# Using Dynamic Data Source As Text
**URL:** https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887
**Category:** Get Help
**Created:** [August 17, 2016, 8:00am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887 "2016-08-17T08:00:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gulsanece](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/gulsanece)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 8:00am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/1 "2016-08-17T08:00:44Z")
Hello all
I would like to add a text input to my layout, and I want the text to take its index from an Excel File automatically.
For example, I will create an Excel file having birthday dates for each employee in the company. I want my layout to take the name of the employee for the particular date and represent as a text.
I appreciate your help
Thanks
Ece
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### Author:  [@Peter](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/Peter)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 8:23am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/2 "2016-08-17T08:23:30Z")
I think it might be easier to create a dataset in Xibo for that purpose.
So pretty much like this topic - [Using DataSets to display Birthday](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-datasets-to-display-birthday/3302/2)
With one edit, we do now have ‘A message to display when no data is returned from the source’ on advanced tab of a ticker so it is better now.
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### Author:  [@gulsanece](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/gulsanece)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 10:45am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/3 "2016-08-17T10:45:33Z")
Looks great! Thanks, it really helps.
Quick question. For example, should I type anything inside the parantheses next to NOW () ??
And where can I find all formats we use for DataSet?
Thanks
Ece
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### Author:  [@Peter](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/Peter)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/4 "2016-08-17T10:56:20Z")
> [@gulsanece](#):
>
> should I type anything inside the parantheses next to NOW () ?
No, `NOW()` is a mysql function that will return current day and time - [http://www.w3schools.com/sql/func\_now.asp](http://www.w3schools.com/sql/func_now.asp)
You should probably be looking at my second post in that topic ie [Using DataSets to display Birthday - #4 by Peter](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-datasets-to-display-birthday/3302/4)
It will make more sense to do that this way.
ie in dataset you’d have columns like: (for example)
Birthday - with date (only year-month-day will suffice)
Name - you’d put your employee name there
In ticker appearance tab you put the Name
and in filter `DAY(Birthday) = DAY(CURDATE()) AND MONTH(Birthday) = MONTH(CURDATE())`
On advanced tab under ‘A message to display when no data is returned from the source’ you’d put some text saying that today there are no birthdays
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### Author:  [@gulsanece](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/gulsanece)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 11:22am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/5 "2016-08-17T11:22:53Z")
Ok I did it that way. Now what should I write to the Appearance Tab? I want to see the name of the employee, and the names are shown under the column named “Name”. It has the order 3. So should I type [Name|3]?
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### Author:  [@Peter](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/Peter)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 11:29am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/6 "2016-08-17T11:29:47Z")
Probably, there should be ‘Substitutions’ and you can double click on ‘Name’ to add it to the text field
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### Author:  [@gulsanece](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/gulsanece)
#### Post date: [August 17, 2016, 11:31am UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/7 "2016-08-17T11:31:38Z")
It works Peter! Thanks a lot!
Is there a source that I can see all mysql functions?
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.xibo.org.uk/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://community.xibo.org.uk/t/using-dynamic-data-source-as-text/6887/8 "2020-03-04T17:05:47Z")