MM12-5 Introduction to Micromine (2011-07)

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MICROMINE TRAINING

INTRODUCTION TO MICROMINE 2011

BEGINNER

A TWO-DAY COURSE DESIGNED TO INTRODUCE NEW USERS

TO THE KEY FEATURES OF MICROMINE


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Micromine Version 2011 (12.5) Training Introduction to Micromine

Copyright MICROMINE 2011 Page i

MICROMINE (Head Office)Level 2, 174 Hampden RdNedlands WA 6009

Australia

Tel: +61 8 9423 9000

Fax: +61 8 9423 9001

Email: [email protected]: http://www.micromine.com

To find your local office, please visit: http://www.micromine.com.au/contact

Licence Agreement

The use of the software described in this manual is subject to a licenceagreement with MICROMINE. The software may only be used or copied in

accordance with the terms and conditions of that agreement.

This manual assumes that Micromine Version 2011 (12.5) or above isinstalled.

Disclaimer

Micromine will not accept any liability arising from the use of the software orany other software product mentioned in this manual; nor for any technicalor editorial errors or omissions made in this manual.

The mention of any other computer software product within this manualdoes not imply any endorsement of such product by Micromine.

Copyright

Micromine is the owner of the software, and of all icons and logos within thesoftware, together with all soft- and hard-copy documentation. This manualcontains information protected by copyright. No part of this manual may bephotocopied or reproduced in any form without prior written consent fromMicromine.

Copyright 1999, 2001 2011 by MICROMINE Pty Ltd and its subsidiaries.

All rights reserved.

Editor: Authors:

Frank Bilki David Bartlett Andrew GreenhillFrank Bilki Deb MarrinerMichael Haffenden Tenille Szolkowski

Alan LeBlanc

Trademark Acknowledgment

Micromine, Field Marshal, and Geobank are trademarks of MICROMINE Pty Ltd and itssubsidiaries. Other brands and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks orregistered trademarks of their respective owners.
mailto:[email protected]://www.micromine.com/http://www.micromine.com.au/contacthttp://www.micromine.com.au/contacthttp://www.micromine.com.au/contacthttp://www.micromine.com/mailto:[email protected]


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Introduction to Micromine Micromine Version 2011 (12.5) Training

Page ii Copyright MICROMINE 2011

Before We Begin

Course Duration: 16 hours

For: New Micromine users

Introduction

This course is designed to show you how to start using Micromine and tointroduce some of the programs key features. To make it as realistic aspossible its based on a scenario that will be familiar to many Micromineusers.

The Scenario: Your Company is evaluating a prospect on which initial stream

sediment sampling indicated an anomalous area. You followed this with ageochemical sampling programme over the area of interest. The samplelocations were recorded using a GPS and the data coordinates were recordedin Lat/Longs. Finally, you further investigated the detected anomaly withtrenching and a subsequent two-phase drilling programme.

Purpose

Phase 1 of the drilling program indicated a substantial resource. Your task isto integrate and process the original data in order to evaluate the prospectwith a view to designing the Phase 2 drilling program. The purpose of the

new drilling program will be to provide in-fill data to enable the classificationof the resource as indicated, inferred or measured. The lessons that followdescribe the tasks youll need to undertake to achieve your objective.

Objectives

As a result of this course, youll have learnt to:

Use the Micromine user interface and its various tools;

Manage Micromine projects;

Create and manipulate Micromine files;

Validate drillhole and general purpose data;

Create lookup tables for rapid data entry and validation;

Understand and use filters to subset the data of interest;

Create and plot a multi-layered plan, vertical section, and 3D view;

Interpret drillhole cross sections;

Automate Micromine tasks with macros;

(Optionally) Construct a 3D wireframe solid of an orebody.


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Approach

This course will be dominantly hands-on. Each new topic will commence witha brief introduction, followed by a practical exercise. A small trainingdatabase will be used for all exercises.

How to Use This Manual

Course Content

The Introduction to Micromine course is divided into separate parts, each ofwhich is a self-contained document. The six parts that make up this course

are:

Part 1 Micromine Basics

Part 2 Displaying and Manipulating Data

Part 3 3D Presentation

Part 4 Plotting 1

Part 5 Macros 1

Part 6 Wireframing 1

Because each part is self-contained, the page, lesson, and exercise numbersreset to 1 at the beginning of each document. Your trainer will introduceeach part to you at the appropriate time.

Installing the Data Set

Your trainer will supply the data set for this training course and instruct youon how to install it. The data must be present before you can commence thecourse. Youll need 20MB free space on the hard disk drive where the data

set is installed.

Using the Online Help with theTraining Manual

Where appropriate, references to topics in Micromines online help are alsoincluded. These references provide further information about the current task

as well as topics that are related to the current task. They also give you anopportunity to become familiar with the online help system.


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Copyright MICROMINE 2011 Page v

Style Denotes

Bold type Denotes the names of menu items, dialogboxes and prompts when they invoke orcontribute to the primary process beingundertaken.

Italic type Denotes the entries you must type, or itemsyou select from a list, in dialog box responsesand table fields.

Referring to Entries in Dialog Boxes and Files

In many places youll need to make entries in dialog boxes or data files(tables). In this manual, the text or values you need to enter as part of theexercises will be illustrated in one of two ways:

A screen-shot of the relevant dialog form or dialog box with the correctentries.

A tabular display. The first column contains the name of the dialogprompt and the second column contains the text or value to be entered.

As an example, this is a dialog box (form) that contains parameters youmight need to enter:

The same information could be presented in a table:


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Page vi Copyright MICROMINE 2011

Prompt Setting

Project name TEMPLATES

Project path C:\MmData\Templates

Create directory for project Enabled

Project title Templates

Units METRIC

Use existing project astemplate

Disabled

For further study

While the primary purpose of this course is to introduce you to the keyfeatures of Micromine, optional tasks are included to expose you to moreadvanced features of the application.

In addition to these optional tasks, in-house experts at Micromine havecontributed their ideas on how to get the most from the application. Youllfind these ideas at the end of many lessons under the heading GoodPractices.

System Prerequisites for thisCourse

Licensing

You must have a valid Micromine licence in order to complete the exercisesin this training manual. If you dont have a licence, your trainer may supplyyou with a temporary training licence for the duration of the course.

If you have been issued a temporary training licence, you must return thesecurity key (dongle) and delete the licence file at the conclusion of thecourse.

Printers and Plotters

Theres no need to connect to a printer or plotter to complete this course.

Micromine Options

Micromine automatically installs with the relevant options correctly set.


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Copyright MICROMINE 2011 Page vii

However, if youre using a Micromine licence thats already been used byanother person, make sure youve checked the following settings before youbegin the training course.

Check that in:

Tools | Options | Default Language

Englishis selected.

Tools | Options | Colours & Fonts

Compulsory prompt is set to Red. (Choose bright red if yourscreen does not clearly differentiate the standard red colour.)

Grid Textis set to 8pointArial.

Display Textis set to 8pointArial.

