.. _method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file:

""""""""""""""""""""""""
import_build_points_file
""""""""""""""""""""""""


File containing points you wish to use to build a surrogate


.. toctree::
   :hidden:
   :maxdepth: 1

   method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-custom_annotated
   method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-annotated
   method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-freeform
   method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-active_only


**Specification**

- *Alias:* import_points_file 

- *Arguments:* STRING

- *Default:* no point import from a file


**Child Keywords:**

+-------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Required/Optional       | Description of     | Dakota Keyword       | Dakota Keyword Description                  |
|                         | Group              |                      |                                             |
+=========================+====================+======================+=============================================+
| Optional (Choose One)   | Tabular Format     | `custom_annotated`__ | Selects custom-annotated tabular file       |
|                         |                    |                      | format                                      |
|                         |                    +----------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                         |                    | `annotated`__        | Selects annotated tabular file format       |
|                         |                    +----------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|                         |                    | `freeform`__         | Selects freeform file format                |
+-------------------------+--------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| Optional                                     | `active_only`__      | Import only active variables from tabular   |
|                                              |                      | data file                                   |
+----------------------------------------------+----------------------+---------------------------------------------+

.. __: method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-custom_annotated.html
__ method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-annotated.html
__ method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-freeform.html
__ method-global_reliability-import_build_points_file-active_only.html



**Description**


The ``import_build_points_file`` allows the user to specify a file that
contains a list of points and truth model responses used to construct
a surrogate model.  These can be used by all methods that (explicitly,
e.g. surrogate-based optimization, or implicitly, e.g. efficient
global optimization) operate on a surrogate.  In particular, these
points and responses are used in place of truth model evaluations to
construct the initial surrogate.  When used to construct surrogate
models or emulators these are often called build points or training
data.

*Default Behavior*

By default, methods do not import points from a file.

*Usage Tips*

Dakota parses input files without regard to whitespace, but the
import_build_points_file must be in one of three formats:

- ``annotated`` (default)
- ``custom_annotated``
- ``freeform``



**Examples**



.. code-block::

    method
      polynomial_chaos
        expansion_order = 4
        import_build_points_file = 'dakota_uq_rosenbrock_pce_import.annot.pts.dat'