Import

Importing (Meta)Data in Swing Studio

On this page, you can import various types of (meta)data files into Swing Studio. To select files, click the ‘ADD FILES’ button or drag and drop files into the green-bordered area.

Supported File Formats

You can import the following file formats:

• Excel (.xls, .xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm)

• Excel XML

• CSV

• Access databases (.mdb, .accdb)

Types of Import Files

1. Meta data files

Metadata files contain descriptions of data, such as indicator names or data sources. You can import metadata into tables like Indicators, Units, or Area levels.

• Column names must exactly match those in the target table in Swing Studio.

• To create an example file, select rows from a table and click ‘Export metadata’.

2. Presentation files

Presentations can be imported as compressed ZIP folders. These ZIP files must be exported from the Presentation page and contain .sw5p files.

3. Data files

Data files contain actual values (numeric or textual) for one or more indicators. Supported value types include:

• Numbers

• Percentages (values between 0 and 100)

• Averages

• Label values

Note: Percentages and averages can only be aggregated if a weight variable is linked to the indicator.

Import Formats

Format 1: Indicator per Column

Each indicator is placed in a separate column. Use the fixed column names PERIOD, GEOLEVEL, and GEOITEM. If your file uses different names, you can adjust the layout after import, or use a definition file (not supported for CSV).

Example 1:

Example 2: Table name = "Data"

Table name = "Data_def"

Note: Unknown columns are automatically treated as type VAR.

Adding Dimensions

To include additional dimensions (e.g., gender or age), add columns using the prefix DIM_.

Example 3: Table name = "Data"

Table name = "Data_def"

Note: Using dimensions can improve visualizations and simplify presentation settings for end users.

Format 2: Value per Record

Each row represents one value. Use fixed columns: PERIOD, GEOLEVEL, GEOITEM, VARIABLE, VALUE.

Example 4:

Example 5: Table name = "Data"

Table name = "Data_def"

Importing Stream Data

Stream data tracks flows between areas (e.g., migration between municipalities). The file must have the following format:

• >STREAM: period

• FROM_LEVEL: source area codes

• IDEM: destination area codes (same level as source)

• VAR1, VAR2, ...: values per indicator

Note: The use of dimensions with this data format is not supported.

Import Options

You can enable these additional options during import:

• Clear all data for indicators in import file

• Clear data for combinations of indicator, period and geolevel in import file

• Automatically adjust start and end periods

• Delete records with special values

• Skip records with unknown values