Tools | Options | Editor

Text Vieweris set to Built-in

Tools | Options | Vertical Exaggeration

Vertical exaggerationis not set


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Page viii Copyright MICROMINE 2011

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MICROMINE TRAINING

MICROMINE BASICS

BEGINNER


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Micromine Version 2011 (12.5) Training Part 1 Micromine Basics

Copyright MICROMINE 2011 Revision 2011-07D1

PART 1 TABLE OF CONTENTSMicromine Basics

LESSON 1 PREPARING THE PROJECT DATA ................................................................................... 1

WORKING WITH PROJECTS ......................................................................................................................... 1

Projects ........................................................................................................................................... 1

Attaching an Existing Project ............................................................................................................. 2

Creating a New Project ..................................................................................................................... 3

Deleting a Project ............................................................................................................................. 4

LESSON 2 WORKING WITH DATA FILES ........................................................................................ 7

WORKING WITH TABULAR FILES .................................................................................................................. 7

Files in Micromine ............................................................................................................................. 7

Micromine Field Types ...................................................................................................................... 8

Creating a New Data File ................................................................................................................. 11

Creating a New File Using a Template ............................................................................................... 13Modifying a Files Structure .............................................................................................................. 14

LESSON 3 WORKING WITH DIALOGS AND FORM SETS ............................................................... 19

Dialogs and Form Sets .................................................................................................................... 19

LESSON 4 DATA ENTRY AND FILE PROCESSING .......................................................................... 25

GETTING DATA INTO MICROMINE ............................................................................................................... 25

The Different Ways of Obtaining Tabular Data ................................................................................... 25

OBTAINING DATA FROM TEXT FILES ............................................................................................................ 27

Importing CSV Text Files ................................................................................................................. 28

Merging Assay Data ........................................................................................................................ 29

IMPORTING CADOR GISDATA................................................................................................................. 34

IMPORTING OR LINKING DATABASE DATA USING ODBC ................................................................................... 36

MANUALLY ENTERING DATA...................................................................................................................... 39

Calculator ...................................................................................................................................... 45

LESSON 5 VALIDATING DATA ....................................................................................................... 50

VALIDATING DATA IN A PROJECT................................................................................................................ 50

Validation ...................................................................................................................................... 50

Validating a Data File ...................................................................................................................... 51

Validating Drillhole Data .................................................................................................................. 54

LESSON 6 FILTERS........................................................................................................................ 59

WORKING WITH FILTERS ......................................................................................................................... 59

Setting up a Filter ........................................................................................................................... 59

Multiple Filter Conditions ................................................................................................................. 61

Using Wildcards ............................................................................................................................. 62

TABLES

Table 4.1: File Editor keyboard shortcuts ................................................................................................. 40

Table 6.1: Filter wildcards ...................................................................................................................... 62


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Part 1 Micromine Basics Micromine Version 2011 (12.5) Training

Revision 2011-07D1 Copyright MICROMINE 2011

PART 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued)Micromine Basics

SIDEBARS

Creating a project folder outside of Micromine ........................................................................................... 4Defining file fields ..................................................................................................................................12

Creating a new file directly from a dialog .................................................................................................14

The right-click file utility menu ................................................................................................................14

Double-click it to pick it ..........................................................................................................................20

Identifying saved form sets ....................................................................................................................22

Why use form sets? ...............................................................................................................................23

Checking the results of a function ...........................................................................................................32

Managing DSNs .....................................................................................................................................38

Controlling the structure of the imported file ............................................................................................39

Using the File Editor shortcuts on multiple records ....................................................................................41Creating validation check files .................................................................................................................51

Data type: GENERAL vs. DRILL HOLE ......................................................................................................52

Whats max deviation? ...........................................................................................................................56

How did Micromine know the right field names? ........................................................................................57

Why should I save my filters as form sets? ...............................................................................................59

Right-click to edit ..................................................................................................................................60

Filtering date values ..............................................................................................................................63

EXERCISES

Exercise 1.1: Attach an existing project ..................................................................................................... 3

Optional Exercise 1.2: Create a new project .............................................................................................. 3

Optional Exercise 1.3: Delete an existing project ........................................................................................ 5

Exercise 2.1: Create a new data file .........................................................................................................11

Exercise 2.3: Modify a files structure .......................................................................................................14

Exercise 3.1: Explore dialogs and form sets ..............................................................................................22

Exercise 4.1: Import assay data from a CSV file ........................................................................................28

Exercise 4.2: Merge assay data from Exercise 4.1 into the sample locality file...............................................30

Exercise 4.3: Label the sample locality file ................................................................................................32

Exercise 4.4: Import and display topographic contours from an ESRI Shapefile.............................................34

Exercise 4.5: Create an ODBC connection and import data .........................................................................37

Exercise 4.6: Use the File Editors data entry tools.....................................................................................41

Exercise 4.7: Use the File Editor Calculator ...............................................................................................45

Exercise 5.1: Validate fields in a file .........................................................................................................51

Exercise 5.2: Validate drillhole data .........................................................................................................55

Exercise 6.1: Create a multiple condition filter ..........................................................................................62


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Notes:

Lesson 1 Preparing the

Project DataDuration: 20 minutes

In Micromine, the project is the primary place for storing and organising yourdata. This lesson introduces you to projects and how you use them.

After this lesson youll be able to:

Attach an existing project;

Create a new project;

Delete a project; and

Delete a project without deleting the associated data.

Working with Projects

Projects

Normally you store the data from an area in a Micromine project. Thisincludes surface samples, drilling data, property boundaries, aerial surveys,photography, and any other related information. In addition to informationabout the area, other information such as macros and form sets are also

stored as part of a project.

A Micromine project represents a real-world project.

To begin working with Micromine you must create at least one project. Aproject is a folder (or directory) where you store files containing relatedinformation.

Once more than one project has been created, you can select the desiredproject from a list of all projects. When you select a project, all the files,macros and forms sets stored with that project are made available to you.

When youre working in a project theres no need to enter a file path (i.e.C:\projects\tenement1\...) to create or open files. The only time you leavethe project is when you need to access external data.

To create a project, you enter a project name, a path, and a project title.You subsequently refer to that project by its name. A project may be situatedon the computer youre using, or on a network. In either case, werecommend that you place all projects under a single parent folder.

You must also set the units for a project to metric or imperial when you firstcreate it. The default is metric. Imperial is used when rock densities are

measured with a tonnage factor and plot scales like 1:100 are required.


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Notes:

When you create a new project, you can optionally use file structures, formsets and macros from a similar project. This is a good approach because itmeans you can re-use existing work and promote consistency betweenprojects. Some Micromine users create a template project and save any re-usable file structures, macros and form sets within it.

You can rename, move, delete and attach projects. Renaming simplychanges the project name, whereas moving a project manages the entireprocess of moving all the project files from one location to another.

If you regularly use different Micromine projects, for example as a consultant

with many clients, the Project toolbar provides ready access to mostproject-related tasks. These include opening, closing, creating, and attachinga project, and special browse tools that step forward or backward throughthe project list.

Because files from different projects are stored in different folders, you canuse the same file names in each. For example, the projects Demo and

Training can both have files named collar.dat, survey.datand assay.dat.

By default, Micromine will load the last project you were using.

Attaching an Existing Project

Because the data for this training course have already been prepared, youllsimply attach the project where the data are stored. Attaching a project is aconvenient way of working with existing projects and external data such asold projects and data created using other applications. Once youve attacheda project, you can select it as though you had created it.

The following exercises assume the training data is in the folderC:\MmData\Training. If your data are in a different location, substitute

the new location in the instructions that follow.


