Binary File
A binary file is a computer file that is not a text file, and whose content is in a binary format consisting of a series of sequential bytes, each of which is eight bits in length.
You can use binary files from a Local upload, Amazon S3, or Azure Blob Storage in your data syncs.
Some benefits of using binary files include:
- Better efficiency via compression
- Better Security through the ability to create custom encoding standards.
- Unmatched Speed, since the data is stored in a raw format, and is not encoded using any character encoding standards, it is faster to read and store.
Example Use Case: You have a binary file that contains your Employee information. You want to use a batch sync to pull this info into a Cinchy table and liberate your data.
The Binary File source supports batch syncs.
The Binary File source does not support Geometry or Geography data types.
You can review the parameters that can be found in the info tab below (Image 1).
Parameter | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Title | Mandatory. Input a name for your data sync | Employee Sync |
Version | Mandatory. This is a pre-populated field containing a version number for your data sync. You can override it if you wish. | 1.0.0 |
Parameters | @Filepath |

Image 1: The Info Tab
The following table outlines the mandatory and optional parameters you will find on the Source tab (Image 2).
Source Details
Schema
Filter
The following parameters will help to define your data sync source and how it functions.
Parameter | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
(Sync) Source | Mandatory. Select your source from the drop down menu. | Binary File |
Source | The location of the source file. Either a Local upload, Amazon S3, or Azure Blob Storage
The following authentication methods are supported per source:
Amazon S3: Access Key ID/Secret Access Key
Azure Blob Storage: Connection String | Local |
Header lines to Ignore | Mandatory. The number of records from the top of the file to ignore before the data starts (includes column header). | 1 |
Footer Lines to Ignore | Mandatory. The number of records from the bottom of the file to ignore | 0 |
Encoding | Optional. The encoding of the file. This default to UTF8, however also supports: UTF8_BOM, UTF16, ASCII. | |
Path | Mandatory. The path to the source file to load. To upload a local file, you must first insert a Parameter in the Info tab of the connection (ex: filepath). Then, you would reference that same value in this location (Ex: @Filepath). This will then trigger a File Upload option to import your file. | @Filepath |
AuthType | his field defines the authentication type for your data sync. Cinchy supports "Access Key" and "IAM" role.
When selecting "Access Key", you must provide the key and key secret.
When selecting "IAM role", a new field will appear for you to paste in the role's Amazon Resource Name (ARN). You also must ensure that:
| |
The Schema section is where you define which source columns you want to sync in your connection. You can repeat the values for multiple columns.
Parameter | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Name | Mandatory. The name of your column as it appears in the source. | Name |
Alias | Optional. You may choose to use an alias on your column so that it has a different name in the data sync. | |
Data Type | Mandatory. The data type of the column values. | Text |
Description | Optional. You may choose to add a description to your column. | |
Parse Content By
(Only for Standard Columns) | Binary File sources have a unique, mandatory parameter for Standard Columns:
Parse Content By - Choose from the following three options to define how you want to parse your content:
| Byte Length |
There are other options available for the Schema section if you click on Show Advanced.
Parameter | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Mandatory |
| |
Validate Data |
| |
Trim Whitespace | Optional if data type = text. If your data type was chosen as "text", you can choose whether to trim the whitespace (that is, spaces and other non-printing characters). | |
Max Length | Optional if data type = text. If your data type was chosen as "text", you can choose whether to trim the whitespace (that is, spaces and other non-printing characters). | |
You can choose to add in a Transformation > String Replacement by inputting the following:
Parameter | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
Pattern | Mandatory if using a Transformation. The pattern for your string replacement, i.e. the string that will be searched and replaced. | |
Replacement | What you want to replace your pattern with. | |
Note that you can have more than one String Replacement
You have the option to add a source filter to your data sync. Please review the documentation here for more information on source filters.

Image 2: Define your Source
- Click Jobs > Start a Job to begin your sync.
Last modified 3mo ago