What are visual data processors?

Question

JSON

There is a task: from an ex-fur-tree it is necessary to get the list of users with different data in a line.

Each user is a row in an Excel spreadsheet. The columns contain all kinds of data (for example, the name, some tags, roles, etc.).

You need to take this data from the Excel spreadsheet and decompose it into JSON objects, these objects will then be sent to the tables with the help of ORM.

For example, we have a row with 10 columns, and this row will be displayed as a result as JSON objects for 6 tables with id and links to each other through foreignId.

I already have code that successfully does this, but it does not have an interface. Those. this is the console that I start from the IDE and constantly finish it. There is an option to attach an interface with basic buttons to this. I'd like to see what options exist.

What are some good visual tools for flexible work with data to distill from one format to another, concatenating them at the same time, validating and concatenating, etc.?

Answer 1

Don't make an interface just because 'everyone does it'.
You need to proceed exclusively from the task! Do exactly what you need to do, no more, no less.
ps When I worked actively with data, of course, Excel could be enough, but it is inconvenient and slow.
Usually, the following UI is needed for the converter (it was written a long time ago, not very used and lost):
* Setting the data source (you have this button / field - place where to get the excel source, plus, for example, the name / number of the sheet)
Show the initial contents of the sheet when selected, the minimum statistics (number of rows, columns, etc.)
* List of required columns indicating which columns are what
When selecting a source column, show a list of options for its values ​​(not necessarily all, the first tens, but briefly gives an idea of ​​​​the value of the field)
* Filters (skip empty lines, remove duplicates, etc.) - do not overdo it, tasks are very rarely repeated, it is impossible to embrace everything , you can offer a field for entering the code (use in eval), if the source is a database - you can write down some kind of minimal sql constructor (without ui, although the list of tables and column names in the database is already cool, plus substring search for data in all tables - a handy thing when you pick someone else's database, it's better to do it in specialized programs, I remember using dbforge studio community version)
* data output destination setting (file name)
* setting the data type in the output file (selection from the list hardcoded into the program, if relevant by itself)
Another point - the interface should be exclusively an interface to the console program, generating a line / settings files for it so that you can use them, for example, for automatic regular launches without launching the interface (in such cases I generate a batch file with the launch of the program with the necessary keys)

Answer 2

Excel itself is already sharpened for the visual representation of stored data. For this, there are pivot tables, graphs, etc.
Of course, you can use it in conjunction with Excel. Power Query, but it is more focused on large datasets.

Answer 3

In my opinion, you can work with an Excel file as a data source. That is, all transformations can then be performed using regular SQL. But this then narrows the target audience of users. And Excel itself is a visual data processor with its own built-in tools. Moreover, VBA is used for automation.
You need to understand that visualization is quite resource-intensive in development, and it is difficult to come up with it for all occasions.
But in simple cases it can be very convenient.
Want to reinvent your Access?
But if you really want to, then from a development point of view, I would put all the transformation logic in the form of a set of DLLs that are connected both in the GUI and in the console application.