* Exporting gedcom file to excel

Importing from another genealogy program? This is the place to ask. Questions about Exporting should go in the Exporting sub-forum of the General Usage forum.
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ruthhenrietta
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Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by ruthhenrietta »

Hello - is it possible to export a gedcom file into excel... I've found converting software on line, but a bit wary - https://www.oxy-gen-soft.net/index_en.php. The reason I ask is because I want to import it into Tableau... though not sure if this will show relational information.
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Valkrider
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by Valkrider »

It depends on exactly what you want to do with the file. If you give some more information then you may get a better answer.

You can run a query and save the result of the query as a CSV file for use in Excel. It is what I do for my Surname Study website as I only want to display the basic BMD information and use it as a taster for people to contact me.

In the past I have used GedXLate which is an old but free windows program that works fine.

I have not used the one you mentioned in your OP.
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by tatewise »

Perhaps if you explained what analysis you hope Tableau will provide, then there may be a simpler solution within FH.
I have found that quite often users ask about a process, whereas their objectives are really quite different, and can be achieved a completely different way, sometimes using tools built into FH that the user did not know about.
You mention relational information, and FH is very good at relationships ~ after all it is a genealogy program!
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Jane
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by Jane »

As Valkrider said you can export any Query results in Family Historian as CSV files and according to the Tableau site you can import CSV files directly.

I have not worked with Tableau as at $70 a month it's a bit out of my price range. It looks like a data analysis tool so I doubt it will handle family relationships very easily, but could probably be used for statistical analysis.
Jane
My Family History : My Photography "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."
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ruthhenrietta
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by ruthhenrietta »

Thanks for your replies #Jane, #Tatewise and #Valkrinder... (not sure how to tag you - apols)... you all raise good questions about WHY I want to do it... I'm working with others on a public facing project exploring networks (familial, business, philanthropic etc.) between a group of people in early C19th Bristol. We want to get different people to feed into the research, and be able to publish it in an accessible and interactive way.

I've been using FH for years, and appreciate what a powerful programme / database it is. Just this week I've been introduced to Tableau via the University I'm working with (so I haven't had to subscribe myself) and at this stage, I just want to see what it can do with family history data.

I'm afraid I'm a bit of a 'learner by doing'... so I can't say exactly what outcomes I want... but some examples are: showing how different individuals are connected to other individuals / businesses etc. by the user clicking on a name and a diagram appearing; compare what ages people were when they did a particular thing (e.g. join a club / die / make a will); show how different people are related to each other.

I appreciate FH can do all of this, but it's not public facing or interactive in the way that I think Tableau is.

It could well be that I need social network analysis software like Sentinel Visualiser ( http://www.fmsasg.com/index.html ) which I haven't looked at yet... and I might well come across the same issues re. exporting gedcom data.

I hope that explains it a bit. I did try downloading GexLate but it didn't work. I'll do a query and export and see what Tableau can do with that.
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by tatewise »

OK, understood.

Much of what you propose should be feasible with a Fact Query saved to CSV.
That lists every Fact with its Date, Age, Place, Address, Cause, attribute Value, and Owner.
So with Facts such as Birth, Occupation, Death, Will, etc, it should be possible to produce many demographics.

To get Individual relationships will require a Family Query similarly saved to CSV.
Each Family record identifies the Father, Mother and Children relationships and the specific Individual records.
So it should be possible to derive a directed graph of relationships between any two Individuals.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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ruthhenrietta
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by ruthhenrietta »

Thanks - I've just spent an hour or so playing with the data from a FH query imported into Tableau via csv... and realised that it only understands relationships as text, without any understanding of what 'uncle' means in relation to 'daughter' etc. Which, now I think about it, is pretty obvious... so I think we're going to need different software for that... but definitely works for other data - so thank you... has been helpful... sometimes I just need people to point out the obvious! Ruth
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by tatewise »

I am unfamiliar with Tableau, but could it be taught to understand relationships?

Firstly, it should be possible to establish the connection between two Individuals using a series of tags derived from the Individual and Family records that link them. Then translate that series into a relationship.
e.g.
FAMC > HUSB would represent Father.
FAMC > HUSB > FAMC > HUSB > FAMC > HUSB would represent Great-grandfather.
FAMC > HUSB > FAMS > CHIL would represent Uncle or Aunt depending on Gender.
FAMS > CHIL would represent Son or Daughter depending on Gender.
FAMS > CHIL > FAMS > CHIL > FAMS > CHIL would represent Great-grandson/daughter.
FAMC > CHIL > FAMS > CHIL would represent Nephew or Niece depending on Gender.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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ruthhenrietta
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Re: Exporting gedcom file to excel

Post by ruthhenrietta »

I don’t know the answer to that... I think I need to find someone who understands Tableau (I went on a 2 hr introductory workshop) & ask them...
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