Data Input, Output, and Data Types
Input Tools
Input Data reads files and databases; Text Input creates data from typed rows; Directory lists files in a folder. Dynamic Input reads a template and swaps in a file path or query at run time. Key traps: the Input Data tool guesses field types from the first rows (a leading-zero ID becomes numeric, losing zeros), and Excel sheets may need a sheet name or a range.
Field Types
Core types: String, V_String (variable length), Int16/32/64, Float, Double, Fixed Decimal, Date, DateTime, Time, Bool, Blob, Spatial. Sizes matter: a String of size 10 truncates longer values. Fixed Decimal is preferred for currency because binary floating point introduces rounding error.
Output Tools
Output Data writes files; it can create, overwrite, or append. The option to "Take File/Table Name From Field" writes one file per value - powerful and commonly tested. Output does not run unless the workflow executes that branch; unconnected tools never run.
Dates and Nulls
Dates must be a real Date type to use date functions; text dates need DateTimeParse. Null is not zero and not empty string. Use the Data Cleansing or Formula tools to standardize nulls before math.
Rule of thumb: Match the field type to the job - V_String for free text, Fixed Decimal for money, Date for calendars - and check the Input tool's type guesses before building logic.