How to Export Your DriveWorks Variables to Excel
Tips and Tricks • Bill • 16 July 2019
I was asked recently: “Can we export the list of DriveWorks variables, complete with rules, into an Excel table? This is so I can create a data map of my whole system.”
I replied: No and yes. 🙂
No, in that there is no way I know, or can find, to simply export the list of variables straight to Excel.
Yes, in that there is a process that can get the list of variables into Excel. Well, you get the variable name, the rule and the comment columns, at least. The process is as follows:
1. Select the Categories folder at the top of the variable list in the left hand pane.
2. Click the Show Child Variables option – this will list ALL variables in the right hand pane.
3. Select all the variables in the right hand pane:
– Ctrl+A doesn’t work, so click the first variable, scroll down to the bottom of the list and shift+click the last variable.
4. Select Copy from the menu or press Ctrl+C.
5. I found that if I paste the data directly into Excel, Excel treats some of the DriveWorks rules as formulas, which means you don’t see the rule/formula in the cell; you see the result of the rule/formula instead. This is because some of the rules come in to Excel and start with an = sign, while others start with “=. The ones starting with a just an = sign become Excel formulas; the ones starting with “= become text.
6. A better process is to paste the data into a Word document first, however you need to do a little editing:
a) Replace all instances of “= with = (include the double-quotes)
This ensures all rules begin with a single = sign
b) Then replace all instances of = with ‘= (include the quote)
Having all the rules start with a single quote (‘) makes Excel treat them as plain text
7. Now select all the text in the Word document and paste it into Excel – all the rules should now appear, although as I said earlier, you only get the name, rule, and comment
I hope this is helpful information. If you try this process, but need help, please contact me on bill.murch@centralinnovation.com. I’ll be happy to help you.
Bill Murch
CSWP, CSWE, CDWP
Solutions Consultant
Central Innovation, Sydney, Australia
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