IBM Visualization Data Explorer QuickStart Guide

3.5 Importing Your Own Data

The Data Prompter gives you access to some general purpose visualization programs which can visualize a wide variety of data types. The intent is to get you a picture of your data as quickly as possible. So start by importing your data through the Data Prompter and then choose the Visualize Data button. You can see the visual program used by choosing Open Visual Program Editor from the Windows menu of the Image window. You can save the visual program by choosing the Save As option from the Visual Program Editor File menu.

The following sections in this tutorial include a number of examples of different types of visualizations that can be performed on data. Each one uses sample data provided with Data Explorer. If you want to apply a particular visualization method (program) to your own data, proceed as follows:

1. Create a General Array Format header file for your data with the Data Prompter (see 3.3 , "Importing Data" and 5.4 , "Data Prompter") or use any other available method of importation (see IBM Visualization Data Explorer User's Guide).
2. Starting with the visual program you want to use, open the Import configuration dialog box and change the name parameter to the name of the file to be imported (either the General Array header file or the data file if another format is used).
3. Execute the visual program using your data file.

   Note: You will probably have to "reset the camera" to see your data, because the program you choose has viewing parameters appropriate to the sample data but not necessarily to yours. To reset the camera, select View Control in the Options pull-down menu of the Image window. Click on Reset at the bottom of the dialog box.

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