In AutoCAD 2008 you can combine the powerful functionalities of datalinking and data extraction by extracting drawing data and then linking it to corresponding data in an external file. For example, a drawing might contain block attributes with a part number that corresponds to additional information in an Excel spreadsheet; such as a description, manufacturer’s part number, and unit cost.
Using the Data Extraction wizard, you can extract the part number and quantity from the block attribute data in the drawing and then select a data link for the external file. You can then specify which column from the drawing data corresponds to which column from the spreadsheet data.
AutoCAD indicates the linked columns with an icon. You can drag and drop columns to arrange them appropriately and you can even add formula columns. For example, you might want to insert a formula column that multiplies the quantity by the unit cost. You can also add a footer to automatically sum the rows.
If you make changes to the AutoCAD drawing data, adding or removing objects; or if you make changes to data in the external file, you can simply update the table with the assurance that the object data and linked data, as well as the formulas based on that data, will update accordingly.
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