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Notes:Exercise 1.1: Attach an existing project

To attach an existing project:

1. Start Micromine by clicking on the icon on your desktop, or select theapplication name from the Startmenu.

2. Select File | Project | Attachfrom the main menu.

3. Enter the Project name. Generally, this is the name of the foldercontaining the project data. In this case, enter: Training

4. Click the Browse []button next to the Project pathresponse andnavigate to the folder C:\MmData\Training. Click OKon the Browsedialog.

5. Enter Micromine Training in the Project title.

6. Click OKto attach the project.

You can start Micromine directly in any previously opened project byusing the Windows 7jump list.

Youre now attached to the Training project. Note how the Microminewindow title bar (at the top of the screen) displays the new projects nameand title.

Lastly, confirm that Micromine is attached to the correct folder:

7. Select File | Openfrom the main menu.

8. Assess the contents of the Open dialog. If you dont see the files shown

here, check with your instructor before proceeding.

When a project is created or attached, Micromine copies default template

files to the new project (if they dont already exist).

Creating a New Project

Although were using an existing project for this training, you still need toknow how to create a new project. Creating instead of attaching aproject allows you to set the units and optionally use an existing project as atemplate.

Optional Exercise 1.2: Create a new project

In this exercise youll create a new project that could potentially be used as atemplate for future projects. Its not intended to store any real data, just thevarious file structures that might be re-used elsewhere.

To create a new project:


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Notes: 1. Select File | Project | Newfrom the main menu.

2. Fill-in the dialog box as shown below. To define the Project path, usethe browse []button to navigate to the C:\MmDatafolder; onceyouve done this, ensure Create folder for projectis selected (ticked).

3. Click OKto create the project. Micromine will open in the new project,and the project name and title will appear at the top of the Micromine

window.4. Switch back to the Trainingproject by selecting File | Project | Open,

or clicking the Open Projecttoolbar button.

Under normal circumstances youd now begin creating template files withinthe project. When you next create a project you can select Use existingproject as template and then enter this projects name. You can thennominate which items you want to re-use from the template project byselecting from the options shown in the group at the bottom of the dialog.

Creating a project folder outside of Micromine

Project | Newusually creates the folder for you. If you previouslycreated the folder in Windows, clear the Create folder for projectoption. Micromine will still add the appropriate files to the folder.

Deleting a Project

Deleting a project means removing the reference to the project (the folderwhere the project data is located) from a special Micromine file. There aretwo methods of deleting projects. The first method is to delete the link to theproject folder. This is like deleting a shortcut from your Windows Desktop.


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Notes:The reference to the folder is removed but the folder and its contents remainuntouched. The second method is to remove the link and delete the projectfolder and all the files within it.

Generally, you only want to remove the link to the project.

Optional Exercise 1.3: Delete an existing project

To delete a project:

1. Select File | Project | Deletefrom the main menu.

2. Choose the Examplesproject from the list that appears.

3. Make sure Detach onlyis selected (ticked).

4.

Click OK.

From now on, the Examples project wont appear in the list when you selectFile | Project | Open from the main menu.

To delete a project and all the files it contains, follow the same procedurebut clear Detach only (remove the tick).

Note that this is a deliberate action. You cant accidentally delete the files

in a project folder.


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Notes: Lesson 1 Summary

These are the key points of this lesson:

The project is the fundamental structure for organising data inMicromine;

To start working with Micromine you must create at least one project;

Projects store data files, macros, and form sets;

You can set the project units to metric or imperial when you create it;

When you create a new project, you can use the file structures, formsets and macros from a similar project as a template.

To attach a project:

Select File | Project | Attach, then

Type in a new Nameand Title, plus

Browse to the projects folder location (Path).

To create a new project:

Select File | Project | Newand enter the settings.

To delete a project:

Select File | Project | Deleteand choose the project. Set the Detachonlyswitch as appropriate.

Good Practice

If you created the project folder in Windows, clear the Create folder forprojectoption.

Consider using an existing project as a template whenever you create a newproject. Doing so will:

Encourage consistency in the way you store and process your data, andin the appearance of output;

Reduce set-up time because you wont have to re-create data file

structures, colour sets, macro files and form sets.

Help Topics

For information on: See:

Projects Files > Project

Template projects Files >Project > Using project templates

Form sets Form Sets


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Notes:

Lesson 2 Working with Data

FilesDuration: 40 minutes

Data files are the basic data container in Micromine. In this lesson youll learnabout the different types of data files and how to create and work with them.


Create a new file;

Create a file using an existing file as a template;

Modify a files structure.

Working with Tabular Files

Files in Micromine

Most files youll use as input to functions in Micromine have a tabularstructure. If youre familiar with databases youll recognise this structure.

An example of a typical Micromine data file is shown below.

Each record of this file contains a sample number and the associated gold,silver, and copper (amongst others) assay values.

Micromine uses several types of tabular file. The main input files are Data,Surveyand String. These files are differentiated by file extension. The datafile has the extension DAT, the survey file SVY, and the string file STR, but inpractice you refer to them by type rather than by their extensions. There areno other fundamental differences between these types of file. In fact a filewith exactly the same structure could have any of these extensions.

The main reason for having the different extensions is so you can group likefiles in a project. For example, geological data are often stored in DAT files;while contour strings and other string type data are stored in STR files; andsurvey information from total stations or theodolites is stored in SVY files.

You can also arrange files into project subfolders for greater clarity.


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Notes:Data ranges

When choosing a binary field type for numeric data it is important to choosethe appropriate type. This decision has two aspects:

Does the data contain decimal values?

How many significant figures of precision does it need?

REAL and FLOAT fields can handle decimal values. The numeric ranges listedin the table below are not really relevant; what is important here is thenumber of significant figures of precision. REAL fields offer around twice theprecision of FLOAT fields; using the wrong type wont affect the overallnumber but will affect the achievable level of accuracy.

Type CodeSize

(bytes)Range

SignificantFigures

REAL R 83.4 x 10

308

15FLOAT F 4 1.7 x 1037 7

LONG

INTEGERL 4

-2,147,483,647 to2,147,483,647

SHORT

INTEGERS 2 -32,767 to 32,767

LONG and SHORT INTEGER are integral types that cannot handle decimals.There is no concept of significant figures here; instead they have veryspecific limits on the size of numbers that can be stored, also listed in thetable above. Using the wrong type here can be a significant problem,because once a SHORT INTEGER reaches its maximum value of 32,767 itsimply stops counting and writes each subsequent value as 32,767. Clearlythis will have a disastrous effect on real-world data.

Precision

The advantage that Binary fields have over Numeric fields is that they arenot precision-limited.

For example, assume we have a NUMERIC field defined with three decimals.When we perform a calculation the result is written with three decimals. Any

other decimals are simply discarded.

The same calculation carried out on a REAL field stores the full 15 places ofprecision in the file, even though we may only be interested in displayingthree decimals.

Backward Compatibility

If you work in a collaborative environment in which not everyone upgradesto Micromine 2011, please be aware that binary field-enabled files cannot beused in earlier Micromine versions.

Caution: binary field-enabled files are incompatible with old Micromineversions


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Notes: Can be exported to old versions usingFile | Utilities | ConvertBinaryto ASCII

MicromineMicromineMicromine

In general, Micromine processes data files to create output. You must tell afunction (in Micromine) the name of a file and the fields it should use fromthat file. The function then loads data from the file and performs its task.This is the fundamental operating paradigm of Micromine.

The main file preparation and processing tool is the File Editor. The File

Editor has many features and data processing tools that are useful to theearth scientist.

