AutoCAD Electrical database engine

[hockey101946]

Does anyone know what database engine AutoCAD Electrical uses to store projects in? How would I get the database structure to utilize the power of custom API's?

[dougmcalexander]

AutoCAD Electrical is not database-driven, but drawing-driven. All drawing data is stored in the DWG file for each drawing, not in an external database that must be polled each time you open a project. The project "scratch" database is used to expedite functions while designing, editing, and generating reports. This database is comparable to RAM in a computer. It is created automatically when a project is created. It can be deleted at any time. If you re-open a project for editing or revisions AcadE will create a fresh "scratch" database for the project. The database is named for the project name. It is stored in the User folder and is in Microsoft Access format. You can view its contents with MS Access 2000 or later. To see an example, look in the User folder for a database named WDDEMO.mdb or IECDEMO.mdb. These are the scratch databases for the demo programs that install with the software.

Note: If you have a project open for editing, you cannot delete the database. There will be a lock file present. Exit AutoCAD Electrical to release the lock.

[hockey101946]

So how can I utilize API capabilities? With API am I only able to create custom programs or functionality to use within the software and not have direct access to project or drawing data?

[dougmcalexander]

You can edit the Project scratch database directly. There is an icon on the Schematic Reports fly-out that allows you to update a drawing or project from the scratch database. But you need to be sure that you update the drawings immediately after editing the scratch database. If you edit the database and then go into a drawing and perform edits, the edits could over-write any changes you made by tapping into the database.

[WaynePGarner]

Can the Auto CAD Electrical 2014 have an option to use other databases besides Access .mdb's. I.E. SQL or Oracle... The current configuration has been loaded on a server and is slow for utilization and the entire database gets pulled across the WAN, thus cloging the bandwith.

Any suggestions on the product config?

Many thanks, wayne

[danielvanveen]

Hey WaynePGarner,

I presume you are talking about the Catalogue database.

At our company we had the same problem.
The solution we came up with is to keep all catalogue databases at a server location and copy the catalogue via a batch file which is loaded at startup of the users workstation into the location specified in the support paths of the project, drawing or wd.env file.

One of the backsides of this method is that a user is no longer able to just make entries or adjustments to the catalogue.
If they don't copy the catalogue to the server after altering it. All data will be lost after rebooting their station.

In order to verify the data and to maintain the entire catalogue databases. We use an application manager to make changes on request directly into he database on the server location.
If the changes are made all drafters will be notified changes has been made and if they need to use these changes they need to run the batch file manually or reboot their system.


Hopefully this helps.

[PValdiviezo]

Hi Daniel,

thanks for the issue.

Now could you tell us more about the batchfile.

how can we create.

We are new on autocad electrical, basically for now we used as normal autocad.

The database is on the server and it's take around 4 minutes to insert a symbol from the catalogue.

Regards

Pedro