Question

Combining Comma Deliniated Files

Asked by: Bradley_McDonald

I have 4 sets of 365 comma-deliniated files containing daily traffic count data with a record at 15min intervals (96 records per day (i.e. per file)) over the past four years.  The field and record structure is identical for each.

I would like to combine these files into four spreadsheets (one per year) in order to graph the data and perform statistical analysis.  Is there any way to automate or semi-automate the process?  It is my preference to do this through MS-Excel 2003 (Windows XP).

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Asked On
2007-09-04 at 09:58:58ID22805805
Topics

Spreadsheet Software

,

Databases Miscellaneous

,

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet Software

Participating Experts
1
Points
500
Comments
4

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Answers

 

by: xDJR1875Posted on 2007-09-04 at 11:07:52ID: 19827100

What I would do is this.
1) Separate each year of files into a separate directory.
2) Create a macro of importing one of the files into a spreadsheet. I did this and came up with the following macro for a comma delimited file.
    With ActiveSheet.QueryTables.Add(Connection:="TEXT;C:\importcsv.csv", _
        Destination:=Range("A1"))
        .Name = "importcsv"
        .FieldNames = True
        .RowNumbers = False
        .FillAdjacentFormulas = False
        .PreserveFormatting = True
        .RefreshOnFileOpen = False
        .RefreshStyle = xlInsertDeleteCells
        .SavePassword = False
        .SaveData = True
        .AdjustColumnWidth = True
        .RefreshPeriod = 0
        .TextFilePromptOnRefresh = False
        .TextFilePlatform = 437
        .TextFileStartRow = 1
        .TextFileParseType = xlDelimited
        .TextFileTextQualifier = xlTextQualifierDoubleQuote
        .TextFileConsecutiveDelimiter = False
        .TextFileTabDelimiter = True
        .TextFileSemicolonDelimiter = False
        .TextFileCommaDelimiter = True
        .TextFileSpaceDelimiter = False
        .TextFileColumnDataTypes = Array(1, 1, 1, 1)
        .TextFileTrailingMinusNumbers = True
        .Refresh BackgroundQuery:=False
    End With
    Application.CommandBars("External Data").Visible = False

3) Create a routine in vba within your macro to cycle through the files and import each one

thanks,

Dan Reynolds

 

by: Bradley_McDonaldPosted on 2007-09-04 at 16:27:37ID: 19829174

Thanks Dan.  That helps in part, however, the critical element toward automation is the VBA to get it to cycle to the next file to insert.  I can insert one file at the bottom of the spreadsheet but I don't know how to code it to jump to the next file in the directory.  I thought about using the file name as a variable, but unfortunately, I don't think the file name will be of much help -- the name is formatted by date, for example, LG123006 = Log Dec. 30, '06.  The next file in line is LG123106, not LG123007, so it is difficult to treat them like a list.

    Selection.End(xlDown).Select
    RW = ActiveCell.Row
    CSVNAME = "LG123006"
    CSVFILE = CSVNAME & ".csv"
    With ActiveSheet.QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
        "TEXT;C:\FortLogs\2006\" & CSVFILE, _
        Destination:=Range(Cells(RW + 1, 1), Cells(RW + 1, 1)))
        .Name = CSVNAME
        .FieldNames = True
        .RowNumbers = False
        .FillAdjacentFormulas = False
        .PreserveFormatting = True
        .RefreshOnFileOpen = False
        .RefreshStyle = xlInsertDeleteCells
        .SavePassword = False
        .SaveData = True
        .AdjustColumnWidth = True
        .RefreshPeriod = 0
        .TextFilePromptOnRefresh = False
        .TextFilePlatform = 850
        .TextFileStartRow = 1
        .TextFileParseType = xlDelimited
        .TextFileTextQualifier = xlTextQualifierDoubleQuote
        .TextFileConsecutiveDelimiter = False
        .TextFileTabDelimiter = False
        .TextFileSemicolonDelimiter = False
        .TextFileCommaDelimiter = True
        .TextFileSpaceDelimiter = False
        .TextFileColumnDataTypes = Array(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1)
        .TextFileTrailingMinusNumbers = True
        .Refresh BackgroundQuery:=False
    End With

 

by: xDJR1875Posted on 2007-09-04 at 16:55:56ID: 19829283

You will want to use the FileSystemObject to walk the files.

Check out the following article(s)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/186118
http://www.tek-tips.com/faqs.cfm?fid=4116
http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/dnarofftalk/html/office09072000.asp

the following sub in the 3rd link should give some good clues as to how to walk the directory.

Function GetAllFilesInDir(ByVal strDirPath As String) As Variant
    ' Loop through the directory specified in strDirPath and save each
    ' file name in an array, then return that array to the calling
    ' procedure.
    ' Return False if strDirPath is not a valid directory.
    Dim strTempName As String
    Dim varFiles() As Variant
    Dim lngFileCount As Long
   
    On Error GoTo GetAllFiles_Err
   
    ' Make sure that strDirPath ends with a "\" character.
    If Right$(strDirPath, 1) <> "\" Then
        strDirPath = strDirPath & "\"
    End If
   
    ' Make sure strDirPath is a directory.
    If GetAttr(strDirPath) = vbDirectory Then
        strTempName = Dir(strDirPath, vbDirectory)
        Do Until Len(strTempName) = 0
            ' Exclude ".", "..".
            If (strTempName <> ".") And (strTempName <> "..") Then
                ' Make sure we do not have a sub-directory name.
                If (GetAttr(strDirPath & strTempName) _
                    And vbDirectory) <> vbDirectory Then
                    ' Increase the size of the array
                    ' to accommodate the found filename
                    ' and add the filename to the array.
                    ReDim Preserve varFiles(lngFileCount)
                    varFiles(lngFileCount) = strTempName
                    lngFileCount = lngFileCount + 1
                End If
            End If
            ' Use the Dir function to find the next filename.
            strTempName = Dir()
        Loop
        ' Return the array of found files.
        GetAllFilesInDir = varFiles
    End If
GetAllFiles_End:
    Exit Function
GetAllFiles_Err:
    GetAllFilesInDir = False
    Resume GetAllFiles_End
End Function


 

by: Bradley_McDonaldPosted on 2007-09-05 at 10:11:56ID: 19833998

Sweet.  Used that function and then modified the test subroutine provided in that 3rd link to use the insert file macro.  Works great.  Thanks Dan.

Sub InsertAllFiles()
    Dim varFileArray As Variant
    Dim lngI As Long
    Dim strDirName As String
   
    Const NO_FILES_IN_DIR As Long = 9
    Const INVALID_DIR As Long = 13
   
    On Error GoTo Test_Err
   
    strDirName = "C:\FortLogs\2006\"
    varFileArray = GetAllFilesInDir(strDirName)
    For lngI = 0 To UBound(varFileArray)
         Selection.End(xlDown).Select
         RW = ActiveCell.Row
         CSVFILE = varFileArray(lngI)
         With ActiveSheet.QueryTables.Add(Connection:= _
             "TEXT;" & strDirName & CSVFILE, _
             Destination:=Range(Cells(RW + 1, 1), Cells(RW + 1, 1)))
             .Name = CSVFILE
' etc.
' etc.
         End With
    Next lngI

Test_Err:
    Select Case Err.Number
        Case NO_FILES_IN_DIR
            MsgBox "The directory named '" & strDirName _
                & "' contains no files."
        Case INVALID_DIR
            MsgBox "'" & strDirName & "' is not a valid directory."
        Case 0
        Case Else
            MsgBox "Error #" & Err.Number & " - " & Err.Description
    End Select
End Sub

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