Appendix: Questions and Answers about Reference Data - Intergraph Smart 3D - Reference Data

Intergraph Smart 3D Reference Data

Language
English
Product
Intergraph Smart 3D
Subproduct
Reference Data
Search by Category
Reference Data
Smart 3D Version
12 (2018)

This section lists frequently-asked questions about reference data.

Catalog Database

Q: How do I create a new catalog?

Using the Database Wizard and the Project Management task, you can create a starting catalog database and catalog schema database from a template file.

  • To create a new catalog schema with the Bulkload utility, you must use the apprepos.dat (for MSSQL) or apprepos.dmp (for Oracle) template file. This file is located in [Product Folder]\DatabaseTemplates on the computer where the reference data was installed.

  • Do NOT use the catalogdb.dat (for MSSQL) or catalogdb.dmp (for Oracle) template file to create a new catalog with the Bulkload utility. Use the apprepos.dat (for MSSQL) or apprepos.dmp (for Oracle) template file.

The catalogdb.dat (for MSSQL) and catalogdb.dmp (for Oracle) template files contain sample Smart 3D reference data and, while they contain many useful examples, they are not certified for production use by Hexagon PPM.

For more information, see Bulk Load Database with Data.

Custom Interfaces

Q: What is an interface?

An interface is a collection of attributes. For more information about interfaces, see Adding and Modifying Custom Interfaces and Custom Interfaces Sheet.

Q: What is the Custom Interfaces sheet for?

The Custom Interfaces sheet provides a method to define user-defined interfaces and add attributes to classes. It also provides a mechanism to link between class attributes and parametric symbol arguments.

Q: How can I create a new interface?

You can create a new interface using the Custom Interfaces sheet and then add it to the catalog schema using the Bulkload utility. You can also add an interface by adding an attribute associated with the interface to an existing class sheet and running the Bulkload utility in the modify mode.

Q: Do I need to add the letter A in the first column to add the new interface?

No. The Bulkload utility does not recognize the update modes for the Custom Interfaces sheet. It tries to relate the interface to the classes in the workbook.

Q: Do I need to synchronize the model with the catalog after adding new interfaces?

Yes. If the new interfaces were created on existing classes, then you need to synchronize the model with the catalog database.

Q: Do I need to re-generate the reports databases after adding new interfaces?

Yes. You must re-create the reports databases in order to query or report on the new attributes. You must first synchronize the model with the catalog.

Q: How can I delete user interfaces?

You can delete an existing interface by typing the letter D in the first column of the interface row and running the Bulkload utility in the delete mode. This action does not actually delete the interface from the catalog schema; it removes the interface from all of its implemented classes.

Q: What is the limitation of an interface name?

The limit for interface names depends on the database (SQL Server or Oracle). The Bulkload utility will include warnings in the log file if interface names exceed this limit. For more information about limitations on names, see Appendix: Name Limitations in Reference Data.

Q: Can I add additional attributes on existing user interfaces?

Yes. You can add attributes to existing interfaces by typing A in the first column of the rows to add.

Q: Do I need to synchronize the model with the catalog database after adding new attributes on an existing interface?

After adding new attributes to an existing interface, the user must synchronize the model with the catalog database. Also, you must recreate the reports databases in order to query and report on the new attributes.

Q: Can I modify any of the data in existing attributes?

Yes, you can modify attributes by making changes to the entry, placing an M in the first column of the row, and bulkloading the sheet in Add, Modify, Delete mode.

You cannot change the Interface Name, Attribute Name or Attribute User Name of an entry.

Q: What is the limitation of an attribute name?

Attribute names cannot exceed 28 characters. The Bulkload utility does not include warnings in the log file if attribute names exceed this limit. For more information about limitations on names, see Appendix: Name Limitations in Reference Data.

Q: Must the attribute name be unique for all interfaces?

No. An attribute with the same name can exist on more than one interface.

On a part class sheet, you can scope the user attributes based on their interfaces and symbol parameters. The scoping syntax is as follows: Interface::UserAttribute<Symbol Parameter>.

Q: Can I create a new interface with the same name as a deleted interface?

No. If you delete an interface and want to re-bulk load it with new properties, you must change the interface name.

Q: Why does the system display all the attributes for that interface if the object uses only one of them?

When an object uses a single attribute from an interface, the object also inherits all the attributes for that interface, regardless of whether the object uses the other attributes.

Q: I want to add user attributes to a class, such as pipe runs. How do I do this?

Open the Systems.xls file, which is available on the customer support web site. This file provides a sample that you can follow. Create a custom interface, and then map the class name to your new interface. For more information, see Add User Attributes to a Class.

