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Introduction

The final method for making data available to FME Server technically does not involve actually uploading the dataset. Instead, we’ll tell FME Server where it can look to read a file directly from a source location. This could involve inputting a UNC path to a network location or specify the URL to an external resource on the Internet.

Instructions

Note: This exercise is a continuation from Data Upload Part 1: Options from the FME Server Web Interface, ensure you have completed this exercise first before starting this one.

Part 1: Read from a URL

1. Read data from a URL

Click Run Workspace on the side menu bar, select the Repository Data Upload and CheckFieldStatus.fmw as the workspace. In the Server drop-down select Data Download. Then for the Field Status CSV File copy and paste the following URL. This is a direct URL to the playing field status CSV file hosted on the City of Vancouver’s open data web page. After you have pasted the file, run the workspace.

ftp://webftp.vancouver.ca/opendata/csv/weekendplayfieldstatus.csv

Paste the URL from the City of Vancouver's open data webpage into Field Status CSV File

2. Download results

Click on the Data Download URL, this will download a zip file containing our FieldStatus.kml file. Unzip the file and open it up in Google Earth to view the results, the results can also be viewed in FME Data Inspector if you do not have Google Earth.

Part 2: Read from a UNC Path

1. Set up folder sharing

In your file browser on your computer, create a new folder called FieldStatusData, put the weekendplayfieldstatus.csv file into this folder. Right-click on the folder and select Properties. In the FieldStatusData Properties, in the Sharing Tab, click on Advanced Sharing… Enable Share this Folder and then click on permissions, ensure Allow permissions are set for Full Control, click apply and click ok until you are back at the FieldStatusProperties dialog. Copy the Network Path, which will look something like: \\YOURCOMPUTERNAME\FieldStatusData

Set up your FieldStatusData folder for sharing, and copy the Network Path that was created

2. Connect FME Server workspace to UNC path

Back in FME Server, click Run Workspace and set it to the Data Upload Repository, the CheckFieldStatus.fmw workspace and the Data Download Service like we did in Part 1. For the Field Status CSV File, paste your UNC path and add \weekendplayfieldstatus.csv, it should look like:

\\YOURCOMPUTERNAME\FieldStatusData\weekendplayfieldstatus.csv 

Paste the Network/UNC Path into Field Status CSV File and add \weekendplayfieldstatus.csv at the end

Run the workspace and download the results as in Part 1.

Data Attribution

The data used here originates from open data made available by the City of Vancouver, British Columbia (data.vancouver.ca). It contains information licensed under the Open Government License - Vancouver.

That concludes this section of this tutorial series, if you would like to learn how to upload data to FME Server using a custom web page with REST API continue on to Data Upload Part 3: REST API or if you are using FME 2015 continue to Data Upload Part 2: Custom Pages (2015)