One of Micromines strengths is that you can copy the contents of a fileor change its structure at anytime. Such flexibility is very convenient.However, if youre not using a central database its very easy to createcopies of master files and get into a situation where a colleague entersnew data into the copy. To avoid this, establish a convention that clearlydefines your file-naming procedures. For example, to make workingcopies of files easy to recognise, use a prefix like # or !. The length ofthe file name is not an issue. Similarly, with master files, you can include

master in the name of the file.

The function takes values from the

nominated file and processes themrecord by record


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Notes:

Before you begin this lesson

Make sure the training data are installed on your PC or some location on yournetwork. Youll need this data throughout this training course. See Installingthe data setfor details.

Creating a New Data File

You create a new file in Micromine using the File | Newmenu option, theNew File toolbar button, or the Ctrl+Nkeyboard shortcut. Options on theNew File dialog give you control over the level of automation.

For full control over the files structure and contents, enableAuto openfile for editingand clear Use Template.

For complete automation, clearAuto open file for editing, enable UseTemplate, and choose a template File.

Because youll be using the data set supplied as part of this course you onlyneed to create a couple of new data files in later lessons. However, toreinforce the idea of the template project this task will show you how tocreate a collar file that could be used as a template.

Exercise 2.1: Create a new data file

To create a new collar file template:

1. Select File | Newfrom the main menu. Alternatively, you can click theNew Filetoolbar button.

2. Enter the following values into the New Filedialog box:

Prompt Setting

File COLLAR_TEMPLATE

Type DATA

Title Collar Template

3. EnsureAuto open file for editingis set.

In the workplace youd typically disable the Auto open option unless youwanted to immediately start entering data. However, well leave it set for thisexercise so you can see the newly created file.

4. Dontselect Use template.

5. Click OKand the Create Structurefile window will appear.

You define the file structure in this window. To do this you must supply:

The names of the fields;


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Notes:9. Closethe File Editor window, either by clicking the [X]at the top of theCOLLAR_TEMPLATE.DAT tab or the top right of the Editor window (atthe same height as the tab!). Alternatively, click the Closetoolbarbutton.Micromine

Creating a New File Using a TemplateOnce you have suitable files in the current project (or a dedicated templateproject), you can use their structures whenever you create new files.

Exercise 2.2: Create a new file using a template

To create a file using a template:

1. Select File | Newfrom the main menu. Alternatively, you can click the

Newtoolbar button.

2. Enter the following values into the New Filedialog:

Prompt Setting

File TEST_COLLAR

Type DATA

Title From Template

3. ClearAuto open file for editing.

4. Select Use templateand Current project.

5. Double-click the Fileresponse and choose the COLLAR_TEMPLATE file,which is the one you created in Exercise 2.1.

6. Clear Modify new file structure.

7. Click OKto create the new file.

Because we cleared the Auto open... and Modify new... options,Micromine silently created the file instead of requesting further input. You

can use Modify new file structureto control the structure of the new file.

To confirm the structure of the new file:

8. Select File | Openand open the new TEST_COLLARfile. Inspect itsstructure and note that its the same as the original template.

9. Closethe File Editor once youre done.

10. SelectFile | Project | Open, or click the Open Projecttoolbar buttonand return to the TRAININGproject.


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Notes: You can see from this exercise how much time using templates can save,especially when youre creating files with many fields. Additionally, usingtemplates promotes consistent file structures both within and across projects.

Creating a new file directly from a dialog

An alternative way to create a new file is to use File | Create orModify File. With this menu option you can create a new file directlyfrom the dialog, without needing a template, which is especially usefulwhen youre writing a macro. Macros are explained in more detail in Part

5 Macros 1.

Modifying a Files Structure

In Micromine you can add and delete fields from a file at any time. If a fieldcontains data when you delete it, the data will also be deleted. To add fieldsto a file or delete fields from a file, use the Modify Filefunction.

The Modify Filefunction is located in the Filemenu of the main Microminewindow and the File Editor. You can also right-click (F6) on a file field in adialog box and select Modify from the menu that appears.

If you add fields to a file using Modify File, no data will be lost. However, ifyou delete a field that contains data, the data will be lost.

The right-click file utility menu

Modify is one of several functions found on the right-click file utilitymenu. This menu is accessible from anyfile or field name response oneveryMicromine dialog, and makes it possible to perform basic filefunctions without having to close a partially completed dialog.

Exercise 2.3: Modify a files structure

This task shows you how to add new fields to a soil geochemistry file,containing sample coordinates and some basic analytical results. The new


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Notes:fields are needed for merging a broader suite of additional analytical resultsfrom the laboratory.

To add the new fields, do the following:

1. Select File | Openfrom the main menu.

2. Select NVG_GCHEMfrom the window that appears. If you cant see it,make sure that Files of typeis set to DATA.

3. Click OKto open the file in the File Editor.

4. Press F6 to modify the file, or alternatively select File | Modify Filefrom the File Editor menu to display the Modify Structurewindow.

5. Position the cursor in the EAST_GRIDfield and press Ctrl+I, or selectRecords | Insert Recordsfrom the menu.

6. Enter 6in the Insert Recordsdialog, and then click OK.

7. Add the following fields to the file:

Field Name Type Width Decimals

Ba F 0

Mo F 0

Sb F 2

As F 0

Hg F 2

Tl F 0

8. When youve completed the process, the file structure should look likethis:


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Notes: 9. Select Closeonce the modification is complete. Youll be prompted toModify File?SelectYes.

The OLD_NAME, T, W, and Dfields are system fields that Micromine uses

to track your changes. Dont edit them!

10. Micromine automatically saves the modified file so theres no need toexplicitly save it. Instead, simply Closethe file editor.


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Notes:Lesson 2 Summary

This lesson has illustrated the following points:

Most data in Micromine is stored in files with a table structure;

When creating a file you must give the file a name and then define fieldnames, field types, field lengths and number of decimal places;

You can use existing files as templates when creating new files. Thesetemplates can be in the current project, in another project, or in a folderon a local or shared drive. This promotes consistency and saves havingto repeat work.

To create a new data file from scratch:

Select File | Newand enter the files nameand Type, then

Optionally, enableAuto open file for editing, andDefine the structure by specifying each fields Name, Type, Width, andnumber of Decimals.

To create a new data file using a template without your intervention:

Select File | Newand enter the files name and type, then

ClearAuto open file for editing, and

Enable Use templateand choose the template file, and

Clear Modify new file structure.

To modify the structure of an existing file:

Select File | Modify File, or

Press F6, or

Right-click a filename on a form and select Modifyfrom the pop-upmenu, then

Change the files structure.

To create a new data file directly from a form:

Select File | Create or Modify File, then

Type the new files Name, and

ADDeach new Field Name, Type, Widthand Decimals.


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Notes: Lesson 2 Summary (continued)

Good Practice

Wherever possible, use templates or form sets to create new file structures.

Two options are:

Create a set of template files and store them in a folder that has beenset aside for that purpose. When you create a file using File | New,retrieve a suitable template and use it to define the file structure.

Create a series of file definitions using File | Create or Modify File,saving each one as a form set. When you create a file using File |Create or Modify File, simply open the appropriate form set and use itto define the file structure.

