Converting a .dat file to .csv for HerdMASTER 5

HerdMASTER 5 imports data from .csv files. If you have a file with a .dat extension that you need to bring into HerdMASTER 5, you will need to convert it to .csv first. This article walks you through how to do that using Microsoft Excel.

The whole process takes about a minute once you know where to click.

You will need:

• Microsoft Excel

• The .dat file you want to convert

• A few minutes

If you do not have Excel, you can use a free alternative like Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc. The steps are very similar.

1. Open Excel first (do not double-click the .dat file directly, it may not open correctly).

2. Go to File → Open and browse to the folder where your .dat file is saved. You may need to change the file type filter in the bottom-right of the Open dialog to "All Files (*.*)" so the .dat file appears in the list.

3. Select the .dat file and click Open.

4. The Text Import Wizard will appear. Excel needs to know how your data is laid out.

• On the first screen, choose Delimited and click Next.

• On the second screen, tick the box that matches how your data is separated. Comma is the most common for HerdMASTER data, but if your file uses tabs or semicolons, tick that one instead. You will see a preview at the bottom of the window. Once the preview looks like neat columns, click Next.

• On the third screen, leave the column data format as General and click Finish.

5. Your data should now appear in Excel in rows and columns. Take a quick look to make sure it looks right.

6. Go to File → Save As.

7. Choose where you want to save the new file.

8. In the "Save as type" dropdown, choose CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv).

9. Click Save. Excel may warn you that some features cannot be saved in CSV format. That is normal. Click Yes to continue.

You now have a .csv file ready to import into HerdMASTER 5.

The data looks jumbled when I open the .dat file in Excel. Your file probably uses a different delimiter. Go back to step 4 and try ticking a different separator (Tab, Semicolon, or Space) until the preview shows neat columns.

Excel will not let me open my .dat file. Make sure the file type filter in the Open dialog is set to "All Files" rather than the default Excel filter.

My .csv file opens in HerdMASTER 5 but the data is in the wrong columns. Check that your column headings in row 1 of the .csv match what HerdMASTER 5 expects for the import you are doing. The column order matters.

I still cannot get my data into HerdMASTER 5. Send us a message through the support portal at https://jira.herdmaster.com.au/ and include a copy of the file. We will take a look and help you sort it out.