Import GDS Files into the Borehole Manager

Borehole Manager | File | Import | GDS

This program is used to import Geological Data Services (GDS) format files into the borehole database. It will translate the well coordinates to the current project coordinate system. There are three supported file formats:

GDSII, a set of 80 character records for each well. Select the File | Import | GDS | GDS-II option
Township & Range Flat file, one comma separated record for each well. Select the File | Import | GDS | CSV option
Texas Township & Range Flat file, one comma separated record for each well. Select the File | Import | GDS | CSV-Texas option

This data is not supplied with the RockWorks program; you must contact a GDS vendor for purchasing details.

Menu Options
Step-by-Step Summary

File Selection Tab

Import Filename: Click on the small open-button to the right of this prompt to browse for the file to be imported.
- For GDS-II format, the typical file name extension is ".dat".
- For CSV format, the file name extension is ".csv".
- For CSV-Texas format, the file name extension is ".csv".

Borehole Options Tab

Borehole Name Field Uses: This setting will determine how the well names will be imported. The default well name will be the API number, such as "10092".
However, you can also click on this button if you want to append any additional fields, should you want more recognizable or unique information to be recorded for the name. Just be wary of unmanageably long names.
! The borehole name field is limited to 80 characters in the RockWorks database.
- In the Borehole Name Field window, you can use the arrow buttons to move fields from the Source List to the Destination List (and vice versa). The fields in the Destination List will be used to define the well names, in the order in which they are listed. For example, if API Number and Operator are shown in the Destination List, you'll get well names that could look like: 10092 SEECO where the "10092" is the API number and "SEECO" is the Operator name.
- You can click and drag fields in the Destination List up or down to rearrange their order and (hence) their order in the well name.
- Field Delimiter: The character(s) defined here will be used to separate the fields in the well name. For example, a "_" character would generate names like "10092_SEECO".
Easting/Northing Values: Use this setting to decide which of the GDS well location coordinate systems - Longitude/Latitude or Public Land Survey System - will be used to compute the Easting and Northing coordinates for the well (Collar Coordinates tab) in your project coordinate system. Typically the Longitude/Latitude would be the more accurate of the two.
! Note that both the Longitude/Latitude and the PLSS coordinates will be imported into the Other Coords tab in the Borehole Manager's Location table, so you'll have them for reference.
Clean Stratigraphy Options: These settings will affect how the stratigraphic units will be imported.
- Match Tops and Bottoms: Choose this option if you want RockWorks to fill in or adjust stratigraphic tops and/or bases, based on the unit immediately above or below.
- Import As Is: Choose this option if you want the stratigraphic tops and bases to be imported as-is from the source file.
Set the Symbol from Well Status: Check this box if you want RockWorks to choose the well symbol for each well based on the status for each which is listed in the import file. It will match that status to the Well Status definition table in RockWorks. Note that you can update the symbol after import, as noted at the end of this topic.
Overwrite Options: Specify what should happen if the import file references the same well names as already exist in the current project folder.
- Skip Existing Record: If a well ID exists in the RockWorks database, the importer will skip all GDS records with the same well ID.
  For example, if there is already a well named "Smith-01" in the project, the program should not import any new data flagged for a "Smith-01" well, and the original well will be left intact.
- Create New Record: If a well ID exists in the RockWorks database, the importer will create a new well record (with a new name, appending "_1") for all GDS records you've mapped for import that have the same well ID.
  For example, if there is already a well named "Smith-01" in the project, and you're importing data for a well named "Smith-01," the program will create a new record named "Smith-01_1" and import the data into that new record, leaving the original well record unchanged.
- Replace Existing Record: If a well ID exists in the RockWorks database, the importer will delete all existing data for that well and replace it with the GDS records you've mapped for import with the same well ID.
  For example, if there is already a well named "Smith-01" in the project, the importer will delete all data for that well from the database, and then import the GDS data for Smith-01. The original well record will be completely replaced.
  ! Be sure about this. All existing data for existing wells will be lost.
  ! You can activate Warn on Existing Record (the check-box below these options) to have the program display a confirmation dialog box for each existing well, so that you can choose to replace, update, skip, or create a new record, on a well-by-well basis.
- Update Existing Record: If a well ID exists in the RockWorks database, the importer will not delete that well's data before import. Instead it will add new data types to the well. Any existing data types in the well will be replaced.
  Example: There is already a well named "Smith-01" in the project, with basic well location information. This run-through you map several additional header fields to custom fields you've created in the Location tabs, and these new data fields are appended to the Smith-01 well record.
  ! However, note that the basic location information for that well will be replaced with the new.

