Publication date: 07/15/2025

Import Settings

Use the Settings window in Multiple File Import for options for importing CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, and Excel files.

CSV Settings

Headers and Data Lines

Make Numeric Columns from Numeric Data

Specifies whether to import numeric data into numeric columns or character columns. This option is selected by default.

Has Headers

Specifies if the CSV file has headers. This option is selected by default.

First Header Line

Specifies the first header line of the CSV file. This option is set to 1 by default.

Number of Header Lines

Specifies the number of header lines. Multiple header lines will be collapsed into one line with fields separated by an underscore. This option is set to 1 by default.

First Data Line

Specifies the first data line of the CSV file. This option is set to 2 by default.

Unusual Files

Quote

Specifies the character that is used in the file as a quotation mark if the character is not a double quotation mark (“).

Escape

Specifies the character that is used in the file as an escape delimiter for special characters, such as a backslash (/). CSV files typically do not use escape delimiters.

End of Field

While most CSV files use commas as the marker for the end of a field, some use other characters, such as tabs or spaces. Select any combination of the options in the End of Field box that best match the field delimiters of the files that you are importing.

End of Line

Most CSV files use line breaks to mark the end of a row. However, some files might use the carriage return <CR> character, the linefeed <LR> character, or a semicolon to indicate the end of a row. Select any combination of the options in the End of Line box to account for the characters that your files use to mark the end of the line.

XML, JSON, and PDF Settings

Guess values from file

MFI supports several options for guessing data table values from XML, JSON, and PDF files.

Tall guess

Selects the element that will make as many rows as possible.

Wide guess

Selects the element that will make as many columns as possible.

Huge guess

Selects as many elements to make rows as it needs to get all of the data into the table. This guess is selected by default.

Caution: Tables created using Huge guess may be very large.

Pandas guess

The most accurate method for creating a data table from JSON files that are in a Pandas format.

Script

Creates the data table with a user-provided JSL script.

Excel Settings

Create column with worksheet name

Creates a column with the worksheet name for each row of data that is imported from a workbook. This option is useful when importing files with multiple worksheets per workbook. This option is deselected by default.

Auto detect during import

Automatically detects Excel worksheet parameters such as headers, row and column suppression, and cell colors during import. This option is selected by default.

Worksheet name filter

Specifies the name of the worksheets to import. Worksheet names that do not match the filter are ignored. This field is empty by default.

Headers and Data

Has Headers

Specifies whether the file contains column headers. Deselect if the file does not contain column names.

Replicate headers in spanned rows

If there are multiple header rows and a cell spans those rows but does not span any cells horizontally, the value in the start of the merged area will be repeated when creating the column header. This option is deselected by default. The option is not available if Number of rows with column headers is less than two.

Treat multiple column header lines as hierarchies

Reorganizes information from spanned cells in the headers and places that data into the rows of the generated table.

Column headers start on row

Specifies the row where column headers begin. This field is 1 by default.

Number of rows with column headers

Specifies the number of rows with column headers. JMP will collapse multiple headers into one, and the fields will be separated by an underscore.

Data starts on row

Specifies the first row that contains data. This field is set to 2 by default.

Data starts on column

Specifies the first column that contains data. This field is set to 1 by default.

Data ends with row

Specifies the last row that contains data.

Data ends with column

Specifies the last column that contains data.

Column Name Separator String

Specifies the string to be used as a separator when concatenating multiple cells into column header names.

Options

Suppress hidden rows

Removes hidden rows in the imported files from the created data table.

Suppress hidden columns

Removes hidden columns in the imported files from the created data table.

Suppress empty columns

Removes empty columns in the imported files from the created data table.

Replicate data in spanned rows

If a cell spans multiple rows but does not span any cells horizontally, the value in the start of the merged area will be repeated. This option is selected by default.

Multiple series stack

Stacks multiple column header lines into a hierarchy. This option is deselected by default. The option is not available if Treat multiple column header lines as hierarchies is deselected.

Import cell colors

Specifies whether to import the cell colors that are used in the original file. This option is deselected by default.

Limit column type detection

Specifies whether to check every cell of the imported data to determine the column types to assign. This option is deselected by default.

Want more information? Have questions? Get answers in the JMP User Community (community.jmp.com).