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RDB Link Tool for Revit
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Integrate Autodesk Revit project elements with external databases.

Getting Started

To get started with the RDB Link tool, run the installation program. When asked for an Autodesk® Revit® platform, select the appropriate Revit.ini file. The RDB Link menu option appears on the External Tools menu.

When you are ready to use the RDB Link tool, here are some suggestions to get you started:

To create an ODBC connection (DSN, Data Source Name):

  1. Launch the Windows Data Sources (ODBC) screen from the Start menu>Programs>Administrative Tools section.
  2. In the ODBC Data Source Administrator, select either User DSN or System DSN to create a new data source name for your database to use with RDB Link.
  3. Click the Add button to display the Create New Data Source screen, and select one of the following:
    • Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb) if you want to work with a Microsoft® Access database
      • Specify the Data Source Name of your choosing.
      • Click the Select button to select an existing Access database or the Create button to create a new one.
    • SQL Server or SQL Native Client if you want to work with Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2008 (either a full installation or the Express version)
      • Fill out the information appropriate to your version of SQL Server.

 

To initiate the RDB Link tool:

  1. On the Tools menu, choose External Tools to display RDB Link on the menu fly-out.
  2. Click the RDB Link menu item to display the RDB Link screen.
  3. To export data from the project, click the Export into ODBC Database button.
    • This displays the Microsoft Windows Select Data Source screen.
    • Click the appropriate Data Source tab, and locate the Data Source Name you created, which is set up to connect to an existing Access or SQL Server database.
    • If you selected an Access database DSN, a Login screen asks for a name and password. Leave it blank if you have not specified a user name and password for your database.
    • A progress meter appears while outputting the Revit project data to your database.
  4. To import data from an existing database, click the Edit and Import from ODBC Database button.
    • This displays the Microsoft Windows Select Data Source screen.
    • Click the appropriate Data Source tab, and locate the Data Source Name you created, which connects to your existing Access or SQL Server database.
    • The Edit Database Before Import screen appears, allowing you to select any existing table from the database and edit its data in the grid if needed.
    • Some information is read-only and is disabled, and some tables allow you to add new data when appropriate.
    • The Custom Parameters menu allows you to add new Revit Shared Parameters to the selected table.
    • When the data is ready for import, click the OK button to begin. A progress meter appears while importing the data into your Revit project.
    • After import, an HTML page shows the results of the import process.

 

To use workflows in the RDB Link Tool:

  1. Create a relational database in an existing Access or SQL Server format from a Revit project.
    • The database must already exist and have a DSN properly set up for connecting to it.
    • The Access or SQL Server database must allow for reading, writing, and table creation.
  2. Update an existing relational database from a Revit project after changes have been made to both the project and the external database.
    • Subsequent exporting to the same database from a Revit project will overwrite the same data from the same tables; however, any new fields or tables that you create in the database will remain unchanged.
    • Each table’s ID field is used to locate the same records for update when exporting to the same database, which allows any new fields that you add to remain intact and the data to remain linked to the same record (via ID) even after subsequent exports.

      Note: Export only to the same database originally used with the same project; otherwise, results may be unpredictable.
  3. Update a Revit project with changes made from an external database or edited directly during import.
    • Update the appropriate Revit elements with the changes made to the database.
    • The import grid view allows changing of data immediately before import if desired.
    • Use Ctrl+0 to set a cell value to empty in the grid view.
    • It is not possible to delete, cut, or modify an entire record (via Copy and Paste) if the corresponding element exists in the Revit application.
    • Those tables that do allow creation of new types have a new row record available. When filled out, the ID displays a negative value that is converted to a valid element ID after the import process if all required data was properly filled out.
    • The Custom Parameters menu allows you to create Shared Parameters for your project. Click the Add button and specify the name, group, and type, and then select the categories it will belong to. All selected categories that currently have a database table automatically have the new parameter appended as a field to the table. You can then edit this parameter data in the drawing or the database and update it accordingly via an import or export as needed.