. Rather that skipping the attachment, whenever you detect an empty file in your if statement just attach the blank "No records" template XLS file. You may need to copy the template to a temporary location before attaching if you need to rename the file.
In my Grails app, I would like admin users to be able to upload a CSV file that contains data such as:
List of users to be added to system
List of groups to be added to system
Assignment of users to groups
I have no idea how the user will generate these CSV files - most likely from Excel, Access or similar, and therefore I've no way of knowing which column will contain which data. So I'm planning to allow the user to specify which column contains users, groups, etc.
I'm wondering if there's a JavaScript component that could help with this. Ideally I'd like to implement the following:
User uploads file
In browser, user is shown first N lines of uploaded file and prompted to select the column that contains the users, groups, etc.
Column information is uploaded to server
Is there a client/server side component that could help with this, or an entirely different approach which would be superior to that outlined above?
I should emphasise that the users of this system will not be technically gifted, so expecting them to provide an XML/JSON file instead is out of the question (and you can definitely forget about asking them to call a Web Service instead of uploading a file).
Thanks,
Don
I like your solution so far, given that the users are non-technical, and that you want to be able to accept this data as a file upload, rather than have the users enter it directly into your application.
I would simply suggest that when the user uploads the file, the server returns the first five (or so) lines back to the client as an HTML table. Then you can have <select> drop-downs as the headers for each column, with the pre-set options you're looking for. You can validate that the user has assigned all available options to each column (use JS to remove options from the select as they use them, but be sure to provide a method to undo and change selections), and allow some columns not to be labeled (which the server will just ignore when parsing the file.
If possible, also illustrate (perhaps in a graph format or just an example sentence, if applicable) how their label choices will apply to the relationships. For example, "New user ABC will be a member of new group XYZ." If ABC and XYZ are unexpectedly backwards, the user will recognize they made a mistake.
Also, some users will inevitably upload a file where they used rows as columns and columns as rows. Either provide a GUI function to reverse this ("rotate" the table), or let them choose which axis to label.
I would also suggest providing your users with a collection of example files in various formats (Excel, Access, etc), and give them explicit instructions for how to enter the data they want, and step by step instructions to export as CSV and upload.
I have no idea how the user will generate these CSV files - most likely from Excel, Access or similar, and therefore I've no way of knowing which column will contain which data.
I should emphasize that the users of this system will not be technically gifted
With these two things in mind, are you sure that CSV import is the best way to handle bulk user creation? It's a great technical solution, but the question is, will your users be able to take advantage of it?
It may be worth implementing an alternative bulk create option for those who don't get CSV or are scared off by Excel. Perhaps a JS grid that has the required fields where they could manually enter the data for each field and enter as many as they need at once, with a link to upload a CSV file as an option for those who would use it.
For the CSV option, since your users are not technically-minded, it would be better to give them instructions on how to create the csv files that specify the order fields should be in. Along with a screen shot and a sample file.
Another option is to require the field names be the first row of the document, and require that they use specific labels for the fields. If you do that, you could figure out from the first row what order the data is in. You could also put in a check that looks for the titles in the first row and if they're not found, tell the user they need to add the field names to the CSV and re-upload.
I have a csv imported into my Hyperion v8.3 bqy file. I have some custom columns and a pivot already created. I just want to refresh the data. In the past, I would hit Process Current and it would direct me to my computer and I could select the csv file to update from. Now it will not do that. It doesn't go to my computer at all.
Any ideas?
Eric,
I'm not a power user but I accomplish the same thing by ensuring that there is a file with the same name in the same location from which the original csv was imported and "Processing All". This allows me to update the data and import it into my bqy and automatically update any reporting based on the csv.
Don't know if this will help or not.
Dennis
dennis.van.camp#vanderlande.com
When you import a file as a Section into Hyperion, it maintains a link to the existing file for the exact path and file name. When that link is broken and that section gets a Process or Refresh command, is the only time it will prompt you for a new file. Otherwise, it will refresh the data from the existing.
So, if you want to force it to prompt you for a new file, you have to move or rename the old file.
But, you're looking for the Pivot and Computed columns to refresh. Two things on that ...
Computed Columns: You don't have to re-import the file, if the rest of your data is current. Each column can be refreshed individually by right-click, Modify, then clicking Ok. You don't have to change any of the code; just hit okay instead of Cancel.
Pivot: In the menu, you have to set your pivot options appropriately to update when you Process (when the underlying data is Processed, really), or Manually (when you Process that section).