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Data Link Issues

4 REPLIES 4
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Message 1 of 5
a.zwegers
935 Views, 4 Replies

Data Link Issues

When a DWG has datalinks (like a link from a table to a Excel page) the entire linked file (with a (randomly named)folder) will be checked in upon checking in the DWG. The DWG datalink will keep pointing towards the original file (which may for example will be stored locally or on a server). It is near possible to avoid, as the datalinked file will be displayed in the Check In window, check-boxed, but it will be greyed out and you will not be able to uncheck it.

This basically means the data link is broken, your Vault gets all kinds of messy folder structures and, more importantly, when i check out the DWG and try to check it back in: Vault will find that the datalinked file is already Vaulted and refuse to check in the DWG!

This is basically because the "datalinked", vaulted, file will not be checked out together with the DWG because it is not actually datalinked to the DWG (the local version is) and when the local file is tried to get checked in (because it is datalinked) with the DWG - it will not overwrite the "already vaulted" file... blocking the entire procedure.

So you destroy the datalink in the DWG and check it in like that (rather a drawing not as you would like it then no drawing at all)... but you will still not be able to remove the vaulted datalink file, or its folder, because it is still referenced in older versions of the DWG.

How to still use datalinks with Vault? How to avoid having all kinds of near randomly named folders with non-DWG files in your Vault? How to delete versions of DWGs, w/o deleting the last version, so you can get rid of the links? And why does Vault do this in the first place... if the actually datalinked file is not Vaulted anyways?

Please help, our carefully maintained Vault now has messy folders all over it that just need to go... AND we would like to continue using datalinks, because it makes sure our bills of materials do not get outdated etc. - avoiding confusion on the part of transporters/customers/builders/...
4 REPLIES 4
Message 2 of 5
Anonymous
in reply to: a.zwegers

Hi Ender mBind,

I understand your pain in arranging and maintaining the datalink file
relationship to its DWG files.

Though, we do not officially support DataLink file in Vault/Productstream
2009 (part of Vault/PS 2009 readme), you may resort to these practice while
checking-in DWG file with its datalink file:

1. Try to keep datalink file the same folder as its dwg file
2. Try to use 'relative path' while linking datalink file to its dwg file
3. Try to check-in both dwg file and its datalink file, from insides vault
working folders.

Meanwhile, we would raise this request to Product Designer team.
Again, thanks.

Rgds,
Chear Huat.

"Ender mBind" wrote in message news:5983814@discussion.autodesk.com...
> When a DWG has datalinks (like a link from a table to a Excel page) the
> entire linked file (with a (randomly named)folder) will be checked in upon
> checking in the DWG. The DWG datalink will keep pointing towards the
> original file (which may for example will be stored locally or on a
> server). It is near possible to avoid, as the datalinked file will be
> displayed in the Check In window, check-boxed, but it will be greyed out
> and you will not be able to uncheck it.
>
> This basically means the data link is broken, your Vault gets all kinds of
> messy folder structures and, more importantly, when i check out the DWG
> and try to check it back in: Vault will find that the datalinked file is
> already Vaulted and refuse to check in the DWG!
>
> This is basically because the "datalinked", vaulted, file will not be
> checked out together with the DWG because it is not actually datalinked to
> the DWG (the local version is) and when the local file is tried to get
> checked in (because it is datalinked) with the DWG - it will not overwrite
> the "already vaulted" file... blocking the entire procedure.
>
> So you destroy the datalink in the DWG and check it in like that (rather a
> drawing not as you would like it then no drawing at all)... but you will
> still not be able to remove the vaulted datalink file, or its folder,
> because it is still referenced in older versions of the DWG.
>
> How to still use datalinks with Vault? How to avoid having all kinds of
> near randomly named folders with non-DWG files in your Vault? How to
> delete versions of DWGs, w/o deleting the last version, so you can get rid
> of the links? And why does Vault do this in the first place... if the
> actually datalinked file is not Vaulted anyways?
>
> Please help, our carefully maintained Vault now has messy folders all over
> it that just need to go... AND we would like to continue using datalinks,
> because it makes sure our bills of materials do not get outdated etc. -
> avoiding confusion on the part of transporters/customers/builders/...
Message 3 of 5
SeanMacOz
in reply to: Anonymous

Have data links been resolved with the Vault yet?

