@FJankovsky wrote
<<....I am using ODBC to connect to individual files, no Joins. Some connections for a particular project may be Excel, for other projects the connection may be to an Access DB....>>
Unfortunately that workflow won't work for you. In fact it won't work for anyone that's wants to export to shapefile. An ODBC connection doesn't 'export' anything. It won't take an AutoCAD object such as a point, line, or polygon and 'create' a feature class in shapefile format (point feat. class, line feat. class, or polygon feat. class).
An ODBC will connect or JOIN data in Excel (or Access) with an existing shapefile feature class.
For example you have a county-wide parcel shapefile accurately inserted in your drawing. This parcel feature class is geospatially represented by polygons and it has data in the shapefile's dbf (database file). The dbf has owner last name, owner first name, Parcel ID#, parcel address, square footage, property taxes, and school district. You are running for a seat on your neighborhood School Board and want to personally call each voting homeowner to promote your educational views and ask for their vote.
The shapefile database does not have phone numbers. Using your fine research skills you compose an Excel list of phone numbers with names. You can now use an ODBC to 'connect' or JOIN your Excel list with with the shapefile. Why do you want to do this? Because by joining your Excel with the shapefile's database you'll have phone numbers related to homeowners who, based on your map, live in your school district.
What are the benefits of using a JOIN? By using a join you can phone homeowners who reside in your school district. If you're ambitious, you can also hang a Flyer (brochure) on the front door knobs of those who couldn't (or didn't) answer your call. Without the JOIN you might end up calling homeowners who don't live in your district. And that wastes time and time is money.
The JOIN also insures you make contact with all homeowners in your voting district which optimizes your chances of making contact and getting their vote.
If a new subdivision is built in your district, you can't use an ODBC to add-on to your parcel map. You can, however, add names and phone numbers to your Excel list.
An appropriate workflow in Map3D is to draw plain vanilla parcels onto your existing map. You may then ADD those newly drawn AutoCAD polygons to the shapefile. Once they'er successfully added it will increase the overall coverage of the parcel map. You can't use an ODBC to create a brand new shapefile or add new parcels onto an existing shapefile. An ODBC requires a KEY. You can manually add a KEY to the new subdivision parcels.
Why does it work? A JOIN works because you have 'common data' that serves as a key linking both the dbf and the Excel list. For example, street address in the dbf is related to the same street address in Excel. The street address serves as a KEY. Without a key the join doesn't exist. And if it doesn't exist your ODBC won't work. Adding the Excel data to a shapefile is why you use an ODBC to begin with--you want to JOIN the Excel with the shapefile's database.
Depending on your data and what you want you want to accomplish, there might be alternative ways to achieve your goal without using an ODBC. Explain the data you already have, explain your Excel (if you have one), and what you're trying to achieve. Better yet share your data.
Chicagolooper