Help Topics


Creating a file Files > New

Modifying a file Files >Modify File

Creating a file from Files > Create or Modify Filea form

Character, Numeric [Index] > Field Types

and Binary fields


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Notes:

Lesson 3 Working with

Dialogs and Form SetsDuration: 15 minutes

So far, weve only seen the simplest of dialogs, but as we continue to learnMicromine well encounter increasingly complex ones. Lesson 4 and onwardswill rely extensively on your ability to work with Micromines dialogs, so nowis a good time to learn about the process of entering parameters.

One of Micromines greatest strengths lies in its ability to save dialog settingsonce youve created them, and recall those settings whenever theyre neededin future. A simple analogy is using a form-management utility on your webbrowser: every time you visit, say, your online banking website, the form

manager automatically fills out the form for you, saving you time and effort.Micromines forms work in much the same way.


Systematically fill out a form;

Use the various mouse and keyboard shortcuts to accelerate theprocess;

Save settings as form sets and recall them whenever needed.

Dialogs and Form Sets

Dialogs

Some Micromine dialogs have over 50 individual controls arranged innumerous groups. The best way to fill out such a complicated dialog is towork through it as if you were reading down the columns of a newspaper:top down, from left to right. In the case of a tabbed dialog, you can extendthe analogy to reading the pages of a magazine. Adopting a systematicapproach like this ensures that responses are made in the correct order,which is important because other prompts on the dialog may changedepending on your earlier choices.

Much of Micromines user interface is geared towards maximising productivitywhilst minimising effort. To help achieve this, numerous dialog shortcuts areavailable. Weve already seen the right-click context menu, which is one suchshortcut. Another involves the way you specify file or field names: WheneverMicromine prompts you for a file or field name, double-click it (or press F3)to select it from a pop-up list. You should never type a file or field name,since its very easy to mistype a name and produce an error.

Once youve chosen a file name, Micromine will endeavour to automaticallyselect all of the required field names, so you may not have to do thisyourself. If a numeric field is selected, Micromine will also automatically

calculate the minimum and maximum values of that field.


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Notes:

An example of a more complex Micromine dialog. To fill out this dialog, startat the top of the left-hand column and work down, then repeat for the right-hand column. Note this is only an example; its not used in the following

exercises.

Double-click it to pick it

In general, if a particular piece of information, such as a file name or afield name, already exists, you should choose it by double-clicking instead

of typing.

Some dialog prompts are highlighted in a different colour (usually red).These are compulsory prompts: You mustenter a value before proceeding.Other prompts can be left blank if theyre not relevant.

Form Sets

Micromine provides an elegant way to save and re-use the parameters thatyouve entered into a dialog: You save them as a form set, which can berecalled for later reuse.


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Notes: For convenience you can also group form sets into folders, which areespecially useful for managing complex projects that contain many form sets.Form set folders are introduced in Part 2 Displaying and Manipulating Data.

Identifying saved form sets

Once youve saved a dialog as a form set, the Titleof that form set willappear at the top of the dialog itself. If you dont see the name, yourenotworking with a saved form set!

Micromine automatically manages the form set Numberso youll rarelyneed to change it yourself, although you can do so if you want to control

the grouping of form sets.

Each Micromine function maintains its own independent list of form sets, so

theres no risk of duplication. For example, more than one function couldhave a form set Number 1, with the title Testing.

Even if you forget to save a dialog as a form set, every Micromine dialog isautomatically saved to a default form set. Simply re-opening a particulardialog will automatically recall the default set, so your previous settings arealways available, even after restarting the computer. As soon as you changea value, however, the previous value will be lost.

In Vizex, default form sets are always marked as Untitled, so you can

see at a glance whether or not youve saved them.

Exercise 3.1: Explore dialogs and form sets

In this exercise, well display some geochemical sample locations and savethe display parameters as a form set.

1. From the main menu, select Display | Vizex | Points.

2. Ensure the Input Datatab is active (highlighted). Double-click the Fileresponse, and choose NVG_GCHEMfrom the file list that appears.

3. Once youve chosen the file, note how the coordinate fields below thefile name have automatically been chosen. Micromine alwaysendeavours to complete as much of the form as it can on your behalf.

4. Click the Pointstab to activate it, and then turn on the Show Pointsand Use Symbolsoptions.

5. Double-click the small blank square next to the Defaultsymbolprompt

and choose the filled triangle ( )symbol.

6. Click OKat the right of the dialog to display the points.

7. Inspect the Displaywindow pane at the bottom left of the screen. Notehow it now contains a single entry called Untitled (NVG_GCHEM.DAT).


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Notes:

Assuming youre happy with how the sample locations are displayed, you cansave the settings as a form set.

8. Double-click the Untitled (NVG_GCHEM.DAT) entry in the Displaypane,at the bottom left of your screen, to redisplay the Pointsdialog.

9. Click the Save As button at the right of the dialog.

You can also right-click the Untitled (NVG_GCHEM.DAT)entry and choose

Save Form Asfrom the pop-up menu.

10. Inspect the Save Current Valuesdialog and note how the form sethas automatically been given the Number1.

11. Type in the TitleSoil geochemistry(overwriting the defaultNVG_GCHEM.DAT title) and click OK. Note how the name Soilgeochemistrynow appears on the title bar at the top of the dialog.

12. Click OKon the Points dialogand note how the name in theDisplaypane has now changed to Soil geochemistry.

You can use the same process to make further changes to the form set:Double-click the form set in the Display pane, make the changes on thedialog, click Saveand finally click OK.

If you wanted to re-use those settings, youd simply click the appropriate

form set to select it, and then click Opento load the settings.

Why use form sets?

As a general rule, if you plan to use the settings on a particular dialog

more than once, its worth saving that dialog as a form set.

Form sets are the main driving force of Micromine. They enable you tocreate libraries of display layers in Vizex, consistently re-load settings forrepetitive tasks without re-entering values, and automate Micromine by

writing macros. All of these techniques are covered in subsequent lessonsor courses.


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Notes: Lesson 3 Summary

The key points of this lesson are:

Form sets represent the saved contents of Micromine dialogs, and areessential for speed, consistency, and automation of repetitive tasks.

Form sets allow you to automate the entry of settings within Micromine,much like a form manager on a web browser would do.

Form sets can be grouped into form set folders in a large project.

There are numerous form shortcuts, such as the right-click menu anddouble-click it to pick it.

Compulsory prompts are highlighted in red; you must provide a value forthese before using the form. You can change the colour under Tools |Options | Colours and Fonts.

To fill out a Micromine dialog:

Work through the settings as if you were reading columns in anewspaper, filling out (at least) the compulsory prompts as you go.

To speed up filling out a dialog, most information is available from a list.In other words, dont type but double-click it to pick it.

To save a dialog as a form set:

Click Forms, followed by Save As.

To save a Vizex dialog as a form set:

Click the Save Asbutton.

To recall a previously saved form set:

Open the relevant dialog, then

Click Forms, then locate the desired form set and click Open.

Good Practice

Any process worth doing more than once is worth saving as a form set.

For example, if youre importing text files that have the same format, createa form set containing the import parameters. This will save you re-enteringthe import parameters every time you need to import data in the sameformat.

Help Topics


Form sets Form Sets > ...

Vizex Display


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Notes:

Lesson 4 Data Entry and

File ProcessingDuration: 105 minutes

The data that describes a prospect or mine can be collected and recorded ina variety of ways. These include survey data from total stations, rock sampledata from geologists notebooks, drillhole data from portable data entryequipment, compass traverse notes, data files from aerial surveys and aerialphotography, along with existing data in a variety of third-party formats.

