Datapage 2011 File Dump

I have been using DataSuite 2011&2012 (Datapage+/DataView) for about a year and a half. I'd like to say I'm an expert, but far from it. I have messed around and experimented enough to make me dangerous. The SQL database format that the "New Datapage+" incorporated, has really limited the abilities we had with the legacy version RT.

From my experience, to answer the editing question, it all depends on what you want to edit. The XML export would be the best option, if you are looking to make simple changes like Feature IDs or Part Names & Numbers. The XML can be opened with Wordpad (which opens as a text file), by using the "right-click/open with" option. Then you can use the menus "find", "replace/replace all" to navigate the text. An advanced warning if you have not reviewed an XML before, it looks pretty scary. Also, please note, the XML groups data by part, not by Feature IDs. So doing a simple replace will not correct all parts. The best choice is to use replace all.

Now comes the next importing the edited XML. It seems to appear easy, but the SQL database will not let you import data that is already in the database. If anyone has perfected doing so without errors, please share the joy. What I have found to allow me to import the file, is to delete only those files I wish to import. As a safeguard, I always make an XML dump of the entire part (all data history), before deleting anything in my database. Then if there is a problem, I can delete the entire part and reload the entire database to recover.

If you want to edit the data itself, good luck!! The XML is not the preferred choice, in my opinion. I'm hoping someone can come up with a reliable solution very soon for this option, because we have 4 license upgrades, that are on hold until this solution is available. We are currently searching for alternative reporting software.

I have been using DataSuite 2011&2012 (Datapage+/DataView) for about a year and a half. I'd like to say I'm an expert, but far from it. I have messed around and experimented enough to make me dangerous. The SQL database format that the "New Datapage+" incorporated, has really limited the abilities we had with the legacy version RT.

From my experience, to answer the editing question, it all depends on what you want to edit. The XML export would be the best option, if you are looking to make simple changes like Feature IDs or Part Names & Numbers. The XML can be opened with Wordpad (which opens as a text file), by using the "right-click/open with" option. Then you can use the menus "find", "replace/replace all" to navigate the text. An advanced warning if you have not reviewed an XML before, it looks pretty scary. Also, please note, the XML groups data by part, not by Feature IDs. So doing a simple replace will not correct all parts. The best choice is to use replace all.

Now comes the next importing the edited XML. It seems to appear easy, but the SQL database will not let you import data that is already in the database. If anyone has perfected doing so without errors, please share the joy. What I have found to allow me to import the file, is to delete only those files I wish to import. As a safeguard, I always make an XML dump of the entire part (all data history), before deleting anything in my database. Then if there is a problem, I can delete the entire part and reload the entire database to recover.

If you want to edit the data itself, good luck!! The XML is not the preferred choice, in my opinion. I'm hoping someone can come up with a reliable solution very soon for this option, because we have 4 license upgrades, that are on hold until this solution is available. We are currently searching for alternative reporting software.