Basic Data Transformation - QlikView 11 for Developers - page 319

The following is an example of a generic table:

Object Attribute Value

Ball Color Yellow

Ball Weight 120 g

Ball Diameter 8 cm

Coin Color Gold

Coin Value $100

Coin Diameter 2.5 cm

Hockey Puck Color Black

Hockey Puck Diameter 7.62 cm

Hockey Puck Thickness 2.5 cm

Hockey Puck Weight 165 g

As you can see, there are several different attributes (color, diameter, weight, and
so on) and only a few of them are shared among all objects. Some attributes, such
as thickness, are only used for a single object.

Using the preceding structure, the table is kept from growing too large in terms of
columns, regardless of new objects or attributes being added.

Using a traditional structure, the preceding table would have several columns
(one for each attribute), and each time a new attribute is added, a new column
should be added as well. Additionally, attributes (columns) that are not applicable
for certain objects (rows), would have a corresponding null or blank value.

Loading a generic table into QlikView
When loading a generic table, we can use the GENERIC keyword so QlikView treats
the table as such and converts its structure in a way that is more appropriate for the
associative data model and is easier for user interaction.

Let's load this table into a new QlikView document using the GENERIC keyword:

1. Start by creating a new QlikView document and name it Generic Load.qvw .
2. Store the QVW file into the Airline Operations\Side Examples\
Chapter 9 folder.

3. Make sure the Generic DB.xls file is also at the same location.

4. Open the script editor and bring up the File Wizard dialog with the

associated example file.