EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Biomed Databases Importing Data

These last couple of weeks much fun (?) has been had adding a file import form to my database program. What I had hoped to be just a couple of days work has ended up as a bit of a marathon session as I became entangled in a thicket of tangled mess (largely, of course, of my own making as usual).

But I digress. I have limited matters (for the time being at least) to the famous and well supported comma-delimited file format (also known as CSV ... for "comma-separated values"). Old hat you might say, and yes, that's the beauty of them. Stretching back as they do to the pre-dawn of the computing era, they are supported by almost every computing device (and test equipment etc. with data outputs) known to man.

I am prompted to do this mainly due to a need to carry out some stock taking, condition assessments, and the like without being tethered to a PC. You may well laugh when I mention that I still use Psion "clam-shells" (and even Org 2's), but that is really by-the-by, as it could just as well have been a Blackberry, or any other "hand-held note-taker" ... just as long as it can generate CSV files over a traditional serial cable, or a USB (Bluetooth, even) link.

But the secondary reason is to be able to import data from test equipment, and then append that to the appropriate equipment datafile, PM history, or whatever.

I am trying to arrange an option to run data structures that may well be used repeatedly through filter templates set up accordingly. That is, to match incoming data fields to the fields in datafiles already part of my system, without having to laboriously set it all up each time. Not really amounting to "hot syncing", but probably good enough for most practical purposes.

So ... in order that I can test all this with test equipment data, I need some data! What would be nice would be some data from Bio-Tek, Datrend, Metron, Rigel et al test instruments so I can prove the concept, and adjust as necessary. If anyone has some such files handy, an email attachment would be highly appreciated.

For instance, I have arranged things such that up to twenty comma-delimited data fields can be imported with field lengths of up to sixty characters. Is that enough?

Ultimately, of course (and as usual) the results of my labours will be made available for All and Sundry to admire, in the so-called "Public Domain".

601PRO - Format

Control # - 15 characters
Procedure ID - 20 characters
Location - 30 characters
Device Type - 20 characters
Manufacturer - 25 characters
Serial # - 16 characters
Technician -5 characters
Date of Last Test -8 characters
Class - 2 characters
Type - 2 characters
Test Standard - 10 characters
601 Pro Serial # -15 characters
Leads - 1 character

Each response from the device ends in CRLF therfore comma delimited can be read in line by line or bulk imported with ease.

----> Sorry I dont have any data files to hand

RIGEL 288 & possibly other rigel based devices may not be compatible with coma delimited unless you run them through a conversion process or seperate program.

I am fairly sure that the data exported varies in number of records but is terminated by a [Marker] of some kind to signify end of record.

If you want too see any rigel 288 data though just give me a shout at work and I will dig some out for you.

Thanks for keeping this one going, Joe.

I don't have too much time for system development just at the moment ... but feel free to email some example data files when you are able.

I am interested in the idea of a 'seperate conversion program', though.

Cheers

Geoff

According to "the manual" the Rigel 288 has the following download formats available:-

1) CSV - full data
2) CSV - summary only
3) Rigel SSS

Intriguing. Rigel SSS? Must be a proprietary format, one supposes!

Or, could it refer to this?

More (questions) about the 601-Pro file format.

What kind of entry would we expect in the Procedure ID field?

Does the format permit variations in the 8-character Date of Last Test field?

01/08/10
01-08-10

or, even, 08/01/10?

Does the 601 Pro Serial field auto-increment (15 characters could contain a big number) ... or is it simply the Serial Number of the test instrument?

Also ... what about the actual test data?

Insulation resistance
Protective earth resistance ... and all the rest.

And ... the Pass/Fail flag!

Sorry about the veryyyyyyy long delay, I dont frequent as I used to.

Sample 601 Pro Data:

"25646","6M","B2 WARD (ICU)","Infusion Unit Imed G","ALARIS MEDICAL","1320-6581","JOE","14-6-00"," I","CF","IEC 601-1","125224","0"
"28615","A","B2 WARD (ICU)","Monitor CS/3 Compact","DATEX - OHMEDA","3633058","JOE","15-6-00"," I","CF","IEC 601-1","125224","3"

This should sort you out with the syntax.

Give me a ring if you want to discuss any.

Cheers

Hey Joe, "where ya bin", Mate?

Any road ... thanks for taking the trouble to pass that on.

Yes, that's clear (two records shown).

I could do with some more sample data ... anything really, as long as it's from test equipment, old or new. Probably in .csv format, but others would also be of interest!

And maybe I need to add "Fluke" to that list now.

My email address sits (ever expectantly) on my Profile.