Note: This is documentation for version 4.3 of Source. For a different version of Source, select the relevant space by using the Spaces menu in the toolbar above
Specifying data inputs
This section describes how to load time series data into Source and how to manually enter data in to tables. Additional sub-pages include:
Scenario Input Sets allow you to easily keep model structure, while switching between groups of input data and parameters.
Time series data
There are two types of time series data inputs:
File – a text-based time series data file in a supported file format. Refer to Loading a file data source.
Scenario – the results of a run from a different scenario can be used as an input for the current scenario. Refer to Loading a scenario data source.
When time series data is loaded in to Source, it is referred to as a data source and is available throughout Source. To either load new data sources, or access previously loaded data sources, you can use:
the Data Source option in a component's feature editor (Figure 1)
the Feature Table
the Function Editor
the output of the Climate data import tool
Note: Data sources are scenario-specific. If you want to use the same data source in two scenarios, you must load them individually for each scenario.
Figure 1. Loading a data source from within a component's feature editor
Data Sources Explorer
Source allows you to load and manage time series data at a central location using the Data Sources Explorer (Figure 2). Note that all data sources for the active scenario appear in the Explorer regardless of whether they were loaded using the Explorer, or one of the other methods listed above (eg. by using a component's feature editor, Figure 1).
Figure 2 shows features of the Data Sources Explorer containing all data sources available in the scenario, both from time series data files and another scenario. Additionally, the nodes that some of the data sources are associated with are shown. Once a time series has been assigned to a node it is locked to that node, as indicated by the padlock.
Figure 2. Data Sources Explorer
The contextual menu options allow you to:
Add Source to add a new file or scenario data source;
Add Folder to create a new folder;
Delete the selected file/folder;
Edit the selected data source. This opens the Load Data Source dialog (shown in Figures 3 and 4) where you can change various features of the data source;
Export data to a .csv file;
Rename the input data file/folder; and
View Data in the charting tool
Figure 3. Data Sources toolbar
The Data Sources toolbar (Figure 3) has the following functions:
New Data Source creates a new data source, using either the output of a scenario (Scenario Data Source...) or a time-series file (File Data Source...);
New Folder creates a new folder, allowing organisation of data sources;
Expand All expands the file hierarchy;
Collapse All collapses the file hierarchy;
Data Sources Overview opens the Data Sources Overview window, displaying metadata for all file and scenario data sources in the active scenario (Figure 3). This is particularly useful for checking the start and end dates of your data. For example, in Figure 3, WheatDemand_csv has an end date a decade before all other data sources;
Reload all time series with 'Reload on Run' reloads all time series when Reload on Run is also selected from within the Load Data Source dialog (Figures 4 and 5); and
Sets if a failed 'Reload on Run will stop the current run works in conjunction with Reload on Run to determine if source data will cause a scenario run failure. It is shown toggled on in Figures 2 and 3.
Figure 3. Data Sources Overview
Loading a file data source
To load a time series data file, either:
Click the New Data Source button on the Data Sources toolbar and choose File Data Source... from the drop down menu; or
Right-click on a Folder and choose Add Source » File from the contextual menu.
The Load File Data Source dialog opens (Figure 5). Then, follow these steps:
Click the Load data file button and navigate to and select your time series data file.
The path to you data file is displayed. If you enable the Relative Path check box, the path displayed is the location of the time-series file relative to the project. Note that the project must have been saved prior to this.
Each column of data in the time series data file becomes a row in the Data table. All time series data in the file is imported by default. You can select what columns to import by toggling the appropriate check box in the Import column.
Choose the scenario input set(s) associated with this data source by clicking on the arrow for the Default Input Set tab and toggling the appropriate check boxes. Refer to Assigning data sources to scenario input sets for more detail.
Click on Reload on Run to toggle whether Source reloads the data into the internal store when the Scenario is next run (for more information, see below).
Click on a Default Units cell and choose the appropriate units from the drop down menu. Right-click on a Default Units cell to bring up a contextual menu that allows you to Apply Unit to all data.
Note: It is imperative that you specify compatible units for a time series after loading. If you do not, the time series will either not display in the Data Sources option of the component's feature editor or a run will provide incorrect results. The time series must be visible in the chart view to ensure that the loading process is complete.
Once a file data source has been loaded, it will be listed in the Data Source Explorer. Its default name is that of the associated file, with "." replaced with "_". Grouped underneath each data source are the time series columns you have selected to import from that file, with the names taken from the column headings in the file (if there are no column headings, Source will name them Column01, Column02, …). The data source and time series can be renamed by right clicking on the item and selecting Rename from the contextual menu. Like functions and variables, each data source must have a unique full name. Two data sources can have a non-unique name if they are in different folders, because the full path to the data source is still unique (eg. Flows_csv in Figure 2).
Once you assign a time series to a node or link, the associated component is shown underneath that time series (Figure 2). To disconnect a time series from a component, open the required feature editor. In the Data Source option, click on the data source that contains the associated time series. The time series will be removed from the node. This can be confirmed by checking the Data Sources Explorer.
Loading a scenario data source
Performance Improvement
You can only load the result(s) of scenario run(s). Therefore, ensure that the donor scenario has been run before you load the scenario data source into the acceptor scenario.
To load the results of a scenario, either:
Click the New Data Source button on the Data Sources toolbar and choose Scenario Data Source... from the drop down menu; or
Right-click on a Folder and choose Add Source » Scenario from the contextual menu.
This opens the Load Scenario Data Source dialog (Figure 6). Then:
Click on the ellipsis (…) button on the first column of the Data table, which opens the Results dialog (Figure 7).
This dialog lists the most recent results for each scenario that you have run in your project. Choose the result that you wish to use as input data to your current scenario. In Figure 7, this data is Upstream Scenario Confluence 1's Downstream Flow;
Click OK to close the Results dialog.
If required, enable the Reload on Run checkbox (see below).
The units are set automatically from the result chosen.
Just as with time series, you can select the scenario input set(s) associated with this data source.
To load another scenario data source, repeat this process.