Codelists

Q: Where are the user-defined codelist tables stored?

User-defined codelist tables are added to the catalog schema under the User Defined Package namespace. For more information about namespaces, see Select List (Codelist) Namespaces.

Q: Do I need to add the letter A to add the codelist table?

Yes. The system creates the codelist table using the Short Description column name. You must use the letter A to add the codelist values into the codelist table. The name for a codelist is not necessarily the sheet name in the workbook.

Q: Can the user create a hierarchical codelist table (a two- level codelist, for example)?

Yes. For example, the Commodity Option codelist in the AllCodeLists.xls workbook is a hierarchical codelist. You can find this workbook in the [Product Folder]\CatalogData\BulkLoad\DataFiles folder.

You can also create hierarchical codelists using the Catalog task functionality.

Q: Can I add new codelist values to existing codelist tables?

Yes, you can add simple codelists (without a hierarchy) unless otherwise specified on the sheet. For existing hierarchical codelists, you can add the lowest level in a hierarchical codelist, but you must not add any higher levels in the codelist.

Q: Can I start the Head Definition at row 1 on the Excel sheet?

Yes. The Head Definition can start at row 1.

Q: Why can I use the same codelist values in some of the codelists?

The codelist values are only required to be unique in each hierarchy level.

Q: What does the Sort Order column do?

The values in this column will specify the order in which to display items in the software. However, this feature is not available in the current release of the software.

Q: Can I delete a codelist table?

You cannot delete a codelist table. However, you can delete entries in the selected codelist table by running the Bulkload utility in the delete mode. The software marks the selected codelist entries as deleted.

Q: What happens if codelist values are deleted?

The software marks them as deleted items.

Q: Can I modify the short description of a codelist?

Yes. You can modify the short description of a codelist.

Q: Does the name of the codelist have to be unique?

The name for each codelist must be unique in the catalog schema.

Q: What is the namespace for user-defined codelists?

The codelist namespace for user-defined codelists is UDP (User Defined Package).

Q: What is the limitation on a codelist name?

The limit for codelist names depends on the server type - SQL Server or Oracle. For more information about limitations on names, see Appendix: Name Limitations in Reference Data.

Q: What is the limitation on a codelist description?

The limit for the long and short descriptions in a codelist is 255 characters. For more information about limitations on names, see Appendix: Name Limitations in Reference Data.

Part Classes

Q: Does the Custom Interfaces sheet need to be in the same workbook as the part classes?

Yes. The Custom Interfaces sheet must reside in the same workbook as the part classes that you are bulk loading.

Q: Do I need to synchronize the model with the catalog if I edit a part class?

If you modify an existing class definition, you must run the Synchronize Model with Catalog command on any model that has occurrences of the class that you modified.

Q: How can I delete classes?

You can delete an existing class by typing the letter D in the first column of the Class Type Definition row and running the Bulkload utility in the delete mode. This action does not actually delete the class from the catalog schema. The software marks the class as a deleted item. You cannot reuse the part class name in the same database set.

After deleting the class from the catalog, you also must synchronize the model with the catalog in order to remove all occurrences of the class from the model.

Q: Must the UserClassName, OccClassName, ObjectName, SpecName, and PartNumber fields be unique?

Yes. The fields must be unique when compared to each other within a class and across the entire catalog.

Q: Does the order of the attributes in the class sheet matter?

Order of the attributes (columns) is not important. The software uses the names of the attributes regardless of the order on the sheet.

Q: What is the length limitation on a piping commodity code?

The limit for piping commodity codes is 249 characters. For more information about limitations on names, see Appendix: Name Limitations in Reference Data.

Structure

Q: Can I add additional occurrence attributes on a Cross Section class?

The Cross Section classes do not support occurrence attributes.

Q: Can I edit the Class Type Definition on a cross section class?

You can only edit the SymbolIcon file name. You cannot modify the Reference Standard on any cross section class.

For more information about structural reference data, see the Structure Reference Data Guide available from the Help > Printable Guides command in the software.

GUIDs (Globally Unique Identifiers)

Q: What is the purpose of the GUIDs sheet?

GUIDs are registry identifiers for the part classes and interfaces. The primary purpose of the GUIDs is to create a connection between part classes in the catalog database and the occurrences created in the model from those part classes. Do not modify the contents of the GUIDs sheets in the delivered sample workbooks or in workbooks that you have used to create a catalog database set for a project. For more information about GUIDs, see GUIDs Sheet.

See Also

Understanding Reference Data