By the end of this chapter you will be able to:

In 2 Using Excel Templates, you downloaded train.zip and saved the files to <path>. Find this file: <path>\inputData\AccountTransactions\AccountTransactions.xlsx. The second tab of this workbook – accountHistory contains details of account transactions.  

Upload data from using a file collector

You have already learned how to upload data using a file collector in 3 Combining Data Sets. By default the file collector reads from the first sheet in the workbook. The stream that PhixFlow creates when you upload the data is configured to hold this data. For this exercise, you need the data from the second worksheet. You will need to set additional options to configure PhixFlow to use this sheet.

The easiest way to do this is to load the data from the first sheet, then edit the collector properties.

1. Create a new model called Read Account History.


    How?

   1. In the repository browser, right-click Analysis Models then click  Add Analysis Model.
   2. PhixFlow displays the empty model in the modelling pane on the left and opens the model property tab on the right.
   3. In Basic Settings →  Name, enter Read Account History.

   


2. Add a file collector and set Basic Settings → Name: LoadAccountHistory.

    How?

   1. From the model toolbar, drag a  File Collector into the model.
   2. PhixFlow displays the property tab for the new file collector.

3. In the property tab toolbar, click  Save.

4. Upload the data.

    How?

   1. In the model, hover your mouse pointer over the AccountHistory file collector to display the context toolbar and click Upload File.
   2.  Navigate to the directory <path>\train\inputData\AccountTransactions\AccountTransactions.xlsx.
   3. Select the file AccountTransactions.xlsx and click Open, then click .
5. PhixFlow adds a new stream to the model, called LoadAccountHistory.

Change the file collector to load the second worksheet

1. In the model, right-click the new stream and click permenantly delete
2. Double-click LoadAccountHistory to open its property tab. Set Advanced → Excel Data Range Expression: "accountHistory!A1:F100"
3. In the File Columns section, delete the column information that PhixFlow has already loaded.
4. Click  - Create  file attributes 
5. PhixFlow already knows about the data in the spreadsheet. It now uses the expression you added to read the information about the columns in the second worksheet. PhixFlow adds the attributes to the list.
6. In the model view, from the hover menu of the file collector press  - Create a new Stream 
7. Save your changes
8. Have a look the attributes in the new stream – you can see that these have been derived from the columns in the file collector
9. Run analysis on the stream and confirm that the data that has been read into PhixFlow is from the second tab in the spreadsheet