Connect Chief to a Relational Database like Oracle, Sqlserver, or MS Access?

[SusanC]

Does anyone know if it is possible to connect Chief to a relational database such as Oracle, Sqlserver or MS Access?  

[SusanC]

I want to be able to store Chief schedules into a relational database such as Oracle, etc. so that I will have a central database for all of our projects and can manage them easier.  For example, timing of shipping, orders received, etc.  Be able to query and generate a report.

 

[SusanC]

I'm trying to figure out if Chief has an APi (application programming interface) that would allow me to connect to one of these relational database options.  Just wondering if anyone else has tried this.  

[SusanC]

Well, I found an old 5 page thread from January 2013 started by Gteacher about this very topic.  Gteacher, are you still on this forum?  

[SusanC]

That is disappointing.

[SH_Canada]

the only standard interface I have seen is the catalogs. They are accessible by SQL lite. But that does not help you. But given your use case, if if CA had an API into their files, you would need a a constantly running program which checks for updates to all CA files in user specified directories, and then run an "integrity update" every once in awhile. You would also need a key name specified within the CA file which matched the SQL db.

 

I would suggest the simpler option is once you are done the schedules, export them to a certain directory with the key field in the filename, and then write a program to suck them into SQL. 

 

I wrote a program years ago which did this, and there are many Extract-Transform-Load programs which may even avoid any programming altogether, but you still have to export them manually

 

 

 

[SusanC]

Thank you!  Great suggestion.  

[Chopsaw]

3 hours ago, SusanC said:

Well, I found an old 5 page thread from January 2013 started by Gteacher about this very topic.  Gteacher, are you still on this forum? 

 

He is still around, but you need to call him like this:  @GerryT

[RodCole]

Don't overlook Excel, especially the pivot table capabilities.  I read something a year or so ago that Microsoft was making Excel Pivot tables the flagship of personal computing.  From what I understood, they were backing off on future development of Accel because of this shift in focus.  So, looking forward, Excel may be worth your time to check out.

[SusanC]

Thank you Chopsaw and RodCole.  I am familiar with pivot tables, but I don't think they are going to help me in this application.  I'm trying to manage data across a number of projects and be able to extract information across those projects to coordinate deliveries, order times, etc.  We generally run 10-15 projects at a time with cabinet orders, fixture orders, hardware orders, etc. Nothing comes in as a complete order so we're trying to keep track of a lot of moving pieces and currently accomplish this manually with Excel spread sheets and Chief schedules that we export as .csv files and attach to the spread sheet.  I just wanted to automate some of this. 

[BeachHouse1]

The spread sheet method it easiest.  

I have been building commercial databases since the 90s.  Let me know if you wan't to collaborate on this.  

[lbuttery]

maybe software like this ?

 

https://softwareconnect.com/construction-management/uda-construction-suite/

 

integrates with Chief:

https://www.uniteddesign.com/cs_cadsoft_integration-cm.html

 

https://press.udatechnologies.com/archive/2008/09

 

Lew

[SusanC]

Wow!!  Thanks to all of you for the great suggestions.  I'm in the process of taking a look at all of them.  Much appreciated!!    

Susan