Define Data Sources

Data sources contain data obtained with various result readers technologies, such as file sources, ascii extract, and readsim.

1. In the Define Output Responses step, click the Data Sources tab.
2. Click Add Data Source.
   A new data source is created and added to the work area.
3. In the Label column, enter a name for the data source.
4. In the File column, click .
   The Data Source Builder opens.
5. In the File field, navigate to the file containing result data.
6. From the Tools drop-down, select a read utility to be used to extract data from a file.

   Option	Description
   File Source	Extract data out of a run file by selecting a subcase, request, and component over all time steps.
   Read Simulation	Extract data out of a run file by selecting a combination of multiple requests, components, and timesteps.
   Modal Assurance Criteria	Compare modal result to a known reference to correlate results or avoid mode switching.
   ASCII Extract	Extract custom data out of ASCII result files. Search for a response in the ASCII file using a Keyword . Highlight the number to define as a response, then right-click and select Value. If you select the Keyword option, the position of the value is determined relative to the keyword. This helps to deal with files that vary in length. If no keyword is used, the position of the value is determined with respect to the beginning of the file. You can also define keywords by right-clicking on a highlighted string and selecting Keyword.
   Templex	Define templex statements or expressions, which can then be referenced in the output response expression.

7. Define data options (subcase, type, mode, request, and so on).
   Note: The options available will vary according to the Tool selected.
8. Click OK.