File upload (CSV and Excel)

Upload a CSV or Excel file to Fresco BI. A CSV file becomes one Data Table; in an Excel workbook you pick the sheets, and each sheet becomes one Data Table. Nothing is connected to your systems: Fresco BI stores a copy of the file and loads it.

Feature	Supported
Import	Yes
DirectQuery	No
SSL/TLS	Not needed (the browser uploads to Fresco BI)
SSH tunnel	No
Cloud	Not needed
On-premises (via Gateway)	No

Prerequisites

• A workspace open in Fresco BI (the upload goes into that workspace).
• A file within the limits below.

Limit	CSV	Excel (.xlsx)
File size	100 MB	100 MB
Sheets per workbook	–	100
Sheets picked at a time	1	20
Columns	200	200 per sheet
Rows	5,000,000	5,000,000 per sheet

Step 1: Prepare the file

CSV

• Save the file as UTF-8 (a byte order mark is fine). Other encodings are refused.
• Comma, semicolon or tab separators are accepted; Fresco BI picks the one used most in the first line.
• The first line holds the column names.

Excel

• Only .xlsx files. Files with macros, a password (encryption) or links to other workbooks are refused. Save as “Excel Workbook (.xlsx)” and remove external links first.
• The first row of each sheet holds the column names. A sheet whose first row is empty is skipped.
• Formulas are read as the values last saved in the file; recalculate and save in Excel before uploading.

Both

• A blank column name becomes Column N; a repeated name gets (2), (3).
• Fresco BI decides the file type from its content, not from its name, and the file name must match the card you use (.csv on the CSV card, .xlsx on the Excel card).
• Column types are guessed from the first 1,000 rows.

Step 2: Upload

1. Go to New connection and choose Upload a CSV file or Upload an Excel file.
2. Drag the file onto the box, or click it to choose the file. A progress bar shows the upload; Cancel stops it.
3. Fresco BI then reads the file (Reading the file…). A file that breaks a rule is refused here with the reason and, when known, the line number.

Step 3: Pick sheets

Fresco BI shows the file’s sheets with their row counts and first columns (a CSV file shows one entry).

1. Tick the sheets to load, up to 20 at a time. The first 20 are ticked for you.
2. Optionally type a Data Table name for each picked sheet (1 to 120 characters). Left empty, the sheet name is used (for a CSV file, the file name without .csv), with (2) added if that name is taken.
3. Click Load the picked sheets.

Each picked sheet becomes one Data Table in a new data source named after the file. The data then loads in the background; open the Data Table from the success message.

Step 4: Update the data later

An uploaded file is a snapshot. To bring in new data, upload the new version of the same file:

1. Upload the new file on the same card (CSV for CSV, Excel for Excel).
2. In Replace an earlier file, choose the earlier upload.
3. Tick the sheets and click Load the picked sheets.

A sheet with the same name as in the earlier file updates that same Data Table: its name, columns and reports stay. Other picked sheets become new Data Tables. If a sheet or a column that a Data Table reads is missing from the new file, the whole load is refused and nothing changes.

Troubleshooting

• The file is larger than 100 MB. Split the file, or remove columns and rows you do not need. A workbook that unpacks to more than 1 GB is also refused this way.
• Only CSV (UTF-8) or Excel .xlsx files without macros or encryption. Save as .xlsx (not .xls or .xlsm), remove the password and external links, or save the CSV as UTF-8.
• The file is not UTF-8. Save it as UTF-8 text. In Excel, use “CSV UTF-8” when saving. The line number shows the first bad line.
• The file has more than 200 columns. Remove columns or split the file.
• The file has more than 5,000,000 rows. Split the file.
• The workbook has more than 100 sheets. Move sheets into separate workbooks.
• The file content could not be read. Check quotes in the CSV at the line shown, or open and save the workbook again in Excel.
• This is not a CSV file. Use the Excel card to upload an Excel file. The file name does not match the card; use the other card.
• The new file lacks a sheet a data table reads / The new file lacks a column a data table reads in sheet Put the sheet or column back with the same name, or do not replace.
• That data table name is already used. Type another Data Table name.
• The organization has no room for another data table. Ask an organization admin about the plan’s limits.