Chapter 1
Welcome to the free edition
The free edition is DataBridge running inside your web browser. There is nothing to install and you do not need to sign in, and the files you open are read on your own machine and never uploaded.
What you can do here
Everything in the Transform group of the left navigation works fully in the free edition:
| Page | What it is for | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| File Templates | Describe a file's layout: its type, delimiter, header row and columns. | 2 |
| Field Mappings | Turn one layout into another with copy, combine and clean-up rules. | 3 |
| Transform Data | Run a file through a template and mapping and download the result as CSV, TSV or JSON. | 4 |
| Quick Transform | One-click clean-ups (case, whitespace, duplicates, dates, phone numbers) with no template needed. | 4 |
| Expression Builder | Try out expressions against a sample row before you rely on them. | 4 |
| Validate File | Check a file against a template and list every problem. | 5 |
| Data Diff | Compare two versions of a file and see what changed. | 5 |
| Export & Import | Save all your definitions to one file, or bring them back. | 6 |
A second group, Server features, holds Connections, Queries, Destinations and Jobs. The free edition cannot use them, so each shows a locked preview that names the module that unlocks it. Chapter 7 explains what they are.
Where your work is stored
The app shows a short notice to this effect on Home and Settings, and the first time you open Home it asks you to acknowledge a Before you start message with I understand. The first time you open Home with nothing stored, it also fills the lists with a few sample templates and mappings (six templates and three mappings) so you have something to try; they count toward the limits below, and you can delete or edit them like your own. Once the app has loaded, it is kept in the browser's cache and opens again without a network connection. This guide is not cached. Nothing you enter is sent to ExtensibilityCo unless you choose to send feedback, and you see the full message before it goes.
Limits of the free edition
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| File templates | 10 |
| Field mappings | 5 |
| CSV and TSV files | 10 MB each |
| Excel workbooks (.xlsx) | 5 MB each |
| Rows per file in Transform Data, Quick Transform, Validate File and Data Diff | 100,000 |
| Export & Import files | 10 MB |
When you reach a limit the app says so and refuses the save rather than losing anything. The File Templates and Field Mappings lists show how many you have used. The template and mapping limits are removed by any paid module Full edition.
Finding your way around
- Left navigation. Home, then the Transform group, then Server features, then Settings, Upgrade, Sign in (until you are signed in), Get Desktop, User guide, Send feedback and About. Click a group heading to collapse it. On a narrow screen the navigation opens from the menu button at the top left.
- Search. The box in the top bar finds pages by name. Press Enter to open the first match or Esc to clear it.
- Command bar. Each page's actions (New, Save, Run and so on) sit in the bar above the page, with links to related pages beside them.
- Open records. Templates and mappings you open appear as tabs above the page, so you can switch between them. Closing a tab returns you to its list.
- Guided rail. Some pages show tips in a panel on the right. You can collapse it or dismiss individual tips.
- Theme. The menu at the top right switches between dark and light, or follows your system setting.
The status bar at the bottom shows the edition, where your data is stored, your time zone and record counts.