IMAGINiT Geospatial Solutions Blog

AutoCAD Map 3D 2010 - Connecting to Access 2007

I have received calls lately from a few users having problems attempting to connect to an Access 2007 file in Map 3D 2010.

The catch is that the file they are attempting to connect to is an .accdb file, and NOT an .mdb file. Fyi, the default database file format for Access 2007 is the .accdb file. For more information on the difference between MDB and ACCDB files, check out the following.

Back to the problem at hand...

The users were trying to connect to the accdb file by using the Attach option when right clicking on Data Sources in the Map Explorer.  

This option displays a file dialog box that allows you to select: UDL, DBF, MDB, XLS, and DB files.

The problem here is that the File Type dropdown list does NOT have an accdb type.

So, the solution to this dilemma is to manually configure the UDL file:

• Right Click on Data Sources and select Configure...
• Give the Connection a name and click OK
• Choose "Microsoft Office 12.0 Access Database Engine OLE DB Provider"
• Click Next
• In the Data Source box enter the path and file name
• Click the Test Connection button, and you should be off and running.

 

Until next time
Take care

Warren M

Google Maps Data API

Yesterday Google announced a new Google Labs project called Google Maps Data API.

As described at the site:

The Google Maps Data API allows client applications to view, store and update map data in the form of Google Data API feeds using a data model of features (placemarks, lines and shapes) and maps (collections of features).

The Google Geo Developers blog provides some great information, and this is definitely, another interesting offering from Google.

Check it out!

Warren

AutoCAD Map - Importing SHP files

Well!  I've always said that you should strive to learn something new everyday, and today is definitely no exception...

Today, I learned something new about SHP Files, and how AutoCAD Map handles them in the latest releases.

So, what exactly is a SHP file?
Wikipedia says:

The ESRI Shapefile or simply a shapefile is a popular geospatial vector data format for geographic information systems software. It is developed and regulated by ESRI as a (mostly) open specification for data interoperability among ESRI and other software products. A "shapefile" commonly refers to a collection of files with ".shp", ".shx", ".dbf", and other extensions on a common prefix name (e.g., "lakes.*").

IOW, a SHP file is not a single file, but rather a collection of files.

If you've worked much with SHP files, you know that to do anything with a SHP file, you need at least 3 files: .shp, .shx, .dbf.

Well, at least that I used to think!

As it turns out, since AutoCAD Map 2008 you do not require all of the files to Import or Connect to a SHP file!  Behind the scenes, AutoCAD Map is actually creating the required .shx, .dbf, and .idx (index) files.

Til next time, keep on learning...

Warren

Update - AutoCAD Map MsiInstaller Errors

Autodesk has responded with a temporary solution to the problem with the installer firing up when certain applications are started.  For more details on the problem see the following post

The temporary solution to suppress the the installer dialog from popping up is as follows:

• In windows Explorer navigate to:
  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\
• Copy the Geospatial Coordinate Systems folder
• Paste the folder to the same location
• Once the copy is complete, rename the folder to:
  Geospatial Coordinate Systems Temp

Again, this is a temporary solution, but it is a simple fix to prevent the installer dialog from always starting.

Warren