How to add external data source into Report Creator

[JohnCbr]

Is is possible to add an external database connection (excel or other) to report creator layout?

Here is what I want to achieve: Connect an external excel file to be used as the source for the long purchase description of my pipe materials and be able to add a field "purchase description" into my report template. 
The result would be a visualization of the project materials where one of the columns ("purchase description") would load the values from an external source instead of the project files.

Where I am: I inserted the excel file into my template using the "Add Data Source" icon on the ribbon. I can see my excel columns on the field list; however, I did not find any option to "link" the data from excel to the native fields. I am stuck in here.

Is it feasible what I want to achieve?
Any better way or workaround to have the same results?

AutoCAD Plant 3D 2021
Windows 10

[JohnCbr]

@h_eger  @jabowabo  

Have any of you worked in something similar before?

Thanks!

[jabowabo]

Sorry, I have not. I'm still working with 2018 which does not have this section in Report Creator.

[milic.srdjan]

@JohnCbr 
Idea is great, and I think that is feasible.
but question is.
How we will achieve that "purchase description" will goes always on same value by horizontal direction
                      

Part description	Spec	Material	..etc	Purchase Description
Valve1	Spec1	mat1		PD1
Valve2	Spec1	mat1		PD1
Valve3	Spec2	mat1		PD2

When I insert new valve in model, that valve1, become second, valve2 become third, and so on...
but purchase description stay same in excel.
I think that we need to think in two direction...
* Populate data 'purchase description" in Data Manager of P3D, then use Report Creator
** or make some constant and some expression in Report Creator, with table values, then with some equation 
make that every 
valve1 take "PD1"
valve2 take "PD2"
...and so on...

BR
Srdjan

[milic.srdjan]

@jabowabo 
I think that you have this also in p3d 2018, I have that in p3D2019
that option is standard part of report Creator, because report creator is not developed by Autodesk 🙂

but, when you link it to external source, like Excel, then is Report Creator linked to P3D project .dcf 🙂

BR, 

Srdjan

[JonathaT]

I was planning to find a method to link the "purchase description" column to the "Item Code" on both Plant 3D and excel.

I mean, I have two columns on my excel : Item Code and Purchase Description.
Hopefully, there a way to use a type of "look up" formula and this way create a relationship between the external and native data.

Again, why am I doing this? Because our purchase descriptions exceeds in most of the cases the character limit of spec editor or data manager.

[JonathaT]

Cross-reference was the concept I was looking for.
In power bi for instance, you can link two sources with a common data and create a relationship around this key common data.

[JonathaT]

Do you know if we can create a cross=reference relationship in here?

I spent some time on it, and also reading on DevExpress manuals (since Autodesk has almost nothing for Report creator), but I could not find a solution.

[milic.srdjan]

Hi John,
Take a look on this video, can explain a lot...
https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-plant-3d/learn-explore/caas/screencast/Main/Details/1...

more information, 
https://www.autodesk.com/autodesk-university/class/Drive-AutoCAD-Plant-3D-and-AutoCAD-PID-Data-Using...

I think that idea is to connect ProjectDB to external source,
Report creator is only a reader of ProjectDB

BR

Srdjan

[JonathaT]

Hi srdjan,

Thank you for your suggestion.
It was not exactly what I was looking for initially but it does the work.

Thanks again.
Regards

[erick_hooper]

@JonathaT 

Have you found a way to do this as you described?

Using the item code read into P3D spec to lookup the item code in Excel and populate the corresponding long description?

[JonathaT]

@erick_hooper ,
I have made that option work via data Manager. However, things were not syncing well with the version that i have tried. 
It seems that P3D 2024 and 2025 have now a out of the box feature to connect external data into the project setup/data manager that should work better these days.

Happy Holidays