To perform the Importation of Tables

The SPRING works with two categories of tables:

  • Category of Objects: usually has a direct connection with a graphic entity (point, line, or polygon) that could be mapped into a cadastral and/or network category, and that could have a defined set of attributes.
  • Category Non-Spatial: initially has no connection with objects, where it stores only the conventional attributes. Eventually, a certain instance could be connected to a category of object by a common attribute (see how to make the connection of tables). 

Another internal system table stores the information, specially Label and Name, of every geographic object created. The structure of this table (called  "geobject")  is the following:

Where:

  • ID: internal object identifier (generated internally by the system)
  • NAME: any text
  • LABEL: unique text that is not repeated 
  • CATEGORY: code of the category objects (generated internally by the system)
  • VISID: identifier of the visualization attributes of the objects
  • DATE: date (not in use)
  • HOUR: hour (not in use)

When you create a category of the model Object in the "Data Model" window the system automatically creates the attribute table with a name of the form CGxxxxxx, where xxxxxx corresponds to an internal identifier of the system.

The structure below shows an attribute table:

Where:

  • GEOID: identifier of the object that corresponds to the ID attribute in the table  "geobject".
  • ASA, USO, NUM_IMOV, POPULAC, RENDA, APTIDAO, MDECLIV: other attributes.

The attributes ID and GEOID in the "geobject" object table provide the link between these two tables.

The attribute table of a category object or category non-spatial can be generated in different ways:

  • Directly in SPRING using the windows " Data Model" (to create a category object or non-spatial), " Object Edition" (to edit the category object, through the creation of a label/name and filling in the other attributes), and " Non-Spatial Data" (to edit the non-spatial category, through the filling in of the attributes).
  • Importing an external table in the ASCII-SPRING format (type TABLE )
  • Importing an external table of the DBASE, ACCESS or CSV  formats that already have the attributes of the objects or non-spatials.

Let's approach the third situation where the external table will be imported, in order to become an attribute table of the category object or non-spatial in SPRING. We start from the point that the following information is already stored in the database:

  • For a category object:
      • Category Object
      • Project data
      • Information Layer data (geometry)
      • Objects of a category already created
  • For a category non-spatial:
      • Provide a name to create the category

The procedures for the importation of an external table using the window "Import Tables" are described as follows:

Importing Dbase, ACCESS, ASCII-SPRING or SPACESTAT or CSV tables :

  • load a Database ( atalho_bancod.gif - 1054 Bytes), in case no Database has been loaded;
  • load a Project ( atalho_projeto.gif - 1036 Bytes), in case no Project has been loaded;
  • click on File and select Import Table... . The window "Import Tables" will be presented;
  • use the button Directory... to navigate to the directory where the file to be imported resides, or type in the path to it and press the Enter;
  • select the type of data Format : Dbase, ACCESS, CSV or ASCII-SPRING;
  • search for the file in the list and click on it;
  • select in Operation: Create New Non-Spatial Category;
    • in the case of a new non-spatial table you must supply a name for the table (Category);

o       select in Operation SPRING: Create New Object Table (DBASE)

o      in the case of a new table in DBASE format, it is necessary to select in the Spring Objects list the desired category (Table), and in the Association Extern Table x SPRING which attribute will correspond to the label of the object in SPRING;

o       select in Operation SPRING: Create New Object Category/Attribute Table

    • in the case of a new table in ASCII-SPRING format, the name of the  object category must be specified within the file; in case it does not exist, it will be created;

o       select in Operation SPRING: Update Object Category/Attribute Table

    • in the case of an update in an ASCII-SPRING table, the name of the  object category must be specified within the file;
  • click on Execute to perform the importation.

NOTE: You can only import tables that are in the Dbase (.dbf) format to the different database management systems of SPRING: Dbase, Access, and Oracle.

Link between External Tables and The Object Attribute Table:

The same way that we have an internal link between the Object Table and the Attribute Table, we can add a third external table linked to the Attribute Table. In this case, we use the menu option Edit- Linking Tables..., to make the association between one attribute in the Object Table and one in the Non-Spatial Table. Once this link is created all the attributes will be available from the query module.


See more about the SPRING importat and export formats



See also:
Definition of Database
Definition of Data Model of a database
How to IMPORT SGI data ?
How to IMPORT GRIB images ?
How to EXPORT data ?