Data Explorer Option
The Data Explorer option gives you the ability to display the contents of files without having to import the data itself. You can also preview single channels as well as statistical quantities, such as maximum, minimum and mean.
You can easily search for data set properties, preselecting what you need for file import. The results can then easily be imported into FlexPro.
You can use the DataQuery object to find and browse through data on your hard drive and then further process this data directly without having to import it.
File Indexing
File indexing in FlexPro sifts through your hard drive data and prepares an index database, which is used by Data Explorer and the DataQuery object to find data. FlexPro not only stores all header information in the database, such as units, comments and parameters, but also information about the data itself, such as the value count, sampling rate, mean or a thumbnail for the data preview.
Before you can use Data Explorer, you need to set up File Indexing. To do this, specify the folders to be searched on your hard drive and the data formats to be included in the search. You can also specify when FlexPro should perform indexing and at what time intervals the index database should be updated.
If you enable file indexing, FlexPro will close, but then FlexPro will remain open in the background so that it can index the files. This can be identified by the FlexPro icon that appears in the Windows Taskbar system tray. If you right-click on the icon, a menu appears which you can use to quit FlexPro, for instance.
Note: If you copy or delete files in a hard disk folder that is set up for indexing, FlexPro automatically adds these files to or removes them from the index. However, FlexPro must be running during this procedure.
File Indexing in Client/Server Mode
In addition to using file indexing for your personal database, you can also use it for larger data archives that are on a server. In this case, a FlexPro Professional instance is installed on the server and will handle the indexing. The data collected during indexing is stored in a Microsoft SQL Server database, which must be provided on the server (this license is not included with FlexPro). FlexPro Professional users can access the index database via an ODBC database connection and by sharing the database folders.
Note: While FlexPro stores the indexed data for personal databases in an SQLite database, a multi-user database is required for client/server mode. Currently only Microsoft SQL Server version 2008 or higher is supported.
Data Explorer Views
Data Explorer features two different types of views:
The All Files views are similar to Windows Explorer. All files and folders on your hard drive and on the network are displayed. You can import files using drag-and-drop or copy them to the Object List using the Data Explorer clipboard.
The Indexed Files views show you only the files that are detected and indexed by FlexPro. In this view you can see individual data channels in the measurement data files. If you click on a data channel, detailed information will be displayed in the Properties window and in the preview.
You can view both views as a list or as a tree in a hierarchical structure.
Preview and Properties
If you use your mouse to point to a channel displayed in Data Explorer, a popup window will with detailed information will appear. If you select the channel in Data Explorer, a preview and properties will be displayed.
Search Filters
Search filters allow you to specify which data to display in Data Explorer. In addition to the default search filter, you can also define additional search filters which FlexPro can store in the project database or in a template database. You can combine multiple search criteria in a single search filter. For instance, you can search for all data sets whose names start with "Axial", have a unit of m/s² and a maximum exceeding 10.
You can carry out simple filtering by object name without having to define a search filter. Just enter part of the name in the input box under the Data Explorer toolbar. Only objects whose names contain the input text are displayed.
Calculations
Calculations for Data Sets
These are small FPScript formulas that you can use to calculate quantities for the indexed data sets. For instance, a "span" calculation would look like the following:
Range(data)
Set up the calculations before you start indexing the data. You can assign a search filer to each calculation. The particular calculation is evaluated only for data sets that pass the search filter.
Calculations can return scalar values or any other data structures as the result. You set up a calculation, enter whether it will be considered an additional data set or whether it will be assigned as an attribute to a data set for which you have made a calculation. The latter is allowed only for calculations that result in a scalar value.
Calculations that are to be considered as an additional data set appear in Data Explorer as additional entries, where the name is formed from the name of the data set and the name of the calculation. For example: "DatasetSpan".
If you later import an indexed data set to which you have assigned calculations as an attribute, then these calculations will be entered in the Header Information of the data set. Using the FPScript code Dataset.Calculations("Span") provides the ability to access to a "Span" calculation stored in the data set. Since the calculations are stored as formulas, they always produce the correct result even if you change the data set data.
You can use calculations in data queries to search for data. For instance, you can define a search filter that provides all data sets with the unit Pa and a span greater than 10.
Calculations for Files
These are not for a single data set, but for a complete file. Therefore, you cannot assign them as an attribute to a data set, but instead can only store them as additional data sets. During the calculation you have access to all channels in the currently indexed file and can therefore carry out cross-channel calculations. For instance, an "output" calculation would look like the following:
Current * Voltage
For files whose records are stored hierarchically, you must specify the path:
Group\Current * Group\Voltage
See Also
Search Items and Search Operations
Setting Up File Indexing in Client/Server Mode
Changing the Data Explorer View
Removing Files or Folders from the Index