Location Fields Tab

Use the Select check-boxes to select which fields are to be imported into the RockWorks database.
Input Field: These are the fields that RockWorks found in the GDS file.
Data Field: These are the fields in the RockWorks database. The importer will try to match up as many input fields to data fields as it can. To select a different database field, just click on the cell to activate the field, and then click on the down-arrow to browse for a different database field. Because the GDS data contains many more general well information fields than does the default setup of the RockWorks database, many of the input fields will be mapped to the Comments section.
Here are some examples of default mapping settings:
- Symbol: This is selected based on the well status recorded in the import file, and the entries in the Well Status Table in RockWorks. If no well status can be determined, a default symbol is selected.
- Elevation and Total Depth: To the database fields of the same name.
- Longitude and Latitude, if available: To the database fields of the same name.
- Range, Township, and Section numbers. (Survey and Block for Texas will be recorded in the Comments field.)
- Location Description: Recorded in the Legal Description field. (When using the flat file format and there is information for both Footage and Quarter Calls, then the Footage will go into the Legal Description field and the Quarter Calls into the comments.
- API Number: To the database field of the same name.
The following fields will be recorded into the Borehole Manager Location table, Comments field:
- Operator information
- Elevation Reference
- Completion Date (YYYYMM)
- Well Status
- State, County
- Field Name
- Formation at Total Depth

Access the Borehole Manager program tab.
Open the project folder (if necessary) in which the well records are to be created.
Choose the File | Import | GDS option that matches the file type you're importing.
Enter the requested menu options, described above.
Click OK to continue.
The program will create a separate borehole record for each well number, based on the overwrite options you specified. The program will import the well location data based on the mappings you established.

Stratigraphic top depths, and formation names, will be recorded to the Stratigraphy data table.

The formation names listed in the import file will be written to the database's Stratigraphy Types Table.

In the GDSII format the deleted record (DEL), thickness (THK), coal thickness (COL), repeated tops and fault records are ignored. The information in these records do not exist in the flat file format.
Post import:
1. Stratigraphy Types: You will be prompted to review the Stratigraphy Types - it's a good idea to do so. The importer will record the listed formation names into the Type Table, and will do its best to list them in proper order (if available, the higher numbers are more recent strata and should be at the top of the Type Table) but you'll need to review their order and assign desired patterns and colors. The easiest way to define stratigraphic order here is by editing the Order column (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) - this is the column upon which the Table is sorted.
  - If you are importing an GDS file into an existing RockWorks project, the import program will append new stratigraphy types onto the end of the existing Stratigraphy Type Table. It will not add obvious duplicates, but take care to review the Table before modeling to order the units properly and delete duplicates.
2. Well locations: Check that the Collar Coordinates - Easting and Northing - were computed for all of the wells during import, from either the lon/lat or PLSS coordinates as you selected above.
3. Elevations and TD: Be sure these required fields are present for all wells before you start mapping/modeling.
4. Output Dimensions: Once all of the Location data is entered for all of the wells, be sure to establish your output dimensions prior to mapping/modeling.
Once these have been entered, you can use the Stratigraphy menu tools to model and display the formation tops and bases as maps, 3D surfaces & models, profiles, sections, and fences. You can also visualize the source data on 2D and 3D logs using the Striplogs menu tools.

Creating a Borehole Location Map
Stratigraphy Types Tables
Transfer well locations to the Datasheet for easy entry of missing data (and transferring back).
Transfer stratigraphy data to the Datasheet for editing (and transferring back).
Establishing output dimensions
Update symbol based on status

Back to Import Data

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