Getting all of this information from different formats into a project and into acoherent and useful state can be challenging. This lesson describes some ofthe processes that can be used to get data into a Micromine project.


Import text files into Micromine files (tables);

Merge assay results from a lab with their associated coordinates;

Import data from a third-party GIS format (ESRI Shapefile);

Import (or link to) data from a database table using ODBC;

Spatially preview imported data in Vizex;

Enter tabular data using the File Editor;

Navigate through the records and fields in the File Editor.

Getting Data into Micromine

A geologist working on an exploration or mining project will typicallyencounter four different data sources:

Tabular data exported as a text fileformat from a third-partyapplication;

Spatial data in a CAD,GIS or GPSformat;

An external relational databasesuch as Microsoft Access

, SQLServer, or Oracle. Data within these databases are normally managedby a geologically aware system such as Micromines Geobank;

Non-digitaldata such as paper-based field logging or printed logs andreports.

An example of each data type is explored in the following topics.

The Different Ways of Obtaining Tabular Data

Micromine includes three different ways to get large quantities of tabular

data into a project with a minimum of effort. They are:


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Notes: Importing

Linking

Merging

When you importtabular data you create a Micromine version of the source

data as it existed at that moment. The source data can be any supportedtabular format, and you can control which fields are written to the Microminetarget file. The data must be re-imported if the source version changes.

When you linkdata you create a permanent connection to the source data,which can only originate from an ODBC data source or Microsoft Accessdatabase. Linked data is easily refreshed to stay up-to-date whenever thesource version changes.

When you mergetabular data, you select fields in a source file and mergethem to the correct fields in the target file by matching values in a key field.

You can also append data. The source data can be a text or Micromine file.

Before you begin using these techniques, its worth reviewing the differenttypes of text file that youll meet when you undertake these processes.

If you use Field Marshal to collect field data you can exchange files innative Micromine format. Field Marshal and the Micromine File Editorcontain many data entry and processing functions created specifically forearth science data. Its often cheaper and more efficient to buy FIELDMARSHAL or use the Micromine File Editor than to customise a non-

geological spreadsheet or database application.


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Notes:Obtaining Data from Text Files

There are a numerous types of text file but in general they fall into twogroups: delimited and fixed width. A delimitedfile contains rows of valuesseparated by a separator or delimiter. Common delimited formats arecomma-delimited (using commas) and tab-delimited (using tabs). Each row isterminated with a CR (carriage return) character and a LF (line feed)character.

Fixed width files, sometimes known as column-delimited files, containvalues separated into columns made up of a fixed number of characters.Delimited files are generally more space-efficient, but human operators canmore easily read fixed width files.

Example fixed width file

Example comma delimited file

You import text using File | Import | Text. Generally Import Text is usedto transfer independent data sets into a Micromine project. Alternatively useFile | Merge | Textto merge text data. The Merge Text function is used tore-establish relationships within data sets, for example, merging assay resultswith the coordinates at which the samples were taken. You can also mergetwo Micromine files to achieve the same result.

The next two exercises will teach you to importa text file and then mergethe imported file (now in Micromine format) into another Micromine file.

Before you continue...

Make sure youre using the built-in file viewer. To ensure this is the case,select Tools |Options | Editorfrom the main menu and check that Built-inis selected in the Text Viewer group.


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Notes: Importing CSV Text Files

CSV (comma separated values) is a simple and popular text format wellsuited to tabular data exchange. Most applications can export and import theCSV format. A typical scenario might involve a geologist recording field data

using the built-in software on a notebook computer or PDA (personal digitalassistant). On return to the office he or she would most likely upload thedata to a Micromine project. CSV is an ideal format for this situation.

The simplest way to import a CSV (or any other text) file is to allowMicromine to automatically define the output file structure. You do this bychoosing Determine from Input filein the Output File Structuregroup,and then using the Scan Rows or Scan File buttons to determine thestructure.

Youll explore these options in the next exercise.

Exercise 4.1: Import assay data from a CSV file

In this exercise well import the new analytical data referred to in Exercise2.3, in preparation for merging it into the existing soil geochemistry file.These data were received as a Microsoft Excel workbook and were exportedfrom Excel in CSV format.

To import the text file:

1. Select File | Import | Textfrom the main menu.

2. Click the browse [] button next to the Input Fileresponse andnavigate to the Importfolder (within your training project). Select thefile NEW_ASSAY_RESULTS.csv.

The .csvextension will be invisible if you have set Windows to Hide

extensions for known file types.

3. Right-click the text file name to display it in the text viewer. Confirm thatits in comma-delimited format, and note that the first row is a columnheader for Sample number and the six additional elements (Ba, Mo, Sb,

As, Hg, and Tl). Close the text viewer when youre done.

4. Set the Formatto COMMA DELIMITED.

5. Enable Field Name Headerand choose the One rowradio button.

This file contains no rows to ignore so theres no need to set any Rows ToIgnore options. You can use these options to ignore metadata, internalheadings, or footers in a more complex file.

Define the structure of the output file

6. Select Determine from Input filein the Output File Structure

group.


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Notes: Exercise 4.2: Merge assay data from Exercise 4.1 intothe sample locality file

In this exercise the sample identifiers are unique. This means you can usethe fields containing sample identifiers in each file as the key field in themerge. In cases where there are duplicates in the key field in the target fileyou must use multiple fields to form the key.

Do the following:

1. Select File | Merge | MMfrom the main menu.

2. Double-click the Source File response and chooseNEW_ASSAY_RESULTS(ensure the file Typeis set to DATA).

3. Double-click in the TargetFileresponse and select NVG_GCHEM.

Defining the Key Field

We know that the Samplefield is common to both files. And, because thereare no duplicates in the Samplefield in either the source or target files, youcan use Sampleas the single key field.

To define the key field:

4. Click the Key Fieldsbutton. (If the button is disabled, select the Usekey fields option lower down the dialog.)

5. Double-click the Source Fieldfor Key # 1and choose SAMPLE.Micromine will automatically set the matching field name for the TargetField.

6. Because the sample numbers consist of alphanumeric strings, set theMatchto CHARACTER. If you omit this step Micromine will ignore theletter prefix of each sample number. Close the Key Fields dialog whenyoure done.

Were only using a single key field so theres no need to proceed to the nextrow.

Defining the Merge Fields

You must now define the merge fields, which is very similar to defining thekey field. Micromine does, however, greatly simplify the process wheneverthe field names are the same in both the source and target file.

7. Click the Merge Fieldsbutton.


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Notes:8. Click the small Select Fieldsbutton near the top left of the dialog.

9. Drag the mouse down the field list, starting with Baand ending on Tl, tohighlight the six geochemical fields, as shown on the following diagram.Click OKwhen youre done.

Theres no need to select SAMPLE because its already defined as the key

field.

10. Because the field names are the same in both files, Micromine willcomplete the form, automatically mapping each source field to thematching target field.

11. Optional: You can map source to target fields on an individual basis bydouble-clicking and choosing a Sourcefield, then double-clicking andchoosing the matching Targetfield.

12. Close the Merge Fieldsdialog once youre satisfied with the fieldmapping.

13. Set the Matchto FIRST, which will only merge the first occurrence of

each key field value.

14. Enter Unmergedin the Unmerged fileresponse, Duplicatein theDuplicate fileresponse, and Merge_statsin the Report fileresponse.These files will record the results of the merge process.

