User interface in the Etlworks Explorer

Elements of the user interface

1. Filters and Tags
2. Toolbar
3. Connections and metadata
4. Data in a grid format
5. Data in its raw (original) Format
6. SQL editor
7. Information about a Connection or metadata object

The Etlworks Explorer UI

You can change the size of panels 3 and 4 by dragging the divider between the panels to the left or right.

Navigation

In the Etlworks Explorer, various tabs display different information. These tabs are described below:

Info tab

This includes information about a Connection, table, columns, etc. When in the Info tab, click View/Edit to view or edit Connection parameters.

SQL tab

This tab contains the SQL editor.

Data tab

This tab shows data in a grid Format.

Raw Data tab

This tab contains raw data, including the contents of a file, response from a web service, etc.

Connections and Formats

The Etlworks Explorer cannot work with Connections that contain tokens, such as {params} in the URL. The tokens can, for example, be used to create a dynamic URL. You should create a new Connection with the hard-coded URL pointing to the real resource instead.

There are two types of Connections in the Etlworks Explorer:

1. The ones that don't need a Format, such as database Connections and APIs.
2. The ones that do require a Format to view the data in the grid and execute SQL queries, such as file Connections, web services, Redis, MongoDB, etc.

If you try to expand a Connection that requires a Format, the Etlworks Explorer will display a pop-up asking you to select one.

Once a Format is selected, it will be associated with that Connection. You can change the Format by clicking Format and selecting a new Format.

Only one Format can be associated with a particular Connection. If you use the same Connection for different types of data (for example, JSON and XML files), you will need to create as many identical Connections as there are Formats.