The first step in using the data loader feature is to enter the data on the Excel spreadsheet in the following format:
The first cell contains the relation name. See Database and Data Guidelines for relation naming rules. If only the relation name is entered the data will load into the path TopRelation:User:[x]:[x] where the categories [x] are determined by the first two letters of the relation name. For example, a relation entry of WID.LONESTAR_3 will load to: TopRelation:User:w:wi.
 | A path may be specified in front of each relation name such as: TopRelation:WidgetsInc:WID.LONESTAR_3. See the example below. |
Once the data has loaded, the next time data is loaded only the relation name needs to be entered not the entire path.
The next cell, moving horizontally across the spreadsheet, contains the column name.
The column name must be a name that is already assigned in the MIM database. To see what column names can be used, see the file: column_names.htm located at: http://customers.lim.com/doc/data_loader/column_names.htm.
The third cell should contain the date in any format that Excel will accept. If you add a time to this column, the data loader will assume the data is of an intraday format (i.e., minutely).
Data at less than minute frequency (tick) is not supported. The time entry is optional and the format should be HH.MM.
The fourth cell contains the data.
The fifth cell contains the description for the symbol. If the symbol is listed more than once (see the example below) than the last description entered will be used and all other entries will be ignored. The maximum number of characters in a description is 1024 characters.
Column F must be left blank otherwise you will get an error message. You may enter text in Column G and beyond, but in order for the data loader to work you must have a blank column after the description column (fifth column).
In the last blank row enter END_OF_DATA exactly as shown in the first column. This marker designates to stop loading data at this point.
To designate a comment enter a # sign as the first character in a row. This row will be ignored.
The following example shows a spreadsheet with entries to load data for the relation WID.LONESTAR_3. Notice that only the relation name is entered therefore the data will load to the TopRelation:User:w:wi category in the MIM.
Now let’s load the data using this spreadsheet example.
The following scenarios may apply:
The symbol (relation) name is one that is already in the system.
The symbol name is a new name.
The column name does not exist.
The updates package is running and the data is waiting in the queue to load.
Each of these scenarios will be covered in further detail.
The following shows the steps for running the data loader from the MIM menu.
From the MIM menu, select Load Data. Each of the items below shows a possible scenario when loading data.
This is the first loading window.
If the symbol name is new, the dialog box will prompt the user to Submit the Data as 5 Day Series, Submit the Data as 7 Day Series or Cancel.
If the symbol name is not new and no problems are found, the user is prompted to Submit the Data or Cancel.
The following screen shows what happens if a problem is encountered. For example: the following graphic shows the user loading WID.LONESTAR_3 data with the column set to Closex:
If the column name does not exist, the message The following columns are not supported will return.
Fix the column name, and then resubmit the data. Select Submit Data to load this data.
You will see the "Data is Loading" message.
After the data is submitted, the data is put into the queue for loading. The "Data Loaded Successfully" message displays when the data has loaded successfully from the queue.
If an updates package is running, the data will remain in the queue until the package has finished loading. You will not receive a Data Loaded Successfully window.