Anyone know how to do a database inquiry? I was trying to get a list of all Non-Welded valves (flanged and threaded)out of my model, if it's possible to filter that way. I was told that the BOM function cannot single out a certain type of component this way but that possibly a database inquiry might. Anyone ever do this?

Thanks everyone

Exporting a BOM to any sortable format will work, including XLS and MDB. Look into the help files for Excel and Access for data filtering and sorting.

You'll want to study up on queries in Access (also called "views"). I'll have to get back to you on a sample when I get back to the office.

Here's a quick one.

Go to create a query in design mode. Close the show table. Right-Click along the top of the query dialog and select SQL view (make sure the query dialog is not maximized). You can copy and paste the portion below into the sequel (make sure to replace everything there). Modify the lines below to reflect how you call out flanged/threaded connections.

SELECT PIPE.DWG_NAME, PIPE.SHORT_DESC, PIPE.LONG_DESC, PIPE.TAG, PIPE.LINE_NUM
FROM PIPE
WHERE (((PIPE.LONG_DESC) Like "*valve*" And ((PIPE.LONG_DESC) Like "*flg*" Or (PIPE.LONG_DESC) Like "*thrd*")));


Hope that helps.

I'll check this method out dgorsman. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thank you Wolfe,
Our local rep came in and gave me a run down on queries and it's right in line with what you are showing here. This was a good exercise but a disappointing one at the same time because it shows all the truth about how good or bad a job I've done in my component descriptions from one spec to the next. Now I need to figure out the easiest way to go back and get my descrips fixed. Probably just going back into spec edit and editing what is incorrect then updating spec in my models is the answer. Do you agree?

Have a great day

In speceditor, find and replace option with new descriptions.

Then do a specchg. Should update the components in no time.

We just went through this with a 30+ specification client. I exported each spec to Excel, added another column for the spec name, then pasted all the files into one master (and massive) Excel file. After a couple of sorts it was pretty easy to see which ones needed fixing.

BTW - it took a month of Wednesdays for the first cycle of fixes. Allocate enough time.

This may sound somewhat goofy, but you can do another query, and do a find/replace within it, of course either way you have to go back and fix the specs, but it could save the time doing specchange. The piping models will sync with the database and update the descriptions if it's changed in the db.

It all depends how closely your descriptions match.

So after you dumped all of the specs in an Excel file, that is where you fixed the descriptions as well? I'm not that experienced with Excel in regards to bringing in data from other files such as these specs. How do you handle it after you've made the corrections in Excel? You have to get the specs back into a format that CadWorx can read, correct?

The Excel file was just for comparison purposes, to identify the items that need changing. Its also easier for the leads and engineers to mark up. Once the problems are identified then the changes are done in the spec files via the spec editor or a text editor, although I'm sure a clever person could whip up a VBA macro or three to create a spec file from the Excel one.

Ahhh, got it. I'm on board now. Maybe such a clever person will read this sometime and do that for us.

Early on I used excel to change the default CW descriptions into what we wanted it to read, I don't anymore because I have the SpecGen, but here is what I would do.
I'd copy the spec into excel then use "text to columns" to break the descriptions down into smaller chunks. Then on sheet 2 of the same book I'd use a formula like this in A1 to put the lines back together:
=IF(Sheet1!A1="","",Sheet1!A1)&IF(Sheet1!B1="","",","&Sheet1!B1)&IF(Sheet1!C1="","",","&Sheet1!C1)&IF(Sheet1!D1="","",","&Sheet1!D1)&IF(Sheet1!E1="","",","&Sheet1!E1)&IF(Sheet1!F1="","",","&Sheet1!F1)
Drag that formula down as many rows as you need and it will put your spec back together. Then you can copy sheet 2 straight back into your .spc

NOTE: if you do any dragging and dropping in sheet 1, you'll have to redo the formulas on sheet 2. Which is simply grabbing the bottom right corner of A1 and dragging it down.