Prepare a sample source file

When preparing a configuration it is best to have access to a sample of at least 2 years of crash data. It is best to have all the date, but 2 years generally makes a reliable configuration possible.

While preparing a configuration, it will often take several attempts to be successful at converting and importing the source data.  For this reason, it is best to create a smaller extract of the full sample.  This will allow for repeated convert / import tests with the least time spent waiting for the importer.

If using...

•Individual XML files, this is simply a matter of zipping a few together into a test zip file.

•A single large XML file, use notepad++ to extract a dozen or so crashes from the larger file into a single smaller one.

•A database query, simply reduce the query to a single or several days worth of data

•CSV or other files that require converting, there are two options:

oEdit the CSV file to only contain a dozen or so records.  This can be a little tricky if there are several related files.

oPlan to use the Import - DB to XML queries to limit the converted data with a WHERE clause.  After completing the initial import process, remove the WHERE clause to allow for all records to be processed.