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Sigma Magic Help Version 15

Data Editor

Overview

The Data Editor button can be used to manage the data for your analysis from one central location. Instead of maintaining separate copies of data, you can define the data for your project once and then reuse that data in different tools. This button can be found within the Setup set of menus on the main menu bar. main menu

Usage

An example screenshot when you click on the button is shown below. main menu
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Available Data: The list of data available for your analysis is listed in this table. The table shows the column number, the name of the table, the name of the variable, the type of data, and the number of rows of data. If no data is available for analysis, then this table will list a summary of the different ways in which the data can be loaded for your analysis.
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Search Data: If you have a large number of columns of data listed in your table it may be difficult to find the data you are looking for. In these cases, you can enter a search term in this box and only those columns of data that meet the search criteria are listed in this table. To clear the search and view all the available data just clear the search field.
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Import Tables: If your data is available in a table in another workbook, you can click on this button to import the table to your current workbook. Note that data needs to be in tables and can be located on any worksheet of the external workbook. When you import the data to your current workbook, data is added to the Data Sheet.
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Import Range: If your data is available in a range either in the current workbook or another workbook, you can import the data from this range and convert it into a table in your current workbook. When you import the data to your current workbook, data is added to the Data Sheet.
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Export to File: You can export data from your data file to an external workbook. Make sure to select the columns of data you would like to export before clicking on this button. If you select multiple columns of data to export to your worksheet, they will be placed in contiguous columns on your worksheet - so make sure that there is sufficient space on your worksheet to save your data. Note that Export Data will not remove the data from your data file but will make a copy of the data and paste it into your workbook.
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Export to Range: You can export data from your list of available data to a range. Make sure to select the columns of data you would like to export before clicking on this button. The data you selected will be pasted as a range and you will need to select to the top left cell where you would like to paste the table data. Make sure there is sufficient space (rows and columns) for empty cells before you paste the data. Note that Export Data will not remove the data from your data file but will make a copy of the data and paste it into your specified location.
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Rename Data: You can use this button to rename the table column or the name of the column that is stored in your database. You can rename tables and variable names using direct Excel functionality but this will break any associated analysis you may have performed with this data. It is recommended that you only use this button to rename your variables so that any prior analysis that used these variables is also updated. Make sure that your table names are unique across all the table names within a given data file. The table names and column names should also not contain any special characters - otherwise, the software may reject to rename your columns. Note that you can use the rename button to change the name for up to 10 variables at one time.
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Delete Data: You can use this button to delete any data columns that you no longer need from your data file. Note that this operation cannot be reversed and hence make sure that you are careful when you use this button to delete any columns you no longer need.
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Data Cleanup: You can use this button to clean-up any problems with your data set. First select the columns that you would like to clean-up and then click on this button. Data Cleanup can be used to remove spaces at the start or end of a text string, handle capitalization issues (where the variables Dog and dog would be treated as the same variable), remove non-printable characters from the data set, and remove values that are errors from the data set.
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List/Table View : You can click on this radio button to switch between the list view of the data and a table view of the data. The list view provides a summary of the data available such as the name of the table, the name of the column, and the number of rows of data. The table view provides a summary of the table name, the name of the column, and a sample of the first few data points along with the number of rows of data. The default is the list view.
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Help Button: Click on this button to open the help file for this topic.
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Refresh Button: Click on this button to refresh the contents of the table if any changes were made to the worksheet after the Data Editor was opened.
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Cancel Button: If you want to cancel your changes, you can click on the Cancel button and the software will exit this dialog box. Note that changes may be temporarily saved in memory so you will have to quit Excel without making changes to your workbook if you want to discard your changes.
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OK Button: Clicking on the OK button will save your workbook changes and then exit this dialog box.
An example of the datasheet that is stored within your workbook is shown below. When you do not use an external data file and save the data to your current workbook then Sigma Magic will create an Excel table and store the results in that table. It also determines how many rows of data exist in the column you have copied. main menu
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Table 1: Note that this workbook has two separate tables. Table 1 and Table 2. Each table can have any number of columns. In this example, Table 1 has 1 column and Table 2 has 2 columns. Note that there is a one column gap between tables.
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Table 2: This is the second table available in this workbook. Note that each table has the same number of rows for all columns. If you have a different number of rows, you may choose to copy your data to different tables or leave the rows blank in a particular column if that column has a fewer number of rows.

FAQ

This section contains some frequently asked questions. If you have other questions about this module, please contact technical support.
What happens if I import the data into my worksheet and the user changes the data in the original location?

When you import your data into the current workbook, it will make a copy of the data and paste it into the current workbook. Note that it does not link to the original data so if the original data is changed at the source location, these will not be reflected in the data within your workbook. You will need to reimport the data to reflect any changes.

How do I change the location of where the database is stored?

By default, any data you import into the current workbook will be stored as tables within the Data Sheet worksheet. Note that is it not required that the data only be stored in this worksheet. Data Tables may be stored in any worksheet within your current workbook.

How do I edit the data that has been previously copied?

You can edit the data that you have copied to your workbook. Note that the analysis you may have performed with your older data set is not automatically updated. You will need to click on Compute Outputs to update the analysis results if you have updated the data in your workbook. Any changes to the data are reflected in the Summary Sheet and this sheet is a good source to determine if all your analysis are using the latest version of the data.