More on the Autodesk Revit DB Link 2011

[MikeJarosz]

I downloaded the program from Autodesk subscription. I have a 64 bit Windows 7 desktop. It failed to install despite claiming the install was successful. The addin didn't appear in the external tools tab, so I opened Revit.ini and there was no header for external tools. Curiously, the DB Link program was physically installed in the C:\Program Files (x86) directory by default. Incidentally, the documentation claims it won't work in 64 bit Excel and Access because Microsoft hasn't released 64 bit drivers. That means in 64 bits, it will only work with SQL. I plan to try a 32 bit machine and see what happens.

It leads me to wonder in what folder should 64 bit Revit be installed? C:\Program Files (x86) has my 32 bit applications, and C:\Program Files has the 64 bit apps. Should there be a C:\Program Files (x64) folder?

That might be why the installer got "lost"?

There is an amusing video demo on Youtube. It keeps showing "program not responding" errors. Is this another case of the factory training staff in the API by assigning them a utility to practice on?
:):):)

[Dave Jones]

I downloaded the program from Autodesk subscription. I have a 64 bit Windows 7 desktop. It failed to install despite claiming the install was successful. The addin didn't appear in the external tools tab, so I opened Revit.ini and there was no header for external tools. Curiously, the DB Link program was physically installed in the C:\Program Files (x86) directory by default. Incidentally, the documentation claims it won't work in 64 bit Excel and Access because Microsoft hasn't released 64 bit drivers. That means in 64 bits, it will only work with SQL. I plan to try a 32 bit machine and see what happens.

It leads me to wonder in what folder should 64 bit Revit be installed? C:\Program Files (x86) has my 32 bit applications, and C:\Program Files has the 64 bit apps. Should there be a C:\Program Files (x64) folder?

That might be why the installer got "lost"?

There is an amusing video demo on Youtube. It keeps showing "program not responding" errors. Is this another case of the factory training staff in the API by assigning them a utility to practice on?
:):):)

my DBLink installed fine albeit also in the C:/Program Files (x86)/Autodesk folder and it shows up in Revit Add-Ins. But even with MS Office 2010 I haven't been able to get it to work. I'm not supposed to need SQL with Office 2010 but if there are no 64 bit drivers maybe that is incorrect. I've not had a bunch of time to play with it but my first encounter was 2 hours of frustration

[Scott Womack]

You may need to install 32 bit Access drivers as well. The face that the DB Link installed in the x86 directory, indicates that it is a 32 bit app. You may need both a 32 bit driver and a 64 bit driver for it to work.

[Dave Jones]

You may need to install 32 bit Access drivers as well. The face that the DB Link installed in the x86 directory, indicates that it is a 32 bit app. You may need both a 32 bit driver and a 64 bit driver for it to work.

I didn't uninstall MS Office 2007 which would give me the 32bit drivers already (or still)

[MikeJarosz]

What I didn't mention is this utility was recommended to me by a super user who has DB Link up and running. He's on the road right now, so he's been hard to reach.

My firm has a space programmer who has all his techniques and tools developed in Excel, and has never learned Access. I have been hired as BIM manager to manage the transition to Revit, and this will be one of the first challenges: interfacing Revit with a dedicated Excel space analyst. Most of our projects are government bldgs with full tenant fitouts. The GSA requires a ton of design analysis.

I've dabbled with the API, but I'm not ready to author a full blown Revit application just yet!

[m20roxxers]

Depends on what your wanting to do.

DB Link is limited in what is exported especially compared to a full ODBC. You can write API's with filters to limit the export and the same again for an import.

The rule here is untill microsoft build odbc 64bit drivers it's not going to happen that work. Revit 64bit funs on 64 and regardless of the nature of the addon the API still interfaces with a 64bit program. Basically you need to run SQL express works fine and is free, there were some initial issues I had as I have a Vault install which is also built of SQL. But create a database then create a ODBC exchange and it should load to the database fine. However importing that information will require API skills, however there is enough around the net to make this relatively easy if you are only adding/modifying information and not making changes to the models,drawings.

SQL is far better for managing data anyway and the best part is once there you can apply it to any office, or other application through the ODBC and SQL filters and queries to extract exactly the information you need.

The real issue you have to watch out for is when loading it back in. Not all fields in Revit are write-able (most aren't). Therefore you will need project/shared parameters and that sort of thing, and be especially careful if you are trying to override or change elements of the Revit model via these tools you are adding a whole extra level of complexity.

[arqt49]

You may need to install 32 bit Access drivers as well. The face that the DB Link installed in the x86 directory, indicates that it is a 32 bit app. You may need both a 32 bit driver and a 64 bit driver for it to work.

Unless you already have MS Office 2010, the 2007 version (32bits) needs a new 64bit driver for ODBC.
Microsoft provides one at here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C06B8369-60DD-4B64-A44B-84B371EDE16D&displaylang=en).


