Data Files
The data files are the files from which the slots will be imported or to which the slots will be exported. They contain both the data attributes and data values. The attributes are specified as keyword:value pairs, and all attributes must come before the first data value. Although the keywords are not case sensitive, the value in the keyword:value pair can be.
The currently supported keywords are:
• The start date of a series slot:
start_date: yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm
start_date: 1996-04-15 06:00
On import, the slot will be expanded to include this timestep. On export, the start_date indicates the first timestep at which data was first.
• The end date of a series slot:
end_date: yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm
end_date: 1996-04-22 06:00
On import, this keyword is not used. Resizing a slot is configured using the import keyword in the control file. On export, the end_date indicates the last timestep at which data was exported.
• The start date of where the data should be imported.
data_date: yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm
data_date: 1996-10-22 06:00
data_date specifies where in the series slot the data is to be imported. Implicitly, data_date is only useful with input DMIs. It was designed for use with the multiple data file feature in control files: Object.Slot: file=... file=... in which data files are imported from left to right. If all data files were imported at the beginning of the series slot then values from later data files would overwrite values from earlier data files. Therefore, all data files (except possibly the first) should contain the data_date keyword, to import their values at the correct location in the series slot and to prevent their values from overwriting values from earlier data files.
• The timestep of the data being exported from a series slot:
timestep: <count> <timestep>
<count> is an integral value.
<timestep> is one of HOUR, DAY WEEK, MONTH, YEAR.
timestep: 6 HOUR
• The units of the data in the data file.
units: units
units: acre-feet/month
For multi-column table slots:
units: <column 0 units> <column 1 units> ...
units: ft cfs
• The scale of the data in the data file.
scale: scale
scale: 100
For multi-column table slots:
scale: <column 0 scale> <column 1 scale> ...
scale: 1 1000
• The new display units for the slot importing the data. Also, if the units keyword is not specified, then the units of the data being imported is the new_units:
set_units: new_units
set_units: cms
• The new scale or the slot importing the data. Also, if the scale keyword is not specified, the scale of the data being imported is the new_scale.
set_scale: new_scale
set_scale: 10
• The new Lower Bound for the slot. In the units and scale specified on the slot.
set_min: new_min
set_min: 10
• The new Upper Bound for the slot. In the units and scale specified on the slot.
set_max: new_max
set_max: 1000
• The new Optimization Min Value for the table slot. In the units and scale specified on the slot.
opt_min: <column 0 min> <column 1 min> ...
opt_min: 10 10
• The new Optimization Max Value for the table slot. In the units and scale specified on the slot.
opt_max: <column 0 max> <column 1 max> ...
opt_max: 10000 100000
• The new display format of the slot importing the data.
display_format: <new_format>
<new_format> is one of float, integer, scientific.
display_format: scientific
• The new display precision of the slot importing the data.
display_precision: new_precision
display_precision: 4
• The new period of the periodic slot importing the data.
periodic_period: <count> <timestep>
<count> <timestep> is one of 6 HOUR, 12 HOUR, 1 DAY, 1 MONTH, N YEAR where N is 1 to 99.
periodic_period: 2 YEAR
• The new base year for the multi-year periodic slot importing the data.
periodic_base: new_year
periodic_base: 1998
• The new interval type for the periodic slot importing the data.
periodic_interval: <new_interval_type>
<new_interval_type> is one of regular, irregular.
periodic_interval: irregular
• The new interval size for the regular periodic slot importing the data.
periodic_regular_size: <count> <timestep>
<count> <timestep> is one of 1 HOUR, 6 HOUR, 12 HOUR, 1 DAY, 1 MONTH.
periodic_regular_size: 1 MONTH
• The new data interpolation method for the periodic slot importing the data.
periodic_data_interp: <new_method>
<new_method> is one of lookup, interpolate.
periodic_data_interp: lookup
• The new header units for a periodic slot with numeric column headers that is importing data.
column_units: new_units
column_units: cfs
• The new header scale for a periodic slot with numeric column headers that is importing data.
column_scale: new_scale
column_scale: 10
• New symbolic row dates for the irregular periodic slot that is importing the data.
periodic_rows: <new_row_dates>
<new_row_dates> is a space separated list of <symbolic_date> entries.
<symbolic_date> takes the form of minute/hour/day/month/multi-year index, where each piece is represented by an index number (minute (0), hour (0-23), day (1-31), month (1-12), year (1-99)). Symbolic dates need only be complete to the longest appropriate interval for the period of the particular slot. For example, 0/3 is 3:00, 0/3/21 is 3:00 Day 21, 0/3/21/4 is 3:00 April 21, and 0/3/21/4/2 is 3:00 April 21, Year 2.
periodic_rows: 0/0/16/2 0/0/2/3 0/0/16/6 0/0/2/10 0/0/16/12
• New column header numbers for a periodic slot with numeric column headers that is importing data.
periodic_columns: <new_column_entries>
<new_column_entries> is a space separated list of numeric values.
periodic_columns: 1000 4000 10000 40000 100000
The data values are specified either one per line (for series, list, and scalar slots) or one row per line (for table and periodic slots). For table slots, the row may include a new row label before the data values. If the label contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes. As with the control file, the data files may contain comments (lines beginning with #).
Series slot notes (see Notes on Series Slots in User Interface) can also be represented in data files for import or export. They are specified as:
<value> anno {NoteGroup} {Note}
where <value> will be a numeric value, “anno” is a keyword, NoteGroup is the name of the NoteGroup and Note is the actual note. The “<“ and “>” will not exist in the file, while the “{“ and “}” do exist, delimiting the Note Group name from the note text itself. For Example, a line in the file might be:
102.031 anno {Storm Events} {4.3 Inches}
where Storm Events defines the Note Group to which the note belongs and 4.3 Inches is the note itself.
Revised: 07/09/2023