ModelBuilder Data Source Format

Note: Database formats (such as MS Access) are preferable to simple spreadsheet data sources. The sample below is intended only to illustrate the importance of using expected data formats.

Here are two examples of possible data source tables. The first represents data that is in the correct format for an easy transition into ModelBuilder, with no modification. The second table will require adjustments before all of the data can be used by ModelBuilder.

Label	Roughness_C	Diam_in	Length_ft	Material_ID	Subtype
P-1	120	6	120	3	2
P-2	110	8	75	2	1
P-3	130	6	356	2	3
P-4	100	10	729	1	1

The table above is superior to the table below in that it clearly identifies the units that are used for unitized attribute values, such as length and diameter. Unless you are very familiar with your data source, unspecified units can lead to errors and confusion.

P-1	120	5	120	PVC	Phase2
P-2	110	66	75	DuctIron	Lateral
P-3	130	5	356	PVC	Phase1
P-4	100	83	729	DuctIron	Main
P-5	100	1	1029	DuctIron	Main

In the table above, no column labels have been specified. ModelBuilder will interpret the first row of data in the table as the column labels, which can make the attribute mapping step of the ModelBuilder Wizard more difficult unless you are very familiar with your data source setup.

The table above is also storing the Material and Subtype attributes as alphanumeric values, while ModelBuilder uses integer ID values to access this input. This data is unusable by ModelBuilder in alphanumeric format, and must be translated to an integer ID system in order to read this data