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?
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.
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.