A Filebox is where a file lives in Datarails. It holds one file and every version of it over time, such as each month's general ledger export or each round of a budget template. All versions share the same structure, and each one is tagged, so Datarails always knows which period and scenario it belongs to.
This article explains why Fileboxes matter, what the five Filebox types are, and how to see, choose and change a Filebox's type and settings.
Why use Fileboxes
- One file, one place. Each recurring file has a single home. Nobody has to ask which copy is the latest.
- A full history. Each upload is added as a new version. Earlier versions are kept, with who submitted each one and when, so you can trace any number back to the file it came from.
- Tags do the organizing. Date tags (such as month or year) and scenario tags (Actuals, Budget, Forecast) tell Datarails what each version represents. Reports and dashboards then pick up the right version automatically.
- Your data stays connected. Once a Filebox is mapped, every new version flows into your data tables. You update the file, and your reporting updates with it.
- Access is controlled. You decide who can view, edit or own each Filebox.
Filebox types
Every Filebox has a type that describes what it's for. Because Datarails knows the type, it shows you only the settings and actions that apply to that Filebox, and hides the rest.
| Type | What it's for | Examples | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual input | Excel templates that people fill in and submit. | Assumptions, targets, department inputs | Workspace |
| Model | Source files that feed your data model. | Budgets, forecasts, detailed calculations | Workspace |
| Report | Finished report files to share with viewers. A Report is either Excel or PowerPoint. | P&Ls, board packs, statements | Workspace |
| Lookup | A mapping table your data tables use to translate values. | Account or department mappings | Setup > Lookups |
| Integration | A Filebox fed by a connected data source. | An ERP or CRM sync | Setup > Integrations |
Lookup and Integration Fileboxes aren't created from the Workspace and don't appear in it. They have their own pages under Setup.
How the type changes what you see
| Type | What's different |
|---|---|
| Manual input and Model | Have Date format in uploaded files and Read as text. |
| Report (Excel) | Has Report format, Auto fit column width and Compress images. Has no Data mapper. |
| Report (PowerPoint) | Has Report format and Present in Dashboard. Has no Data mapper, Edit Online or Preview. |
| Integration | Has its sync settings, plus Date format in uploaded files and Read as text. |
| Lookup | Has no Data mapper, and its version menu has no Rescan, Edit tags or Exclude from DB. |
See a Filebox's type
In the Workspace grid, each Filebox shows an icon for its type next to its name. Hover over the icon to see the type, for example "Type: Model". PowerPoint Reports have their own icon.
Filter the Workspace by type
- In the Workspace, click Type in the filter bar.
- Select one or more types: Manual input, Model, Report or Collection process.
Click Apply.
The filter shows matching Fileboxes in the current folder and all its subfolders. When only Report is selected, a Format filter appears so you can narrow the list to Excel or PowerPoint.
Choose a type when you create a Filebox
- In the Workspace, click + New and select New Filebox.
In the Create new Filebox window, choose the type: Manual input, Model or Report. Manual input is selected by default. Click Next.
Name the Filebox and set its tags. For a Report, also choose the Report format: Excel (the default) or PowerPoint.
- Click Upload File to add the first file now, or Create & Close to create an empty Filebox.
- You also choose the type when you create a Filebox from the Excel add-in. In PowerPoint, the type starts as Report.
- To create a Lookup or Integration Filebox, go to Setup > Lookups or Setup > Integrations. The Create window links to both.
Editing a Filebox type
Only an owner of the Filebox can change its type. For everyone else the field is greyed out.
In the Workspace, click the ⋮ menu on the Filebox's row and select Settings. You can also open the Filebox and click the settings icon at the top of the page.
Click the Advanced tab.
Under General settings, open Filebox type and choose the new type.
- Click Change type to confirm.
What you can change yourself
| Change | Who makes it |
|---|---|
| Between Manual input, Model and Report | You, if you own the Filebox. |
| A Report's format (Excel or PowerPoint) | You, in the same place: Advanced > General settings > Report format. |
| To or from Lookup or Integration | Datarails Support. These types show a padlock, because the change affects the tables, dashboards and connections that rely on the Filebox. Selecting one opens a "This change needs support" message with a link to Support. |
What happens when the type changes
- Your files, versions and history stay as they are.
- Settings that don't fit the new type are hidden, not deleted. If you switch back, they return as they were.
- The one exception is a Report's format. If a Filebox stops being a Report, its Report format is reset.
- A Filebox that Support changes to Lookup or Integration moves out of the Workspace, to Setup > Lookups or Setup > Integrations.
Give a Filebox two types
Some Fileboxes do two jobs. For example, a budget Model that managers also open as a Report.
- Open the Filebox's settings and click the Advanced tab.
- Under General settings, open Additional type (optional). The line under the field tells you what this Filebox can combine with, for example "Model can also be Report".
- Select the additional type.
| Filebox type | Additional type |
|---|---|
| Model | You can add Report yourself. |
| Manual input or Report | Shows None, unless Support has set up a combination. |
| Any other combination | Shows a padlock and is set up by Support. |
Filebox settings
Only an owner of the Filebox can change its settings. Open them from Settings in the Filebox's ⋮ menu in the Workspace, or from the settings icon at the top of the Filebox's page. Each Filebox shows only the settings that fit its type.
| Tab | What you set there |
|---|---|
| General | The Filebox's name, its tags (Scenario, Date tag, Filebox status and Budget Cycle), and Auto-Calculate. |
| Notifications | Who is notified about the Filebox, and when. |
| Advanced | How files are read (data mapper processing), how versions are presented (output and publishing), the Filebox type, and password-protected files. |
Store the password for protected files
- Open the Filebox's settings and click the Advanced tab.
- Under General settings, turn on Password-protected files and enter the password for the Filebox's encrypted Excel files.
If you upload a password-protected file that Datarails can't open, it asks you for the password right after the upload.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| You can't find an Integration or Lookup Filebox in the Workspace. | These types have their own pages. | Go to Setup > Integrations or Setup > Lookups. |
| Lookup and Integration show a padlock in the type list. | Those changes affect connected tables, dashboards and data sources, so Support makes them. | Contact Support. |
| Message: "Only the Filebox owner can change its type." | You aren't an owner of the Filebox. | Ask an owner, or contact Support. |
| Message: "This Filebox type is managed by Datarails support." | The Filebox is a Lookup or Integration. | Contact Support to change it. |
| Message: "This Filebox is connected to ... Disconnect it first, then change the type." | A Filebox can't change type while it's connected to a data source. | Contact Support. |
| Message: "This Filebox is used as a lookup by: ... Remove it from those tables' lookups first, then change the type." | Your tables still use the Filebox as a lookup. | Contact Support. |
| An upload is rejected with "This Filebox takes Excel files." | The Filebox is a Report with a set format. | Upload a file in that format, or ask an owner to change the Report format in settings. |
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