Import data
Create tables from a file in Drive, or add a file's data to an existing table
Use this page to fill Data Studio from a file. There are two ways. The first creates new tables from a file. See Create tables from a file. The second adds the data of a file to an existing table. See Add a file's data to a table.
Before you import
- Upload the file to Drive first. See Drive.
- You must be an Item organizer or higher on the file, and have a role on the database or table as in Who can do what.
What you can import
| Kind | Formats |
|---|---|
| Map data | GeoJSON (.geojson, .json), TopoJSON, GeoJSON Lines, Shapefile, KML, KMZ, GeoPackage, GPX, FlatGeobuf, GML, MapInfo (.tab, .mif), DXF, DWG, DGN, SQLite, OpenStreetMap (.osm, .pbf), File Geodatabase (.gdb) |
| Tables | CSV, TSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xls), OpenDocument (.ods), DBF |
| Several files in one file | A .zip that holds files in the formats above. You can choose the file inside. |
You cannot import images, rasters (such as .tif) or point clouds. If the platform rejects a spreadsheet file, ask your administrator whether the platform can read that format.
What happens to the data in the file:
- A CSV or spreadsheet with longitude and latitude columns becomes points. Data Studio finds the columns by name, such as
lon,lng,longitude,lat,latitude,ลองจิจูด,ละติจูด. If there are none, it becomes a plain table. - Fields get their type from the values. Numbers become Number. Dates and times become Date, Date and time or Time. Lists of values become Array. The rest become String.
- A file that does not say its coordinate system must be in longitude and latitude (WGS 84). If it is not, the import fails and writes nothing.
- A value that does not fit the field is left empty. A row that the database rejects is skipped.
Create tables from a file
You must be an Organizer or higher on the database.
- Open the database, then click the Import icon in the toolbar.
- Under Source, click Source item and choose the file.
- Check the Target item. By default it is the database that is open.
- In Importable collections, click Import next to the layer you want.
- Click Import again in the Import? box.
The button shows the progress, then changes to Imported. The new table is in the database. If the file has several layers, click Import next to the other layers too. Close the window with x.
Each layer becomes one table, named after the layer. A layer with geometry becomes a point, line or polygon collection. One without becomes a table.
Add a file's data to a table
- Open the table or collection. You cannot import into a view.
- Click the green Import icon in the toolbar.
- Under Source, click Source item and choose the file. If the
.zipfile has several files, choose one in File. If there are several layers, choose one in Collection. - Under Import settings, choose the Import mode. See Import modes.
- Under Field mappings, match the file's fields (Source) with the table's fields (Target). See Match fields.
- Click Import, then click Import again in the Import? box.
Import stays faded until at least one field is matched. Cancel closes the box.
A large file takes time in the background. The records may show up later than the message. Search again to refresh the table.
Import modes
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Replace all data | Deletes every record in the table, then adds the file's records. |
| Append new data only | Adds the file's records. Skips records whose ID is the same as one already in the table. |
| Update existing data only | Changes records that are in the table. Does not add new records. |
| Update existing data only (exclude geometries) | The same, but does not touch geometries. |
| Append and update data | Adds new records and changes the ones that exist. |
| Append and update data (exclude geometries for existing data) | The same, but existing records keep their old geometry. New records get the geometry from the file. |
Replace all data cannot be undone. Check the table, the file and the mode before you confirm.
The modes that change data match records by ID. The file must have an id or _id column that holds the record's ID. Rows without it are skipped. In the other modes, this column is the ID of the new record. If there is none, Data Studio makes an ID.
Match fields
The file's fields are under Source. Beside each is a box under Target for choosing the table's field. A field whose name matches a display name is already matched.
- To change a match: choose another field in the box.
- To skip a field of the file: click x to clear the box.
After the import
Data Studio does not list the rows it skipped. Check the table when the import is done. The platform records each import as an Activity of the file. See Log Monitoring.