Use the Expression Editor to convert data values from one data type to another, such as converting numeric values to text strings, or text strings to date strings.
- Convert numeric or text strings to a particular numeric format. For example, if your data source stores a numeric value as a single-precision floating-point value, you can convert it to double-precision.
- Convert numeric values into text strings. For example, to extract a substring or find the number of characters in the string.
- Convert text strings to date strings so you can use Date Functions on them. For example, an assessor database can store the last date that a pipe was repaired as a simple text string.
To convert data with an expression
- Open the
Expression Editor. See To create an expression for more information. - Enter a Conversion Function manually in the expression area, or select the desired Conversion Function from the Expression Elements Menu.
- Type a property name directly into the Expression Area or select the property from the Expression Elements Menu. Note: You can also Select valid property values from a list.
- Specify any further arguments or values required by the function. For example:
- Some conversions let you specify the format of the converted string. For example, if you convert a text string to a date format, you can specify how the date value appears. That expression could look like this: Todate ("Construction Date") For more information, see Date Formatting Options.
- Click OK to apply the expression.
Additional tips
For help with any expression element, see Creating Expressions - Reference.