CSV File Imports

You can import a CSV (or TXT or XYZ)  file or a KML points file into a Points database. 

• Select the file when you open a database and it will automatically be converted to a DBF file. The field types will match the data, and the length will be set to include all the data.  If you want to be safe, you should put in dummy records with lengths that are sufficient to handle any edits you might want to make later.
  • Database on Map window toolbar,
  • Open shapefile map on Main Program Toolbar
  • Open database without map on Main Program Toolbar

Rules for data format and field labels. 

• A GIS point database must have fields LAT and LONG.
• Insure that the CSV file does not have blank lines, or extra columns at the end, which are probably the result of edits in Excel that leave hidden features in some cells.  You can see them if you open the CSV file in Notepad, Wordpad, or a similar text editor (commas at the end of the lines are one way these will show up).

Set up a table with the rules for CSV import.

For a KML file,  the feature NAME will go into a NAME field.

Verify the CSV Import.

Other CSV problems.

Problems with CSV import

If the CSV file is too large:

• The program loads the entire CSV file into memory, and then if it is small enough, it will load the entire data set into a string grid.  This loading does a lot of error checking.  If the program suspects the file will be too large to load into the string grid, it will ask if you want to try anyway.
  • If you file is extremely well behaved (no missing data cells), you do not have to load it into the string grid, and the import should work.
  • You can try to load the string grid.  Exactly what size will cause problems depends on a lot of factors.
  • Split the input file with the Edit, ASCII split file option on the data manipulation form, and then recombine the files after you import the parts.

Last revision 1/29/2017