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Binary file

Overview

A binary file is a computer file that's not a text file, and whose content is in a binary format consisting of a series of sequential bytes, each of which is eight bits in length.

You can use binary files from a Local upload, Amazon S3, or Azure Blob Storage in your data syncs.

Some benefits of using binary files include:

  • Better efficiency via compression
  • Better Security through the ability to create custom encoding standards.
  • Unmatched Speed, since the data is stored in a raw format, and isn't encoded using any character encoding standards, it's faster to read and store.

Example use case

You have a binary file that contains your Employee information. You want to use a batch sync to pull this info into a Cinchy table and liberate your data.

tip

The Binary File source supports batch syncs.

Info tab

You can find the parameters in the Info tab below (Image 1).

Values

ParameterDescriptionExample
TitleMandatory. Input a name for your data syncEmployee Sync
VariablesOptional. Review our documentation on Variables here for more information about this field. When uploading a local file, set this to filepath.@Filepath
PermissionsData syncs are role based access systems where you can give specific groups read, write, execute, and/or all of the above with admin access. Inputting at least an Admin Group is mandatory.

Image 1: The Info Tab

Source tab

The following table outlines the mandatory and optional parameters you will find on the Source tab (Image 2).

The following parameters will help to define your data sync source and how it functions.

:::tip Registered Applications

For information on setting up registered applications for S3 or Azure, please see the Registered Applications page.

:::

ParameterDescriptionExample
(Sync) SourceMandatory. Select your source from the drop down menu.Binary File
SourceMandatory. The location of the source file. Either a Local upload, Amazon S3, or Azure Blob Storage.

The following authentication methods are supported per source:

- Amazon S3: Access Key ID/Secret Access Key
- Azure Blob Storage: Connection String
Local
Header Rows to IgnoreMandatory. The number of records from the top of the file to ignore before the data starts (includes column header).

For example, setting this value to 1 will ignore the top data row, which might be a header row that you do not want to sync.
1
Footer Rows to IgnoreMandatory. The number of records from the bottom of the file to ignore.

For example, setting this value to 1 will ignore the bottom data row, which might be a footer row that you do not want to sync.
0
EncodingOptional. The encoding of the file. This default to UTF8, however also supports: UTF8_BOM, UTF16, ASCII.
PathMandatory. The path to the source file to load. To upload a local file, you must first insert a Variable in the Info tab of the connection (ex: filepath). Then, you would reference that same value in this location (Ex: @Filepath). This will trigger a File Upload option to import your file.@Filepath
AuthTypeMandatory. when using Amazon S3 or Azure Blob Storage. This field defines the authentication type for your data sync. Cinchy supports "Access Key" and "IAM" role.

When selecting Access Key, you must provide the key and key secret.

When selecting IAM role, a new field will appear for you to paste in the role's Amazon Resource Name (ARN).

You also must ensure that the role must be configured to have at least read access to the source. The Connections pods' role must have permission to assume the role specified in the data sync config.
Test ConnectionYou can use the "Test Connection" button to ensure that your credentials are properly configured to access your source. If configured correctly, a "Connection Successful" pop-up will appear. If configured incorrectly, a "Connection Failed" pop-up will appear along with a link to the applicable error logs to help you troubleshoot.

Image 2: Define your Source

Next steps