Replace Data

Wings Engine supports one-click data source replacement, but there’s a crucial prerequisite for this process: the structures of the two data sources must be exactly the same. This means that the number of data tables and fields contained in the data sources should match exactly, ideally with the same naming and order. The higher the structural similarity between the two data sources, the easier the replacement process will be.

Data source replacement is for replacing an existing data source used in the current project with a new, unused one. Therefore, the first step in replacing a data source is to add the new data source to the current project.

In the data source menu, click “Add Data”.

For example, using an Excel data source, the process is the same for replacing other types of data sources.

After adding the Excel data source, the new data source will appear in the list. (For information on adding data sources, please refer to: Add Data).

Next, click on “Replace Data Source” in the upper left corner. At this point, the right window will display all the data sources used in the current project, along with the data tables from those sources. You can also see that data tables not in use will be labeled as “(unused)” next to them.

The smallest unit for replacing a data source is the data table. In the window, you can check the data tables you want to replace. If you want to replace the entire data source, you can click “Select All” to select all the data tables.

After selecting the data tables, click “Next”, and the “Set Data Field Mapping” window will appear.

Tip: Field mapping refers to aligning the fields (columns of data in a table) from the new data source with the corresponding fields in the previous data source. This way, components on the dashboard that used the previous fields will automatically use the new data fields.

During the field mapping process, you will understand why having a high degree of similarity between the structures of the two data sources makes the replacement process easier.

On the left side of the window, you’ll see the original fields, which are the fields from the currently used data source. On the right side, you’ll see the replacement fields, which are the fields from the new data source. If the field names are identical, setting up the mapping is straightforward. Otherwise, you will need to carefully find the corresponding fields. By default, the option is set to “Don’t replace”. You can click the dropdown menu to search for or scroll through the list to find the data source table you want to replace.

After selecting the table, the software will automatically identify the field mappings. We can then check if they are correct and manually adjust the field mappings to ensure they are entirely accurate.

After completing the settings, click “Confirm”. This completes the entire process of replacing the data source.