CSV

[MelissaTraverso]

Hi, I am importing a CSV into ArcMap. Everything has worked except for 3 columns I need to map. Some of the cells within these columns are blank and some are numeric. In Arcmap they show as <null> or their given numeric value. The column properties are string. I need to represent them under quantities. Is there a way of getting the CSV to recognize these columns as numeric and save as the same document and reopen the ArcMap with the updated table and not have to import two different excel documents?

[IanMurray · Accepted solution]

I believe that CSVs don't support cell formatting i.e. all cells are general and not cannot be made numeric(unless you saved as xlsx or xls).  An easy solution would be to make a new numeric type field in your layer and then make it equal to the value of your existing field.  That way it would be recognized by the quantities symbology

[MelissaTraverso]

If you display xy data from the CSV and create an events layer can you ADD FIELD to this? Or does it need to be a specific type of layer to ADD FIELD? I don't see the ADD FIELD option when I open the attribute table of the events layer.

[IanMurray]

Since it is an event layer, and not a feature class or shapefile, it is not editable.  You can make it a shapefile right-clicking on the event layer in the TOC, selecting data > export data. You can then edit that new layer that is based on the shapefile.

In the future, if you are planning to create data like this for use. I would recommend importing the data a different way, navigating to the sheet in the Catalog, right clicking on the sheet and select > Create Feature Class > From XY Table.