Reporting on MicroStation V8i DGN data in the MicroStation CONNECT Edition

By now you have seen the new features in the MicroStation CONNECT Edition. In fact, some of you have moved to the new version, have learned a bit about it, are planning to update to it or are testing it in some way. 

One new feature is the ability to generate reports. You may have seen how they work with Item Types, generate reports, and allow us to place that associative data into a model.  It is associative because if the geometry updates or changes, the table will as well.


Pretty cool, you might think, and yes it sure is. Many, if not most of you, believe reports are great but think you will not be able to use the reports until you completely update to the MicroStation CONNECT Edition and create new CADD Standards using Item Types. Does that sum it up for some of you?

One thing to keep in mind is that the MicroStation CONNECT Edition uses the same file format as MicroStation V8i. Reports can be created and ran within the MicroStation CONNECT Edition, Report tables placed, and that data is able to be viewed and printed in MicroStation V8i.

For example, we have previously drawn linear features in the BarrierFence01 drawing. They are all lines drawn to represent a silt fence.

We need to quantify that fence. A report needs to be created to show each segment of the fence and its length. However, the design is created in MicroStation V8i but the report will be generated and placed in the MicroStation CONNECT Edition. Here is a short list of steps for creating and placing that report.

  1. Drawing workflow, Analyze Ribbon Tab>Reports.

  2. New category or pick an existing category (Reports Fencing).

  3. New report definition and name it as needed (Silt Fence Construction).

  4. Set the Search Location, in this case the Location Type to Model, Location to Active File, Model to Active Model. Our geometry is in a referenced file called BarrierFence01.dgn, so Include Reference Attachments should be set to Yes. This could be alternatively set to a specific file which paths it to the BarrierFence01.dgn. In our example it will locate any file that contains the Silt Fence level, regardless of file name, active or referenced.

  5. Define the Included Items, we will look for any Lines.

  6. Filtered By should be set to the Level=Silt Fence.

  7. Columns>Add Columns.

    1. Lines>General>Level this will display the Level name.

    2. Lines>Geometry> Segments>Total Length this will display each lines total length.

    3. Add additional columns as needed. In our example I have added the Start and Ending State Plane locations for each segment of fence.

  8. Right press on the column name and pick Add formatting as needed. In our example I have changed the Total Length to be MU with .12 decimal places and to use a suffix (ft US) displaying the file’s Master Units, U.S. Survey Feet.

  9. Rename the columns by right pressing on the column name. For example, Segments.List.Start and Segments.List.End should be renamed to Fence Start and Fence End, respectively. The Level column is renamed to Fence Type.

  10. Add Sort on this column, by right pressing on the column name. In this case I am sorting on the Total Length, then setting the Order to Descending. Our example is also sorted on the Level (now renamed to Fence Type), with Hide Repeated Values set to Yes.

  11. Preview results.

  12. Place as table.

  13. Open the same file and review in MicroStation V8i.

     

     

    Note that if the table is to be placed into another model or file, the Location Type, Location and Model will need adjusted from Reports. The current report is run within the active file and model.

     

I encourage each one of you to take a look at your data. Determine what you are able to run reports on. Then, read through the steps outlined above and give it a try. Generate a quantity report and place it as a table. I think you will find it easy to create and place. You will come up with many uses even in a MicroStation V8i based project.

Happy Reporting to all.

In the next blog entry we will get a bit more advanced with report creating. We will create a report to place a table that will label subdivision lot lines, a table for use in a legal description.