At a glance
Whether your data files and visualizations are being changed manually or automatically, there are a few items to keep in mind.
Editing your Data files
While the COVE editor does not function as a Data manipulation or editing tool, it can update a visualization you create based on changes made to the Source Data file. Many software solutions can be used to edit or update the data files you are using in your visualization. This process can vary from a simple manual change to the last step in a robust automated system.
When you export or save the changes to your source data files, use a .csv or .json file type accordingly.
Text and spreadsheet editors sometimes add metadata and invisible markup in the their formatting. Be sure to select software that reduces the risk of non-data code interfering with the COVE Editor.
Data Configuration Changes
Notes for using Excel to edit your Data file
Excel files need to be saved as "CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) (*.csv)" for use in COVE. Excel spreadsheet file formats (.xlsx) are not readable by the editor.
Pay close attention to the automatic formatting Excel adds to fields and exported files.
For example: Geographical Data like FIPS Code for counties contain 5 character codes. States like Alaska may drop the lead zero when imported into Excel as a spreadsheet. Formatting the cells as "custom" from the category list and then overwriting the general option with "00000" will add the leading 0 back to any number. The data must then be exported as a .CSV file type to retain the numbers for use in the editor.
Updating your Visualization after it has been configured
Changes can be made to data and the COVE editor will reflect the changes in the Data and visualization preview. Depending on how it is configured, your visualization may update automatically or require republishing for the changes to be viewable by page users.
Remember: Data changes may break your visualization
Data files can be updated manually and automatically
Manually updating data
In the Data Tab of the editor, select "Replace File" to upload a new version of the data to your current visualization. As mentioned above, the formatting of the Data File must match the original source Data.
Automatically updating data
A visualization can be built from a source data file using a URL. This can be a published data file, a file share, or an API to a hosted Data Set. If you select "Always Load from URL", the visualization will automatically update as the data file is changed at the source.
The original visualization configuration also restricts the type of changes made to the data loaded using a URL as well.
CDC users can visit the CDC Intranet and Search "Data Pipelines" and view more about the options available through file shares and published data.