Running and validating the merge

15. The final stage of the process is to run the merge. Do this by clicking theRunbutton on the dialog box.

16. Running this process may give you an error massage, reporting that Hgis longer in the source file than it is in the target file, this is because it

has been changed from being a REAL value to a FLOAT value. You canPressYesto ignore this error message.

When the process is complete, a report will appear describing the results ofthe process, which is also reproduced in the Merge_stats file. You should alsoright-click the Unmergedand Duplicate files to check their contents, whichlist any source sample numbers that were duplicated or not merged. In thisexample there are none and these files are not created.


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Notes: Checking the results of a function

A useful check on any function that processes files is to right-click on theoutput file (or files) and selectViewfrom the pop-up menu. Anyproblems will become apparent and you can re-run the function aftermaking the necessary corrections. Report files are considered output andshould also be checked.

In the example above, the non-existence of the Unmergedand Duplicatefiles is an indication of success, because they are only created when

unmerged or duplicate records exist.

Exercise 4.3: Label the sample locality file

Now that we know a little more about the soil geochemical data, well addlabels for the Au1 geochemical data to the display:

1. Open the Soil geochemistryform set by double-clicking it in the Displaypane at the bottom left of your screen.

2. The Pointsdialog will open back on the Pointstab, which is where welast left it. Switch to the Label tab and complete it as shown here:

Prompt Setting

Show labels: Enabled

Text field (first row) AU1 (double-click to choose)

Position: Top-right (double-click to choose

option 12)

Angle: 45 (type the number)

Font: Tahoma, Size 8 (double-click theAaBbYyZz text)


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Notes:

You can quickly choose the Tahomafont in the Fontdialog by typing theletter t. Windows will immediately jump to fonts beginning with that

letter.

3. Click the Savebutton at the right of the Pointsdialog to save thealterations, and then click OKto redraw the labelled points. Your displayshould look like this diagram:


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Notes:Importing CAD or GIS Data

In addition to tabular data such as sample locations, drillhole information,and geochemical results, Micromine also supports numerous graphicalformats from CAD (Computer Aided Drafting), GIS (Geographic InformationSystem), GPS (Global Positioning System) and general purpose miningapplications.

Supported formats include:

CAD formats: AutoCAD DXF and DWG, Microstation DGN;

GIS formats: Mapinfo , ESRI ArcView , and MapGIS;

Surpac Strings.

Personal Geodatabase

GPS Exchange (GPX)

Google Earth (KML)

Although its possible to directly display many of these formats in Vizexwithout conversion, in the following exercise youll import topographiccontours from an ESRI ArcView Shapefile and convert them to a Microminestring file. Directly displaying CAD or GIS data in Vizex is covered in Part 2 Displaying and Manipulating Data.

Exercise 4.4: Import and display topographic contoursfrom an ESRI Shapefile

1. Select File | Import | Vector (CAD/GIS/GPS) Datafrom the mainmenu.

2. Double-click the CAD/GIS fileresponse and browse to the Importfolder (inside your project). Choose the nvg_topo_contours.shpfile andclick Open.

3. Enable Import attributes.

4. Type NVG_TOPO_CONTOURS in the Output Filename and set theTypeto STRING.

5. Set the field names as shown here:

Prompt Setting

East field EAST

North field NORTH

RL field RL

Join field JOIN

String field STRING

Layer field MM_LAYER (Dont use LAYER itsa reserved field name)


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Notes:6. Click Runto import the contour data. Right-click | Viewthe newstring file to confirm the import, and then Closethe dialog once youredone.

As verification of the process well display the imported contours in Vizex:

7. Select Display | Vizex | Stringsfrom the main menu to display theStrings dialog.

8. Ensure that the Input Datatab is active and the file Typeis set toSTRING.

9. Double-click the Fileresponse to choose the NVG_TOPO_CONTOURSfile. Micromine will fill out the remainder of this tab for you.

10. Switch to the Display Optionstab and ensure that only the Defaultcolouris set; use a light brown colour, and clear all other options onthis tab.

11. Click the Save Asbutton at the right of the dialog to save your settings

as a form set with the TitleTopographic contours.

12. Click OKto apply the settings. Your display should now resemble thefollowing diagram.

13. Conclude this exercise by selecting Edit | Remove Allfrom the mainmenu.

The last two exercises have provided an introduction to Vizex, which is fullyexplained in Part 2 Displaying and Manipulating Data.


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Notes:Importing or Linking DatabaseData Using ODBC

ODBC is an acronym for the term Open Database Connectivity. Its anindustry standard interface that provides data access to a variety of databaseapplications. ODBC isnt tied to a particular operating system or databaseprogram, but instead allows you to see your data in the same wayirrespective of the underlying software. Youre able to link to the database ofyour choice simply by installing the desired drivers on your computer.Whenever you install a database product, the appropriate drivers are usuallyinstalled along with it.

Setting up a new ODBC connection first involves creating a Data SourceName(DSN). There are three types of DSN, so the choice of which to useseems complex at first. In reality, they differ only in their degree of visibilityto the rest of the users on your computer or network. You need only createthe DSN once; from then on its constantly re-used each time you referencethe database.

The three types of DSNs are:

User DSN, which is local to a computer and is accessible only by thecurrent user;

User DSN: One user on onecomputer. Not available to other

users.

System DSN, which is local to a computer but isnt user-dedicated. Inother words, its shared amongst all users of that computer;

System DSN: Available to all userson one computer.

File DSN, which is shared among all users on a network. Its neitheruser-dedicated nor local to a particular computer.

File DSN: Available toall users on anetwork.


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Notes:On most computers, the User and System DSNs are grouped under thecategory Machine Data Source.

You can use an ODBC connection two ways in Micromine: You either Importthe data or Link to the database. When you Import, Micromine creates a

snapshot of the data. The files created in the Micromine project are ordinarydata files, exactly the same as any other data file youd create yourself.Because of this, the newly created files are independent of the database andcan be used even if the connection to the database is lost. However, youmust re-import the data if anything in the database changes.

If you Linkto an ODBC database, Micromine maintains a connection to thatdatabase. This means that if anything changes within the database, you canrefresh your links simply by right clicking its name on any dialog thatreferences it and choosing Reload Link from the pop-up menu. However,your access to the data will be lost if the connection to the database fails.

Additionally, the underlying database sets the structure of linked data, so you

cant modify (or edit) the file.

If you rely on multiple ODBC links, you can use Tools | Macro Functions |ODBC Link Updateto simultaneously refresh them all.

Youll create an ODBC connection name and import an example table in thefollowing exercise.

Exercise 4.5: Create an ODBC connection and importdata

In most cases youll probably want to create an ODBC link (by using File |Link | ODBC) so that Micromine always has access to the most up-to-datedata from your companys database. However, because we may need to editthis file later well import the data instead.

The training database contains four tables of drillhole data (collars, downholesurveys, assays, and lithologies), but were only interested in one of those:the Collartable. To import the other tables you simply repeat the steps inLoad Data from the External Database, below.

Create the ODBC connection

1. Select File | Import | ODBC.

2. Click the Select Data Source button.

3. Select the Machine Data Sourcetab and click the New button.(If youhave non-Administrative privileges you may get an error messagesimply press OK)

4. Select User Data Sourceand click Next >.

5. Choose Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)from the list thatappears, and then click Next >followed by Finish.

6. Enter TRAININGas the Data Source Nameand Introductory Trainingin the Description.


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Notes: 7. Click the Selectbutton and navigate to the folderC:\MMDATA\TRAINING\IMPORT.

