Database Connectivity

[Steve_Stafford]

This is question of minimum requirements. It is my observation so far that the database linking features do not work properly unless ODBC drivers are installed on the computer, or specifically that the software used to view such a database also needs to be present. I'm wondering if anyone here has been using these features enough to comment on my assumptions.

Background:

There are two computers involved, one personal another a training computer and Navisworks Manage 2010.

My computer had MS Office Professional (includes Access) installed and then removed in favor of a lighter version without Access for now. This means the driver is on my computer but the DB software no longer is. The other computer has never had MS Office installed, so definitely no MS Access.

When I attempt to use the database link features with my computer the Setup button does not do anything. It does not display the Select Database dialog. I assume this is because I do not have Access installed though it was installed and then uninstalled. The ODBC driver is listed in the ODBC Driver drop down list box.

With the training computer the Microsoft mdb driver is not listed, I assume, because Access has never been installed. The Setup button is inactive so it can't be used at all.

I find this interesting because if I have a database file I would think that Navisworks ought to be able to connect to it even if I don't have the database management tool that might logically need to be on my computer to do anything with it. I suppose that the software is relying on external process to map and connect to this file which is the cause of the trouble. However I'm imagining sharing files with someone who wants to review the model and data within Navisworks but may not intend or need to touch the database itself.

Regardless, if what I'm writing is intended then the help documentation could be much more explicit about this requirement. Too often help files assume way too much about the reader and the equipment they are using. If Navisworks must have the drivers installed on a computer to function properly they out to say so or provide them during installation. If the DB authoring tool is a must that too needs to be stated plainly.

Comments/confirmation? Thanks!

[Steve_Stafford]

Talking to myself...I can only imagine that with no responses after 60ish views that nobody is using database linking? :smile:

[RobertB]

Talking to myself...I can only imagine that with no responses after 60ish views that nobody is using database linking? :smile:There were a couple of posters a few months ago talking about some database issues. But I'm not doing any database linking (and I was one of your 60-ish views.) :roll:

[Steve_Stafford]

Thanks, I'm not too surprised. I can easily imagine that we can use Navis for a long time and still only scratch the surface of the types of data we can interact with.

[ian.205287]

A bit late, but...

In general it should not be necessary to have any visual database management software installed, in order to connect to a database, but it is necessary to have the database connection software installed.

Each database, Oracle, MS_SQLServer, etc requires a different connection.

ODBC drivers are a collection of such items, one driver for each database type, so it is necessary to have the correct ODBC driver installed for the database you are trying to reach.

MS Access is in some ways a special case. It is a desktop database, not a "real" (server) database and is not usually handled by ODBC. The Access drivers are normally installed as part of the MDAC (Microsift Data Access Components) set. This may not have been installed in a basic Windows set up, but should be available as a download from msdn. So Access itself should not be required but MDAC is.

regards
ian

[steve.wallisa]

I'm not sure in the instance that you are asking and would agree to what Ian is saying but in linking the primavera database the program has to be resident on the same computer even in theory you could establish the database and remove the program and the database is still residing.

Probably has something to do with security of the database. I would imagine other applications are similiar?

[ahannell.163374]

As I understand it- Windows come with a limited number of ODBC drivers- this includes SQL, Access, Excel and some older ones such as FoxPro (hardly used these days) regardless whether you have these applications installed.

Other applications have their own ODBC drivers, which will not be on a PC without these applications.

You can always set up the ODBC connection first (via Administrative Tools>Data Sources) then refer to the saved data source in Navisworks or other applications, rather than creating the data source from the application.

Incidentally, since connecting an external database to Navisworks can dramatically slow it down- every time you do a search set or query object properties, Navisworks has to sort through the external data. The solution to this is to publish using the 'embed data' option. It basically glues it all together & much quicker to work with.

Yes- the Navisworks documentation is virtually useless- this section assumes you know how databases work & how to write queries.

Andrew

[Teresa.Martin]

Hi Steve.
You are correct. The documentation is limited and assumes SQL experience. On top of that, the DB linking does not work in 64bit Navisworks 2010 because Microsoft has not seen fit to write 64 bit ODBC drivers for Excel and Access. Supposedly when they release Microsoft Office 14 (2010) at the end of the year they will have 64bit native drivers.

Until then, you cannot get the database linking to work in Navisworks 64 bit. There are some SQL drivers available, but again most of us are construction types or architects whom are not SQL programmers so it makes the feature rather unaccessable except to the brave few whom want to wade into those waters.

Best regards,

[sobdeijn]

I even had the problem with a computer that has ms access installed but i couldn't export it to access so what happend there i don't know.

[amixam]

I even had the problem with a computer that has ms access installed but i couldn't export it to access so what happend there i don't know.

The DataLink Tools feature typically links data into your Navisworks model only. If you're tryting to export data to an external database (Access, SQL, etc), there are a few third party plugins that allow you to export to XML or Excel from Search Sets.

Cheers

[mark.goeman]

I realize this repsonse is very late but database connectivity is determined based on the ODBC Driver and the SQL String. Where I am we're using SQL Server and AutoPLANT, so I use the SQL Server ODBC driver.

The connect statement must be defined in the first field:
DRIVER=SQL Server;SERVER=HOUDBS08;UID=YourUserID;PWD=YourPW;APP=Navisworks;WSID=HOUXP7138;DATABASE=AP_XM_HUMI6221

Then the SQL String to query the database by:
SELECT * FROM PIPING WHERE COMP_ID=%intprop("LcOpDwgComponentAttrib","LcOaSceneBaseUserName");


Hope this helps...