SQL is far better for managing data anyway and the best part is once there you can apply it to any office, or other application through the ODBC and SQL filters and queries to extract exactly the information you need.


While excel has some database tools and formulas, it's not the same as Access. It's almost like a CAD-BIM comparison.
Access provides a true relational database that revit lacks, and you can achieve lot's of more things:

Merge all the revit tables with a union query for a single data list extraction. If you seen the quantity of tables Revit creates, you understand how great that can be.
Do relationship analysis between multiple tables: openings and rooms (area included!), for example.
Link the revit model to additional external data. Input owner specified target areas for rooms, for example.
The Design View mode for creating and managing queries makes all the process very intuitive
.


DB Link is limited in what is exported especially compared to a full ODBC. You can write API's with filters to limit the export and the same again for an import.

DB Link has some advantages over simple ODBC export:

Provides additional data, like openings swing direction.
Performs bi-directional updates.
Naming of some field is "t's name, instead of a unique identifier code.


The disavantage is that it is very slow.

[darrenplewis]

I have Win7 64, Revit 2011, Office 2007. I've installed the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable. I still can't figure out how to connect the dots to get this to work. I have found all the blog posts:

http://revitclinic.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/06/revit-2011-and-db-link-for-64-bit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Ftherevitclinic+%28The+Revit+Clinic%29

http://thebimleader.blogspot.com/2010/06/update-on-db-link-using-64bit-odbc.html

http://revit4you.blogspot.com/2009/12/outils-q3-rdblink.html

but none of them cover the workflow using the setup above, although the revitclinic blog talks about it. Anyone have anything they are willing to share?

Thanks a ton!
Darren

[cliff collins]

Mike,

You might take a look at Trelligence Affinity for Revit.
It's a good workflow for Programming/Space Planning with Revit.

cheers

[darrenplewis]

Affinity costs money...unless you can make donations.

Has anyone been able to get the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable to work with win 7 x64 and Revit 2011? If so, did you document your process?

[dhurtubise]

Affinity costs money...unless you can make donations.

Has anyone been able to get the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable to work with win 7 x64 and Revit 2011? If so, did you document your process?

It works but unfortunately i didnt document it. What specific do you need?

[Clyne Curtis]

I am using Revit DBLink with Office 2010 and trying to export to an Access database. Everything seems to work fine until the last step and then I get the error attached below. When I went through the process of creating the DSN file everything worked until this error. I am using Revit 2011 x64.

Thanks!

Clyne

[MikeJarosz]

Mike,

You might take a look at Trelligence Affinity for Revit.
It's a good workflow for Programming/Space Planning with Revit.

cheers

I looked at Trelligence when it was in it's infancy about 4 years ago. Although we were working directly with Larry Ciscon at the time, I found I was able to do everything I needed directly in Revit, without Trelligence, and faster too!

Trelligence may well have improved vastly since that time. However, my approach to software in general has always been to learn one major application well, and not accumulate packages that I never quite master. It's like languages. Should I speak one language well, or four languages badly? So, add Excel and Access to Revit and I have everything I need. And I can use the office applications on lots of other tasks, like keeping track of my baseball cards! [just kidding!]

On second thought, could Trelligence do baseball card collections?

[nweeks]

Don't know whether this will help anyone or not, but here is the step by step process that worked for me when exporting to excel (on Windows 7, 64 bit using Office 2010)

The steps for exporting are as follows:

1. Create a blank Excel file (save as version 97-2003).
2. Open the Revit project
3. Under the Add-Ins Tab>External Tools select Revit DB Link
4. Click the ODBC tab and select "Select a new connection"
5. Click Export
6. Click Browse and choose destination and name for dsn
7. Click Next
8. Click Finish
9. Choose Version (Excel 97-2000)
10. Click OK
11. Select Workbook dialog should appear. Navigate to file created in step 1 and click OK.
12. This should take you back to the Select Data Source dialog. Make sure the dsn just created is selected and click OK.
13. The ODBC Microsoft Excel Setup should appear again. Click OK.
14. Export should begin.

[Joseph TVM]

Hi

I have just been into DB link. Right now I use it to make out data changes in the model by editing and importing the database, mainly datas based on rooms. This is just a query, i tried changing the sill height etc of windows on the database and I updated the revit model based on this. My question is can I edit room areas or wall lengths which are ofcourse read only factors in the DB editor, but is there some way I can do that?


Thanks
Bejoy

[jsteinhauer]

Short answer is no. These are things that Revit calculates for you. Long answer is, no because how is Revit supposed to know which direction to stretch a wall? This might be slightly more possible with an API application, but not through Revit DB Link. What you can do is add a number parameter to your rooms for programmed area, then compare that to the actual area from the room.

Cheers,
Jeff S.