Sparx Systems Forum

Enterprise Architect => General Board => Topic started by: Papa_Bear on January 16, 2025, 07:04:06 am

Title: Trying to establish a data model for a simple table - but can't make progress.
Post by: Papa_Bear on January 16, 2025, 07:04:06 am

I have a very simple table of data - Item_name_short, Item_name_long, System, Org, and Type.
It doesn't get much simpler!
I'm using this as a simple test to try pulling this structure in from external (Excel, CSV, I don't care...  Access import won't work either...).

If you want some info on what I've tried:
I tried creating a DataModel, but the "Tables" entry wouldn't let me create a new table.
I then discovered I must use the "Database Builder" - so did that - and created a table, with the fields. (The new table then showed up under the DataModel "Tables" folder - where it would not let me create the table???)
I then realized that I really don't want to start by telling EA about this, I want to import all of this info from a file.
So I abandoned that and tried to find help on importing. Interestingly (based on a tutorial video I found), to do an import - one must go to the 'Publish' option. I never would have found that without the demo video I found.

If you only want to know my question:
Can someone explain exactly how to import data, with my own custom fields, into EA - and have it do its magic on representing the table?
I thought I could point it at an Excel file (properly formatted) and it would figure this out. Apparently not.

Apparently, it involves creating/exporting an import spec - which is cool, but that import spec does NOT allow me to specify which of MY fields to bring in (????) - so I'm lost immediately. It seems there is some other .csv file also generated - which then is used to perform the import?

I am totally lost.
I would very much appreciate a link to some kind of document or tutorial that actually explains how to do this - and what is in each file that is needed etc.

thanks!

Title: Re: Trying to establish a data model for a simple table - but can't make progress.
Post by: Geert Bellekens on January 16, 2025, 05:53:55 pm

Importing tables is not as simple as you might thing.

CSV import only covers elements (table) not attributes (columns)

You can use
- The Office MDG
- My Excel importer https://bellekens.com/product/ea-excel-import-export/ (https://bellekens.com/product/ea-excel-import-export/)
- A custom written script

Geert

Title: Re: Trying to establish a data model for a simple table - but can't make progress.
Post by: Papa_Bear on January 21, 2025, 03:33:41 am

OK - thanks for the response/info!!