The Data Editor is in the setup path for creating a SADA file. When setting up a new file, SADA places all the data into the Data Editor for a pre-check on the data. The Data Editor provides users with a chance to see how SADA is importing their data and any potential problems without terminating the process.
The Data Editor is also intended to be the primary way in which new data can be entered into SADA after a .sda file has already been set up. To see how to add new contaminants after a file has been set up see Adding A New Contaminant.
The Data Editor is a simple spreadsheet that allows data entry and copy and paste functions. In addition, the Data Editor highlights problem values in the data set by turning the cell value red.
To use the Data Editor after a .sda file has been created, select Tools from the main menu and then Edit Data….
If you are setting up a new file, the Data Editor will appear automatically.
The name of the current contaminant is in the upper left hand corner. To the right of this combo box is the Automatic Error Checking option and below is the error description and the contaminant CAS number.
In the snapshot above, two things are wrong with the data set. In the Easting column, there is a non-numerical value, and the entire Detected column contains the value True (0 and 1 are valid values). To determine what is wrong with a particular cell entry, hold the mouse over the red cell and the yellow error description box describes the problem.
When the Data Editor is initiated, the Automatic Error Checking box is automatically selected. With this selected, SADA is watching every entry and checking its validity. Automatic Error Checking is recommended for most operations. However, when entering or pasting large amounts of data into the editor, this feature can be annoying and may even slow down the process. Under these circumstances, unselect this option. When you wish to have your entries checked, press the Check Errors button at the bottom or reselect Automatic Error Checking. Use the Find Next Error button to have SADA automatically search for the next error.