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The two databases Plant reads and writes two are SQLite and SQL Server. You can install a free version of SQL Server (SQL Server Express) if you need to.
With MS Access, you can link tables to SQL Server to view/edit information.
The other half that needs to be considered is UI. Most people can't just edit the data in Access as they won't know what they are doing. Plant 3D created the data manager, Excel import/export and the report creator to allow access to the information without comprosing stability.
Is there something specifically you are trying to do?
MS Access has much lower support requirements but it has similarly limited abilities (simultaneous operations, multipe user access, etc.), making it unsuitable for acting as a back-end to large-scale piping design software.
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If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.
If you are going to fly by the seat of your pants, expect friction burns.
"I don't know" is the beginning of knowledge, not the end.
We originally supported MS Access with AutoCAD P&ID. However some years back when we started supporting 64bit there were some technical reasons why Access was a poor choice. We switched to SQLite for zero-configuration databases and to SQL Server/SQL Server Express for those who wanted more and had the IT resources to accomplish it. Both SQLite and SQL Server can be accessed by MS Access using ODBC drivers.
For SQLite, I usually use the one found here: http://www.ch-werner.de/sqliteodbc/
We strongly discourage using any of these database tools to change data in the project. Using the functionality in the application or using the programming API is the way to go.
Reading the data in the project with database tools is not a problem.
Peter Quinn
Senior Product Manager
Autodesk, Inc.
Being familiar with the way CADWorx handles information, I much prefer the options given in Plant 3D. Everything is in a database and can be dumped to Excel.
I love the report creator vs Access. To me it's much easier. You lose some flexibility by not being able to addin code, but I think the report creator addresses more needs than CADWorx does. With CADWorx the user has to learn Access. I love that you can create a predefined look for your reports and have it applied everytime. We had considered creating a similar feature for CADWorx, but I never got to it.
I think a lot of people coming from CADWorx will not understand the data structure. In CADWorx, you have a limited number of tables and the database is treated like it is an Excel file.
While it's a valid way to design, you lose the flexibility from a hierarchical data structure. In CADWorx P&ID you have some many time that share fields and you have to create those fields for every different type of item. AutoCAD P&ID create a top level item (Engineering Item) and lets you create properties that are shared among the rest of the items.
![Autodesk Design & Make Report](https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/1350519iCB55845EBFC43016/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999" "Autodesk Design & Make Report")
