diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 096b91c..8e1eb3d 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ export(metadataGFZ)
 export(pucAggregate)
 export(putMadratMessage)
 export(readSource)
+export(readSourceAlternative)
 export(redirectSource)
 export(regionscode)
 export(resetMadratMessages)
diff --git a/R/readSourceAlternative.R b/R/readSourceAlternative.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b88c8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/readSourceAlternative.R
@@ -0,0 +1,254 @@
+#' readSourceAlternative
+#'
+#' Read in a source file and convert it to a MAgPIE object. The function is a
+#' wrapper for specific functions designed for the different possible source
+#' types.
+#' 
+#' @param read A function to read the data. Mandatory. Function name must start with 'read'. The
+#' rest of the function name determines the 'type'.
+#' @param correct A function to correct the data. Optional. Function name must start with 'correct'
+#' and end with the type, same as for read.
+#' @param covert A function to convert the data (putting it at country level). Optional. Function 
+#' name must start with 'convert' and end with the type, same as for read.
+#' @param subtype A character string. For some sources there are subtypes of the source, for these
+#' sources the subtype can be specified with this argument. If a source does not
+#' have subtypes, subtypes should not be set.
+#' @param subset A character string. Similar to \code{subtype} a source can also have \code{subsets}.
+#' A \code{subsets} can be used to only read part of the data. This can in particular make sense
+#' for huge data sets where reading in the whole data set might be impractical or even infeasible.
+#' @export
+readSourceAlternative <- function(read, correct = NULL, convert = NULL, subtype = NULL, subset = NULL) {
+  
+  #' check passed functions follow the naming conventions
+  .checkNamingConventions <- function(read, correct, convert) {
+    if (!grepl("read", deparse(substitute(read)))) {
+      stop(read, "does not follow the naming convention: it must start with 'read'.")
+    }
+    type <- .getType()
+
+    if (!is.null(correct)) {
+      if (!grepl("correct", deparse(substitute(correct)))) {
+        stop(correct "does not follow the naming convention: it must start with 'correct'.")
+      }
+      if (sub(".*correct", "", deparse(subsitute(correct))) != type) {
+        stop(correct "does not follow the naming convention: it must match" type)
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (!is.null(convert)) {
+      if (!grepl("convert", deparse(substitute(convert)))) {
+        stop(convert "does not follow the naming convention: it must start with 'convert'.")
+      }
+      if (sub(".*convert", "", deparse(subsitute(convert))) != type) {
+        stop(convert "does not follow the naming convention: it must match" type)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  #' get string from function for caching consistency with readSource
+  .getType <- function(read) {
+    type <- sub("^.*?read", "", deparse(substitute(read)))
+    return(type)
+  }
+
+  #' get string/bool from function(s) for caching consistency with readSource
+  .getPrefix <- function(convert, correct) {
+    if (!is.null(convert)) {prefix <- "convert"}
+    else if (!is.null(correct)) {prefix <- "correct"}
+    else {prefix <- "read"}
+    return(prefix)
+  }
+
+  #' get other arguments used for caching
+  .getArgs <- function(subtype, suset) {
+    args <- NULL
+    if (!is.null(subtype)) {args <- append(args, list(subtype = subtype))}
+    if (!is.null(subset)) {args <- append(args, list(subset = subset))}
+    return(args)
+  }
+
+  #' try to get from cache and check
+  .getFromCache <- function(prefix, type, args, subtype, subset) {
+    xList <- cacheGet(prefix = prefix, type = type, args = args)
+    if (!is.null(xList)) {
+      if (!is.list(xList)) {
+        xList <- list(x = xList, class = "magpie")
+      }
+      if (prefix == "convert" && magclass::is.magpie(xList$x)) {
+        fname <- paste0(prefix, type, "_", subtype, "_", subset)
+        err <- try(.testISO(magclass::getItems(xList$x, dim = 1.1), functionname = fname), silent = TRUE)
+        if ("try-error" %in% class(err)) {
+          vcat(2, " - cache file corrupt for ", fname, show_prefix = FALSE)
+          xList <- NULL
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    return(xList)
+  }
+
+  .tryNewDownload <- function() {
+    sourcefolder <- getSourceFolder(type, subtype = NULL)
+    # if any DOWNLOAD.yml exists use these files as reference,
+    # otherwise just check whether the sourcefolder exists
+    df <- dir(sourcefolder, recursive = TRUE, pattern = "DOWNLOAD.yml")
+    if (length(df) == 0) {
+      sourceAvailable <- dir.exists(sourcefolder)
+    } else {
+      sourcefile <- file.path(sourcefolder, "DOWNLOAD.yml")
+      sourcesubfile <- file.path(sourcefolder, make.names(subtype), "DOWNLOAD.yml")
+      sourceAvailable <- isTRUE(file.exists(sourcefile)) || isTRUE(file.exists(sourcesubfile))
+    }
+
+    if (!sourceAvailable) {
+      # does a routine exist to download the source data?
+      if (type %in% getSources(type = "download")) {
+        downloadCall <- prepFunctionName(type = type, prefix = "download")
+        downloadFunctionName <- sub("\\(.*$", "", downloadCall)
+        downloadFormals <- formals(eval(parse(text = downloadFunctionName)))
+        downloadHasSubtypeArg <- "subtype" %in% names(downloadFormals)
+
+        downloadSource(type = type, subtype = if (downloadHasSubtypeArg) subtype else NULL)
+      } else {
+        typesubtype <- paste0(paste(c(paste0('type = "', type), subtype), collapse = '" subtype = "'), '"')
+        stop("Sourcefolder does not contain data for the requested source ", typesubtype,
+           " and there is no download script which could provide the missing data. Please check your settings!")
