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TSTool Documentation <br />Quick Start - 2 <br /> <br /> <br />TSTool provides a graphical user interface that allows users to seek, isolate, and interact with data. <br />However, at its core, TSTool is intended to be a workflow automation tool, meaning that it encourages <br />users to define repeatable sequences of commands to accomplish certain tasks. The focus on automation <br />generally means that a user will spend more time up-front thinking through and defining data processing <br />logic, but once defined, the process can be run repeatedly, scaled to process more data, and enhanced as <br />refinements to the process are needed. TSTool implements a sequential command workflow that keeps <br />data and logic separate, in contrast to spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel that tend to merge data and <br />processing. <br /> <br />TSTool commands are available to read, manipulate, visualize, and output time series in various formats. <br />Manipulation includes basic actions such as adding, subtracting, and multiplying time series; filling <br />missing data values; calculating statistics from time series; converting time series into different formats; <br />and many other capabilities. <br /> <br />TSTool is able to read data from common databases, file formats, and web services; additional formats <br />will be supported as the software is enhanced. Web services allow software to access data in standard <br />formats using the internet. Data from web services are used in examples in this document so that the <br />basic software can be used without installing databases or other data files on one’s own computer. <br /> <br />Basic data browsing and visualization using TSTool is simple. Creating command files for simple tasks <br />also is straightforward. Building on simple command files to create more complex analyses requires <br />more time to become adept with TSTool features. However, this initial effort can yield large efficiency <br />gains for future data analysis. <br /> <br />Download TSTool <br /> <br />TSTool is available on the CDSS website (http://cdss.state.co.us/software/Pages/TSTool.aspx). This <br />version is “frozen” at the version that is used by the State for its projects. HydroBase is available on <br />DVD from the State of Colorado. Please contact the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) with <br />regard to DVD purchases (http://cwcb.state.co.us). <br /> <br />Additionally, an archive of TSTool versions including new releases is available on a website maintained <br />by the OWF (https://sites.google.com/site/cdssstaging/tstool/download). Older versions may be needed to <br />match an earlier analysis and newer versions provide access to new features that may not yet be needed <br />for State CDSS projects. Newer TSTool versions generally are backward compatible with old versions <br />and the command syntax facilitates adding new features. <br /> <br />See the release notes for each version to determine which features might be useful. <br />