Define Data Sources

Data sources contain data obtained with various result readers technologies, such as file sources, ascii extract, and readsim.

Data sources are defined for the current study, not just for individual output responses. That is, Data Source 1 is accessible across all output response definitions.

  1. In the Define Output Responses step, click the Data Sources tab.
  2. Click Add Data Source.
    A new data source is created and added to the work area.
  3. In the Label column, enter a name for the data source.
  4. In the File column, click .
    The Data Source Builder opens.
  5. In the File field, navigate to the file containing result data.
  6. From the Tools drop-down, select a read utility to be used to extract data from a file.
    OptionDescription
    File Source Extract data out of a run file by selecting a subcase, request, and component over all time steps.
    Read Simulation Extract data out of a run file by selecting a combination of multiple requests, components, and timesteps. Based on the readsim templex function.
    Modal Assurance Criteria Compare modal result to a known reference to correlate results or avoid mode switching. Based on the readmac templex function.
    Area Calculate the area between two curves.
    Spreadsheet Extract and store a range of cells in a spreadsheet (readexcelfile).
    ASCII Extract Extract custom data out of ASCII result files.

    Search for a response in the ASCII file using a Keyword . Highlight the number to define as a response, then right-click and select Value. If you select the Keyword option, the position of the value is determined relative to the keyword. This helps to deal with files that vary in length. If no keyword is used, the position of the value is determined with respect to the beginning of the file. You can also define keywords by right-clicking on a highlighted string and selecting Keyword.
    Templex Define templex statements or expressions, which can then be referenced in the output response expression.
    Python Execute code in a Python interpreter. The code should contain a return command with the data source.
    Hstp Reader Extract and store data from a HyperStudy parametric data definition file.
    Regex Extract Extract string or numerical data of any human-readable file via ECMAScript Regular Expressions.
    XML Extract string or numerical data from XML files by selecting the element or entering a query path.
  7. Define data options (subcase, type, mode, request, and so on).
    Note: The options available will vary according to the Tool selected.
  8. Click OK.
Tip: If the data source is retained, the array of data is stored for future use. If the data source is not retained, the array of data is discarded after the extractions are complete. It is recommended to retain the information unless disk space is a concern. To retain a data source, select its corresponding checkbox in the Retain column.