Import data to Dimension
Imports data into an InVision Dimension from an IDataReader or DataTable. The source of the DataReader or DataTable is typically a database table or file (Excel, Parquet, CSV).
Properties
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Title | ||
| Connection | Required | InVision connection. |
| Source | Required | The data source must be an IDataReader or a DataTable with columns matching the parent-child table schema. For further details, please read the Data import format section below. |
| Dimension | Required | Select the dimension to import data to. |
| Overwrite user edits | Optional | This option is applicable only when updating an existing dimension member. It determines whether manual changes made by the user to a dimension member's properties since the last import should be retained or overwritten. By default, user edits are preserved. However, setting this option to true will overwrite all manual user edits. Use this option with caution. |
| Import empty values | Optional | This option is applicable only when updating an existing dimension member. It determines whether empty values (e.g., null or empty strings) should be imported and allowed to overwrite existing property values for a dimension member. By default, this is prevented. However, setting this option to true allows overwriting existing property values from previous imports with empty values. Use this option with caution. |
| Created by | Optional | |
| Result variable name | Optional | Name of the variable containing boolean true or false to indicate whether the import succeeded or not. |
| Description | Optional | Additional notes or comments about the action or configuration. |
Data import format
To import data into a dimension, the columns in the data source (for example SQL Server source table, Excel of Parquet file) must match the table schema of the parent-child table of the target dimension.
A parent-child table always has at least 4 columns: ID, ParentID, Name and SortIndex. The data type of the first 3 columns is usually varchar or nvarchar, but other data types may also be used.
The data type of SortIndex is always int.
The dimension may also have properties, for example Weight, Price and Color. If so, the parent-child table additionally includes one column pr property.
The easiest way to determine the schema of the parent-child table is to open the dimension in the InVision designer and examine the Key field Data Type, and optionally the properties. You can also click Browse P/C Table in the InVision Designer to view the the parent-child table.
A parent-child dimension table with no properties, nor language support enabled, will look like this:
| ID | ParentID | Name | SortIndex |
|---|
A parent-child dimension table with a property named Color and support for Norwegian (NO) translations for dimension members will look like this:
| ID | ParentID | Name | SortIndex | Color | Name_NO |
|---|