 

We have a common networked folder which we would like to store our BOMs in excel format for our production department.

 

eg: D:\BOMs

 

Our working folder is a network share on the same drive, eg: D:\workingfolder

 

If I link to an excel file in the d:\bom folder and then check the drawing into the vault, it creates ANOTHER copy of the file in the vault in a subdirectoy of the drawing. There is another BOM saved in the following location: d:\workingfolder\BOM

 

So now every time we go to check in a drawing vault throws an error stating there is already a version of the excel file in the vault because it made a second copy.

 

Upon looking at the actual files on the server, when I update the CAD table it updates the d:\bom file, so why is this new file being created? I use fullpath so there is no reason for it to try and create this second file.

 

How do we use datalinks with the vault?

Message 4 of 5
Neil_Cross
in reply to: SeanMacOz

It needs to put the data linked file into a subfolder of the parent to respect enforced workspace settings.  Although your excel file is in a fairly simple folder, it's still not in the workspace, so it could in theory potentially be in a folder such as "V:\Users\Bob\My Files\Test\Training\Office\Excel\Sample\AutoCAD\Data_Links".  How would Vault work with that and reference this folder? I think there's a solution but it requires an undesirable setting change.

 

I'm definitely no expert with data link so you'd need to test this to make sure there's no side effects.  This is difficult to explain so let me know if it falls apart:

 

1) In Vault Client, tools > administration > Vault Settings > Working Folder Define.  Select Allow clients to define working folder.  (I would always avoid allowing this setting to be used but there is no other way to do what you want I don't think). 

 

2) Check in a DWG with a data link.

 

3) In Vault Client, browse to the \BOM subfolder and move it to a more accessible area in Vault, parent level of Vault or anywhere, the idea being you now have just ONE folder in Vault where all data link files will reside.

 

4) In Vault Client, right click on that \BOM folder you just moved and select 'Details...' then 'Change...' and browse to the to folder D:\BOM in your case.

 

What will happen now is every DWG checked in which references a file in D:\BOM, it'll redirect that child reference to the folder in Vault you set in step 4 above.  It seems to work pretty well but you'd need to test your setup as there's bound to be unique circusmtances in your Vault which could complicate it.

 

Sorry if the steps above are a bit vague, if it doesn't work I can try to a screen video and upload it here showing what I did.

Message 5 of 5
SeanMacOz
in reply to: Neil_Cross

Hi Neil,

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply, it is appreciated.

 

Okay I thought the "full path" option would allow us to work in any directory on any drive, this is somewhat misleading and appears to be the source of the problem.

 

I cannot allow the setting of "Allow clients to define working folder" to be enabled as this is not a safe way to operate. In the off chance that someone accidently changes this setting on my team I do not want to have to rectify the resultant issues, or have to give them marching orders to boot!

 

The second issue is keeping the BOMs outside of our working folder so that our production department can access them. I've restricted all access to the working folder because we've had issues with people in the past going to the vault instead of our released folder and grabbing half modified drawings. This is a very expensive mistake for them to make, so access is now denied.

 

The only solution I found was to create the BOM folder in the vault structure at one level above the actual CAD 'working folder'. I then checked the excel table into vault, then opened it out so it creates a copy in the BOM folder. Then we can datalink the BOM to the drawing and retain the directory structure.

 

The only issue with this is vault does not check out/in the xlsx files, and they just remain in the BOM working folder. This is a read only folder except for the designers, and we run nightly backups should anything ever go wrong with the xlsx files.

 

It's not the best solution by any measure, but it is by far the safest when I compare the possible failures with everything else.

 

I am finding this to be common with the vault and AcadE, in that you need to find work a around for processes which should already be implemented. Project Manager is another example, and that all drawings need to be in the same project for them to integrate with each other. That's fine, unless you have over 300 drawings per project and standards dictate we need unique drawing numbers for each type of drawing!

 

Thanks again for your help Neil.

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