Revit DBLink

[ToanDN]

Revit 2015:

When I link my Revit model to a Access database, some fields do not show up in the database, or show up with missing information, or inconsistent field format.  Case in point:

- Image field does not show up in database

- Key schedule key field does not show up in database

- Area field (shared parameter, manual input, format as Area) shows up in database, but as Number format, value is gone

- Yes/No parameters: if checked or clear, show up as Number format with correct 1 or 0 value; if untouched (default grey box in Revit), show up as Text format and no value.  If I change the format to Yes/No, any changed values are ignored when import back to Revit.

If I export the Revit schedule to text and import it into Access, all the fields come out correctly, with the exception of Yes/No.  After changing the format from Text to Yes/No, all the values translate properly.  But I prefer datalink for obvious reasons.

Thoughts?

[Lance.Coffey]

Looking at the sample project, I’m not seeing an “Area” parameter for the Mass. I see a Building Area and Building Area Text parameter, but these are set to number and text respectively (and are both Project Parameters and not shared parameters).

Are you referring to different parameters?

[ToanDN]

I meant to say Shared parameters Field with Area format in Revit, not Area Field.  When exported using Revit DBLink, the value of that field is gone.

[Lance.Coffey · Accepted solution]

When I re-opened the RVT file and tried exporting again (I had changed the Project Units to not display the unit e.g. SF), I received a prompt that there were errors/warnings from the export. (The first time I did this I ignored this message.)

When I clicked the option to view the errors/warnings, the journal file opened, and I found (after searching around) the following lines recorded in the journal:

' 1:< [RDBL] [16:28:48.4956]             [----Warning----] Parameter changed from [Building: Gross Sq.Ft.] to [Building: Gross SqFt] and it will be ignored when exporting/importing

' 1:< [RDBL] [16:28:48.4976]            [----Warning----] Parameter changed from [Building: Assigned Sq.Ft.] to [Building: Assigned SqFt] and it will be ignored when exporting/importing

Access won’t allow the original name (I tried changing the name in Access and it wouldn’t allow the periods), so Revit is modifying the parameter, however this modification is breaking the export/import of data.

If you use parameters without periods, does the area value export?

[ToanDN]

You are correct.  The periods in the parameter names are the culprit.  I tried a new parameter without the period and the Area format data in Revit translates correctly to number in Access.

[Anonymous]

Hello everyone,
What about the Key Schedule?  Are you able to manage them from Access? It doesn't seems Revit export them, nor it export the schedule (Doors for example) with same fields of my Revit Doors schedule. Should I do some sort of preparation before export/import? And more over, could you please suggest me some blogs/books where can I retrieve  info about this argument? 

Vito

[ToanDN]

Schedules are just reports, not actual elements so DB Link does not export them.  However, when you edit the exported database and relink it back in Revit, the schedules will be updated to show the applicable changes.   I am not sure about Key Schedules but I think they aren't exported either based on the same logic.

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/revit-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2017/EN...

If you only need to create a two-way linking for schedules and Excel then you don't actually need to use DB Link, get an add-in or a dynamo script to do it.