Tandem Tuesday Tip – Don't Go Switching Parameter Data Types

[jessica_smith]

Mistakes happen! It's not uncommon to make the wrong selection or input an incorrect value, especially when learning a new workflow. In Tandem, we sometimes hear of Parameters being created with the wrong Data Type; in this case, there are downstream implications. For example, this is frequently seen when creating new Parameters.

When this happens, a user naturally will try to switch a parameter's data type. Unfortunately, when this change is made, if data has been captured against this parameter in a facility, Tandem will not be able to convert your data between types. A data type conversion conflict is the most common cause of the error notification when trying to update a Facility Template. There are two ways to resolve the error:

1. Change the parameter data type back to its original format.
2. Create an entirely new parameter that can be added to a Facility Template, followed by:
   a. Updating the facility to use the latest template
   b. migrating any asset data from the original parameter to the new one
   c. deleting the original parameter from the facility template
   d. Updating the facility once again to use the latest template

The easiest way to avoid this conflict is to determine what asset data will be required at handover at the beginning or early stages of a project. However, when changes are made during the project, switching the parameter type may be necessary.

When option two from above is required, the excel export/import tool in the inventory panel can be used to review and migrate asset data from the old parameter to the new one once it has been created and applied to the facility via the template. From here,

1. Open the facility, make sure to update the Facility Template, and filter the viewer to show elements using the old and new parameter
2. Open the inventory panel and edit the columns, making the old and new parameters visible. See Now in Production - Editing Columns in the Inventory Panel for more info.
3. Click Export
4. Open excel. From here, users can take advantage of Excel's filtering capabilities to see what asset data has been entered.
5. Then cut/paste the asset data from the old parameter to the new one.
6. Save the excel file
7. From the facility's inventory panel, click import, and select the excel file

Now with the asset data moved to the new parameter and updated in Tandem, the old parameter can be removed from all Facility Templates and then deleted. After that, it is recommended that users run the Clean Tagged Assets function to remove any lingering data from the unneeded parameter. Learn more about this function here.

[jessica_smith]

The updated version of this post can be found at the link provided

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/tandem-forum/key-things-to-remember-when-editing-removing-or-updating...

For more information, please visit Tandem's Autodesk Knowledge Network site.