Documentation Conventions and Common Data Formats

The data standards documentation uses conventions to describe data fields in a consistent manner. Additionally, the data fields in the Oracle Utilities Opower data platform rely on common data formats, such as date, time, and Boolean values. These formats should be strictly followed so as to minimize errors in the data transfer process. Use the sections below to understand the conventions you will encounter and the data formats that Oracle Utilities expects.

On this page:

Example and Allowed Values

Throughout the documentation you will see field descriptions that include Example Values or Allowed Values labels. The Example Values are meant to give you an idea or recommendation of the data you can send. However, you are not required to follow the examples. You can send other values instead.

The Allowed Values label denotes a set of values that is exhaustive and must be strictly followed. You must choose from the list provided, and cannot use other values.

Back to Top

Empty Fields and Null Values

Each field description in the documentation includes an indication of whether the field can be empty when you send data to Oracle Utilities. This is shown in the Can Be Empty? label.

If the label is followed by Yes, the field can be left blank or a value of NULL can be used.

If the label is followed by No, then a value must be provided or the data import will fail. A value of NULL is not acceptable in such cases unless the field has a default value that the system can revert to.

Back to Top

Date and Time Handling

All fields containing date or date time values must fully specify an exact point in time rather than a local date or date and time. The following table shows how Oracle Utilities Opower will use default time and offset values if these are not provided:

Format Description

YYYY-MM-DD<T>hh:mm:ss-<timezone>

The exact value specified will be loaded after adjusting the date time offset to UTC. Note that the offset itself will not be preserved. Time zones should be specified according to the TZ database name column in List of tz database time zones (Wikipedia).

Example:

2007-06-05T12:30:00-America/New York

Oracle Utilities Opower uses the time zone to calculate the time in UTC, resulting in the value 2007-06-05T16:30Z being stored in the system (where Z stands for Zulu or UTC time).

Back to Top

Supported Boolean Formats

Many fields in the Oracle Utilities Opower data platform require Boolean data values. The following Boolean formats are supported. Other Boolean values or formats may be supported for specific fields, in which case this is documented in the field description.

Boolean Supported Formats
TRUE
  • YES
  • Y
  • TRUE
  • T
  • 1
FALSE
  • NO
  • N
  • FALSE
  • F
  • 0

Back to Top

Supported Decimal Formats

For a DECIMAL column, the declaration syntax is DECIMAL(M,D). M refers to the maximum number of digits (the precision). It has a range of 1 to 65. D refers to the number of digits to the right of the decimal point (the scale). It has a range of 0 to 30 and must be no larger than M.

All decimal numbers must use a period (.) for the decimal separator. No thousands separator is allowed. For example, decimal numbers must be formatted like 100000000.00. Values like the following are not allowed:

  • 100000000,00
  • 100,000,000.00
  • 100.000.000,00
  • 100_000_000.00

Back to Top