Create a file import record

To create a file import record

1. From the File import Summary window, select New.

   The File import Properties window opens.

   

2. Enter a Name for the File import task you are creating.

   The name of the File import task you are creating should be unique. If you enter a duplicate name, you will receive an error message.

3. From the dropdown list, select the Protocol used to transport the files. There are four options available for selection:

   Note: If you are using the File import tool, the most secure File import File Transfer Protocols (FTPs) are the File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS) and the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). We recommend using one those options to better protect yourself from security vulnerabilities.

   • File —This protocol uses your computer file system, including network shared drives, to transfer information.

   • FTP — The File Transfer Protocol allows files to be sent to, or received from, an FTP server.

   • FTPS — File Transfer Protocol (Secure) is similar to FTP, but with added security. It adds Transport Layer Security or Secure Sockets Layer cryptography to make the file transfer more secure.

   • SFTP — The Secure File Transfer Protocol uses an SFTP server to transfer information over a cryptographically-secured connection.

   • Email — Used for file archival only. For more details, see Archive imported information.

4. Enter the Location where the information available for import can be downloaded.

5. If the Location (where the files are stored) requires you to enter credentials, enter the Username and Password.

   The first time that the username and password are entered, you will be able to see the username and password you have entered. However, the next time you open the File import Properties window, the username and password appears in asterisks.

   After the username and password are entered, the information will be encrypted and stored in the database. However, the information could be re-entered and saved in the event an update was required.

6. Enter the File Criteria that the tool should use to decide which files should be processed as part of the import. Typing a file name creates criteria by which the parser can filter. For example, '.*.txt' would process all .txt files.

   The File Criteria uses a regular expression to look for the criteria. A regular expression allows you to provide a more specific set of criteria to search for than a traditional wildcard search would.

   If you entered fileimp.*.txt as your criteria, assuming that all of the files began with fileimp, it would yield the following results. Notice that the results all contain fileimp and end in .txt:

   • fileimport.txt

   • fileimp1.txt

   • fileimp2_NEW.txt

7. Enter the Import User / Source.

   It is used to specify where the information came from. For example, information was supplied by the Last Mod User.

8. Enter the Parser Library information, which is supplied by a .dll file.

   Note: There is no error-checking to ensure that the parser library information is valid. If the parser library information is incorrect, the following message will be logged in:%DNADataRoot%\MeasurementAdvisor\log.

   System.IO.FileNotFound Exception: Could not load file or assembly 'file:///%DNAInstallRoot%\MeasurementAdvisor\bin\MeasUtil.FileImportParser.TestMissing.dll' or one of its dependencies.The system cannot find the file specified.

   Depending on the configuration of your system, the location of the .dll file may be different than the one displayed here.

   Parser libraries are located in the bin directory in the same location as MeasFileImport.exe (%DNAInstallRoot%\MeasurementAdvisor\bin). If you are creating a custom parser, you would put it in %DNADataRoot%\MeasurementAdvisor\bin.

   Presently, the following library is included with AVEVA Measurement Advisor:

   • MeasUtil.FileImportParser.DataExchangeParser.dll parses measurement data for meters, gas qualities, property information, and events according to a defined XSD and inserts it into AVEVA Measurement Advisor. For more information, see About the data exchange parser.

9. Select the Retrieval Criteria to define how often retrieval attempts are made. You have three options:

   • Once — This option will retrieve the file once, regardless of timestamp.

   • Modified Files — This option will retrieve the file only if the timestamp of the file is newer than the last successful retrieval time.

   • Always — This option will retrieve the file always, regardless of timestamp.

10. From the Processing Order dropdown list, select the order in which you want the imported files to be processed.

    They can be processed by Name or Last Mod Time, and sorted in an ascending (Asc) or descending (Desc) order.

11. (Optional) If Process All Files is selected, all files that match the criteria will be processed.

    If it is turned off, it will only process the last file, according to the Processing Order.

12. In the Retrieval Tolerance field, specify the amount of time (in minutes) between each successful file retrieval. This can be set to send a notification when a file is not successfully retrieved within this tolerance. By default, this check is turned off for the files.

    Note: If the Retrieval Tolerance check is enabled and is configured to be a shorter time than the scheduling of the File import task, an exceed tolerance notification will be generated for every execution.

13. From the Dataset dropdown list, select the desired dataset. Selecting the dataset allows you to define what information is available to the File import tool.

    Selecting the dataset allows you to define which system owns the file import data, and the locations to which it can be replicated.

14. Fill in the Archival section as desired. For more information, see Archive imported information.