Yellowfin has the ability to upload CSV data directly through the user interface and have it then stored on a writable source of the client’s choice.
Reports and dashboards can then be built on top of this uploaded data set.
The CSV upload is a very useful functionality, but we do suggest that there are best practices and scenarios for use.
CSV files are best suited for the following situations:
- Small Secondary sets of data that may need to be appended to a larger core data set or data warehouse that is being reported on with Yellowfin.
- Data that is a one-off upload, or very rarely updated.
- Small test reports for data sets, such as POCs.
We make these suggestions as there are some downsides of using CSV uploads in other situations, such as:
- Data is no longer real time and requires manual updates through the user interface.
- Data is automatically uploaded by Yellowfin to the chosen writable source, so Yellowfin will try and define the best data types for the data fields. These could be more generic data types.
- Changes to the structure of the CSV data file (the number of fields, order of fields, data types, names of fields, data values) can cause issues if the data is to be re-uploaded or appended in Yellowfin.
- Data that is uploaded can be defined with indexes, but these indexes are simplified and therefore may not be as performant as connecting to a well-structured core data source.
Further information can be found on the wiki page below