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  .clean <- function(result) {
+    if (magclass::is.magpie(result$x)) {
+      result$x <- clean_magpie(result$x)
+    }
+    return(if (supplementary) result else result$x)
+  }
+
+  #' run the actual read/correct/convert function
+  .runWithLoggingandCaching <- function(x, callable, subtype, subset) {
+    sourcefolder <- getSourceFolder(type, subtype)
+    
+    # find which arguments we have here can be used by our callable, if any
+    func_args <- names(formals(callable))
+    available_args <- c("subtype", "subset")[c(!is.null(subtype), !is.null(subset))]
+    selected_args <- intersect(func_args, available_args)
+    if (callable %in% c(correct, convert)) {
+      selected_args <- append(selected_args, "x")
+    }
+
+    # no arguments available/required
+    if (is.null(selected_args)) {
+      setWrapperActive("wrapperChecks")
+      withr::with_dir(sourcefolder, {
+        x <- withMadratLogging(callable())
+      })
+      setWrapperInactive("wrapperChecks")
+      cachePut(xList, prefix = prefix, type = type, args = args)
+      return(x)
+    }
+    # use available/required arguments
+    selected_values <- mget(selected_args)
+    setWrapperActive("wrapperChecks")
+    withr::with_dir(sourcefolder, {
+      x <- withMadratLogging(do.call(callable, selected_values))
+    })
+    setWrapperInactive("wrapperChecks")
+    cachePut(xList, prefix = prefix, type = type, args = args)
+    return(x)
+  }
+
+  .testISO <- function(x, ) {
+    isoCountry  <- read.csv2(system.file("extdata", "iso_country.csv", package = "madrat"), row.names = NULL)
+    isoCountry1 <- as.vector(isoCountry[, "x"])
+    names(isoCountry1) <- isoCountry[, "X"]
+    isocountries  <- robustSort(isoCountry1)
+    datacountries <- robustSort(x)
+    if (length(isocountries) != length(datacountries)) {
+      stop("Wrong number of countries returned by ", convert, "!")
+    }
+    if (any(isocountries != datacountries)) {
+      stop("Countries returned by ", convert, " do not agree with iso country list!")
+    }
+  }
+
+  .ensureMagpie <- function(x, callable) {
+    # ensure we are always working with a list with entries "x" and "class"
+    xList <- if (is.list(x)) x else list(x = x, class = "magpie")
+
+    # set class to "magpie" if not set
+    if (is.null(xList$class)) xList$class <- "magpie"
+
+    # assert return list has the expected entries
+    if (!all(c("class", "x") %in% names(xList))) {
+      stop('Output of "', callable,
+           '" must be a MAgPIE object or a list with the entries "x" and "class"!')
+    }
+
+    if (!inherits(xList$x, xList$class)) {
+      stop('Output of "', callable, '" should have class "', xList$class, '" but it does not.')
+    }
+
+    if !is.null(convert) {
+      if (magclass::is.magpie(xList$x)) {
+        .testISO(magclass::getItems(xList$x, dim = 1.1))
+      } else {
+        vcat(2, "Non-magpie objects are not checked for ISO country level.")
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+
+  .checkNamingConventions(read=read, correct=correct, convert=convert)
+
+  # get default subtype argument if available, otherwise NULL
+  if (is.null(subtype)) {subtype <- formals(eval(read))[["subtype"]]}
+
+  # conversions for cache search
+  type <- .getType(read=read)
+  prefix <- .getPrefix(convert=convert, correct=correct)
+  args <- .getArgs(subtype=subtype, subset=subset)
+
+  # check forcecache before checking source dir
+  forcecacheActive <- all(!is.null(getConfig("forcecache")),
+                          any(isTRUE(getConfig("forcecache")),
+                              type %in% getConfig("forcecache"),
+                              paste0(prefix, type) %in% getConfig("forcecache")))
+  if (forcecacheActive) {
+    xList <- .getFromCache(prefix, type, args, subtype, subset)
+    if (!is.null(xList)) {
+      return(if (supplementary) xList else xList$x)
+    }
+  }
+
+  .tryNewDownload()
+
+  # try for a perfect cache
+  xList <- .getFromCache(prefix, type, args, subtype, subset)
+  if (!is.null(xList)) {
+    return(.clean(xList))
+  }
+
+  # try a cache of an earlier step in the preprocessing routine and run remaining steps
+  if (!is.null(convert)) {
+    xList <- .getFromCache(type, subtype, subset, args, "correct")
+    if !is.null(xList) {
+      xList <- .runWithLoggingandCaching(xList, callable=convert, subtype=subtype, subset=subset)
+    }
+    return(.clean(xList))
+  }
+
+  # try last cache option
+  xList <- .getFromCache(type, subtype, subset, args, "read")
+  # if that didn't work, run the read function
+  if (!is.null(xList)) {
+    xList <- .runWithLoggingandCaching(xList, callable=read, subtype=subtype, subset=subset)
+  }
+  # and then run the correct and/or convert functions if desired
+  if (!is.null(correct)) {
+    xList <- .runWithLoggingandCaching(xList, callable=correct, subtype=subtype, subset=subset)
+  }
+  if (!is.null(convert)) {
+    xList <- .runWithLoggingandCaching(xList, callable=convert, subtype=subtype, subset=subset)
+  }
+
+  return(.clean(xList))
+}