Creating a cBase with Visual Integrator is an easy process, but it hides some of the complexities of the cBase creation process. To create a cBase with finer control, use the Spectre Build script method. See Creating cBases with Spectre Build Scripts.
Creating a cBase using Visual Integrator
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In the Workbench Explorer, right-click a data file and choose Generate Integrator Script.
The
Save File dialog box opens. -
In the Save File dialog box, use the default, recommended /programs directory to store the file, or choose another location. Make changes that you want to the default file name, and click Save.
A simple
Visual Integrator tab opens with a Filein object.NOTE: An asterisk appears in the tab indicating that the file needs to be saved. Click File > Save. Continue to save the file regularly as you make changes.
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In the flow panel, select the Filein object, and note that it uses the data file as the input under the
Filename(s) or Starname(s) section [1]. -
Make adjustments to the input fields on the right [2], setting which fields to keep or remove, and setting any aliases. The keep order is set by the order in which you select the fields.
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In the flow panel, right-click the Filein object, and choose
New Object after this > Output > cBase.Note that the cBase object connects to the Filein object.
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Select the cBase object.
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Add an output file name and location (/cbases recommended) in the
Output field [3] under the Misc section of the cBase object properties. -
Make selections in the Model Structure panel [4]. For more details about defining the structure, see the notes that are after the steps.
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Save the tab.
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Choose Run > Run Script, or click the Run button (green circle with white arrow) from the toolbar.
NOTE: If there are unsaved changes in the script, the Script has unsaved changes dialog box opens with choices about how to proceed.
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The
Logs tab displays.NOTE: You might get warnings in the Log Viewer that pertain to values that have "suspiciously similar values" that you can ignore for the moment. Spectre is letting you know that in your data, there are two things that are probably supposed to be the same thing. It also lets you know where you have leading zeros. You can return to check these warnings later and make adjustments in your data file or build configuration as needed.
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If the run is successful, the cBase opens in ProDiver, and you can see the results. There is a preference in Workbench Preferences to set whether ProDiver opens.
NOTES:
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When the cBase object is selected, the
Model Structure tab looks similar to what you see with classic Models. - You can make adjustments in the Properties of each column in the Visual Integrator script (cBase object), such as changing summary fields into strings so that they become dimensions.
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Click the Props icon to access the
Column Properties dialog box where you can set additional properties. - If you require more detailed control, use the Spectre Build script method, where you can iterate (with more control) between the Build script and viewing the cBase in ProDiver to achieve the result that you want.
There are six possible properties panels in the Visual Integrator main window. Click the name label to change the panel display:
- cBase-1-CBS (cbase)—Displays the currently selected object properties panel, which is the cBase object in this example
- Parameters—Displays the Parameters pane to add or edit parameters for this script
- Results—Displays the results of the most recent run
- Logs—Displays the logs, which open when you run the Visual Integrator script
- Columns—Displays a grid showing the origin of each column for each task
- Input/Output Files—Displays a grid showing the input and output files used in the script
NOTE: After a cBase builds, using it as input to another Integrator script does not preserve the column types because Integrator treats all data as strings.
See also: