Last Update: 10/2/2015
When you import ASCII data using the Import Wizard, there is a setting to test when non-numeric data is found in a numeric field. If non-numeric data is interspersed with numeric data, you can use this control to decide what action should be taken.
Origin has a variable which must be manually assigned to exclude a string from the non-numeric test. For example, your data may have NAN where values were missing.
Using this sample data as an example, the non-numeric test would trigger when it encountered RUN#2 as well as NAN. If our intent is to treat NAN as just another data value then we must assign the variable prior to importing.
| RUN#1 | Production | Scrap |
| 1 | 18.4 | 0.42 |
| 2 | NAN | NAN |
| 3 | 7.6 | 0.01 |
| 4 | 9.2 | 0.63 |
| 5 | NAN | NAN |
| 6 | 17.2 | 0.05 |
| RUN#2 | Production | Scrap |
| 1 | 4.4 | 0.46 |
| 2 | 11 | 0.25 |
| 3 | NAN | NAN |
| 4 | 12 | 0.18 |
| 5 | 5.4 | 0.98 |
| 6 | 11.8 | 0.87 |
Before you import the file, run
__SNUM$="NAN"
in the Command Window. NAN will not be considered as text to trigger new data. Then you can use the Non-Numeric Data in a Numeric Field Controls in the Data Selection Page of Import Wizard to decide what action should be taken when non-numeric data - such as RUN#2 are encountered. In this case, without the special exclusion, using the Start new worksheet option would result in five worksheets whereas with the special exclusion we would get two.
Keywords:import, text data, non-numeric data, skip string, skip text, import wizard