8. Select MMI_DrillholeData.mdband then click OK.

9. Click OKon the ODBC dialogs until the Select Tabledialog appears.

Youve just created a new ODBC connection! You need only completeSteps 3 to 10 once, and from now on youll be able to reuse the sameDSN each time you connect to the database.

Managing DSNs

Ask your system administrator for assistance if you run into trouble withyour ODBC settings. Connection problems often stem from not having the

correct versions of ODBC drivers installed on your computer.

SystemDSNs must be created by a system administrator in Windows

Vista or later.

To remove an unwanted DSN from your computer, select Start |Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Data Sources (ODBC). You

need not be running Micromine to do this.

Load Data from the External Database

Whenever you re-use an existing DSN, you need to complete the first three

shaded steps in addition to the rest of the following procedure. However,because the Select Tabledialog is already open in this exercise, you dontneed to complete them this time. Instead, go directly to Step 13.

10. Select File | Import | ODBC.

11. Click the Select Data Source button.

12. Select the Machine Data Sourcetab and choose TRAINING(the DSNyou just created) from the list. Click OK.

13. The Select Table dialog box will appear. Youll see the names of thefour tables in the database:Assay, Collar, Lithologyand Survey.

14. Highlight the Collarentry and click OK.15. Fill-out the remaining prompts in the dialog as shown below and on the

following diagram:

Prompt Setting

Target File NVG_COLLAR_IMPORT

Determine structure Selected

Preview Enabled

Number of records (optional) 20


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Notes:Insert blank records Ctrl+I Records | Insert

Using the File Editor shortcuts on multiple records

The add (Ctrl+A), replicate (Ctrl+R) and execute (Ctrl+T) tools alsooperate on multiple records, by pressing Ctrl+Shift+[Letter] instead ofCtrl+[Letter]. These standard shortcuts all have a matching toolbarbutton if you prefer to use the mouse instead of the keyboard.

Exercise 4.6: Use the File Editors data entry tools

Well put some of these tools to work. This exercise always refers to thekeyboard shortcut for each function, but you can also use the menu ortoolbar if youd prefer to use the mouse. The corresponding button icon isalways shown. Refer to Table 4.1 or the lesson summary to convert betweenkeyboard shortcuts and menus or toolbar buttons.

Field-by-Field Data Entry

1. From the main Micromine menu, select File | Openand open theNVG_ASSAYfile. Alternatively, you can click the Open Filetoolbarbutton.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the file and select (click) the last HOLEvalue,which should read T17.

3. Press Ctrl+A. Observe how Micromine creates a new record, recognisesthat the existing text T17contains a numeric component, incrementsthat component by one, and places the new value into the new record.


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Notes:

4. Now press Ctrl+Rfour or five times. Each time you choose thiscommand it replicates the T18value to the record below.

5. Select (click) the first blank FROMvalue in your new T18hole and typein a value of 0(zero).

6. Press Ctrl+Shift+Iand change the increment from 1to 4. Click OK.

7. With the highlight still on the zero value, press Ctrl+Shift+A. TheIncrement Manydialog will appear. Just click OKto accept the defaultvalues.

8. Observe how Micromine has applied the new increment value to allrecords below the selected cell.

9. Select the first blank TOvalue, type a 4into that cell, and repeat theCtrl+Shift+Afunction. Your file should now resemble the followingdiagram:


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Notes:

That was pretty quick, but wouldnt it be good if you could perform all ofthose actions simultaneously? Fortunately, there is a way.

Simultaneous Multiple Field Data Entry

10. Press Ctrl+Shift+Pto display the Execute Parametersdialog. Usingthis dialog, you can define a separate action for each field in the file.Once theyre defined, you can apply them all simultaneously.

11. The HOLEfield on the Execute Parameters dialog should already beselected, but if it isnt, click it to select it.

12. Click the Replicatebutton. Note how Micromine changes theActionforthe HOLEfield from IGNOREto REPLICATE.

13. The SAMPLEfield is now automatically selected, so just click theIncrementbutton. When the Incrementdialog appears, leave thevalue set to 1and click OK.

14. The FROMfield now becomes the selected field. Its tempting to set anincrement value of, say, four, but theres a much smarter way to handle

this field: Click the Copybutton instead.15. When the Copy Fielddialog appears, select TOfrom the list and click

OK. This will take the TOvalue from the previousrecord and copy it intothe FROMfield in the current record.

Copying the previous TOvalue into the FROMfield is an excellent way toensure that your interval data has no gaps or overlaps. Even if you

manually edit a TOvalue, the next FROMvalue will always be correct.

16. With the TOfield selected, click the Incrementbutton and set theincrement value to 4. Your Execute Parameters dialog should now look

like this:


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Notes:

17. Click OKto close the Execute Parameters dialog.

18. Select the last T18value in the HOLEfield and press Ctrl+A. This willstart a new hole.

19. Manually type in a SAMPLEnumber of S00001, a FROMof 0and a TOof4. Your file should now look something like this:

Before you can use the execution parameters, you must always have astarter record containing actual values. The cursor must also besomewhere in this record before creating any new data.

20. Press Ctrl+Tand observe the result: All of the rules have been appliedsimultaneously. Press Ctrl+T a couple more times to add some morerecords. Your file should now look like this:

If you know how many records you need to add (you might be drilling aseries of 100 m Reverse Circulation holes, for instance), you can scroll tothe end of the file, press Ctrl+Shift+T, and type the number of newrecords into the Execute Manydialog.


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Notes:Calculator

You use the Calculatorto quickly perform simple algebra or more complexdata manipulation. The calculator works by the following formula:

Input A Calculation Function (i.e. Plus, Minus, etc.) Input B = Result

Input A and Input B can be field names, numbers, or temporary variables.The result can be a new field, existing field or a temporary variable.

To access the Calculator you can either select the File | Fields | Calculatemenu or click the Calculationsbutton on the File Editor toolbar. Use File |Fields | Calculate for complex calculations or macro automation, and the FileEditor Calculator for simpler interactive calculations.

Exercise 4.7: Use the File Editor Calculator

In this exercise youll use the File Editor Calculator to calculate the INTERVALvalue for the new records youve just added to the NVG_ASSAY file. Youllalso instruct Micromine to overwrite the intervals for the existing records.

1. Click the Calculationsbutton on the toolbar.

2. Double click the first Input response and select the TO field.

3. Click the Function response and select Minus.

4. Double click the second Input response and select the FROM field.

5. Double click the Result response and select the INTERVAL field.

6. Enable Overwrite result field. The dialog should resemble thefollowing diagram.


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Notes: 7. Click OK to run the Calculator.

If you need to perform more complex calculations the temporary variablesbecome an invaluable tool. Its useful to think of a temporary variable asbeing the same as the Memory button on a standard calculator, the onlydifference being that you have ten (labelled #0 to #9) instead of the

standard one.

Now well perform an exercise to calculate the mid-point of each sampleinterval.

8. Reopen the Calculator and change the Functionfrom Minusto Plus.

9. Click the Resultresponse, currently set to INTERVAL, and clear the fieldname by pressing Shift+Space.

10. Type in #1in its place to create a temporary variable.

11. Click the first Inputon the second row and type in #1to reference the

temporary variable.12. Click the Function field on the second row and select Divide By.

Documents

MM12-5 Introduction to Micromine (2011-07)