The ability to create and run reports for a variety of objects in Autodesk Vault Workgroup and Vault Professional can be a valuable tool. In Vault Professional report templates are available for Files, BOMs, Items and ECOs and are installed in the default folder C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Vault Professional 2018\Explorer\Report Templates in .rdlc format by default.
The current editing application for these reports templates is Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express (MVWD) with the Microsoft Visual Web Developer Report Viewer (MVWDRV) add-in. Autodesk installs the tool to create report templates, including the export of selective Vault properties, during a default installation but this tool does not include the ability to edit the report templates. The purpose of this article is to describe the configuration of your computer with the necessary applications to allow for the editing of new and existing Vault report templates to suit your company needs.
The first requirement is to secure a copy of MVWD and the MVWDRV applications. Since both of these programs are rather old and can be sometimes hard to find. You can find the MVWD application (with the required service pack 1) at this website. The application is a front-end loader and the majority of the application will be downloaded during installation.
Find the MVWDRV add-in at this website. It also is front end loader where the majority of the application is download during the installation.
During the installation configuration of MVWD, you will be asked if you would like to install two optional products. You do not need Microsoft Silverlight for the process of editing .rdlc files and you definitely do not want to try to install a very old version of Microsoft SQL 2008 Express, so uncheck them both.
On the final configuration dialog box, you will be reminded that you MUST be connected to the internet before proceeding. This is because, as stated earlier, the download installation is only a front-end application loader.
After installation has completed you will be reminded that you must register the product within 30 days. Since this product is no longer supported so the registration link is useless. After 30 days you will have to apply a registry edit to continue using the application, more on this later.
The next step is to install the MVWDRV add-in. Once started a dialog will appear stating the installation will be affecting MVWD. If you chose to install MVWD from the ISO version, you will receive an error since the ISO version does not include service pack 1. Again, since this is only a front-end installation application, make sure you are connected to the internet before selecting “Next.
After this installation you are ready to create or edit an Autodesk Vault Report template. Make a copy of an existing template for practice or just to have an original to fall back to. The “ReportTemplateAuthoringUtility.exe” application is installed during the Vault installation in C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Vault <version> 2018\Explorer.
When you run this application it will start with the familiar Autodesk Vault log-in dialog box where you will log into the Vault containing the Vault properties you would like to include in your report template. You do not have to possess Vault administrator rights to use this utility.
The Autodesk Report Template Utility dialog box only as one tab with four sub-commands. Use the “Open” option and then select one of the existing report templates. Once you have edited the template, use the “Save As” command and save the template back to the original location using a new name to preserve the original template.
If you select the “New” option you can select the type of report template to be created and the list will vary depending on the version of Autodesk Vault that is installed on your system. After opening a report template (or creating a new one) you will be presented with a list of all the current reportable properties available from the Vault you are logged into. Check the ones you would like to be available in MWVD when you edit the report template and select “Save As” and give it a unique name when you are ready. A good idea is the default template name with your company initials added to the end, but the file name is up to you.
You are now ready to open MVWD and create or edit your report template. If you need help using MVWD search YouTube for videos to get you started and Autodesk University has many online courses that are very helpful.
Because it is impossible to register this version of Microsoft Visual Web Developer 2008 Express and since it is needed for Vault report template editing, you will need to make changes to the Windows registry after 30 days. Caution: If you feel uncomfortable editing your Windows Registry please contact your IT department. You should always make a backup of your Windows Registry before attempting the following operation.
Use REGEDIT to open Windows Registry and navigate to “Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VWDExpress\9.0\ Registration and the line to erase is “Params”.
Once this is done, close the application and MVWD will appear to be registered on your system. The register line is:
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