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  • Alternate Data Key Method

    • Alternate Data Key Method

    If you are currently using lookup formulas to map data from one element or type to another, the alternate data key method should greatly simplify that effort. Additionally, use an alternate data key + “NEW” to support the simultaneous creation and modification of data from Excel into Revit as a way to standardize certain data across multiple files.

    By default Ideate BIMLink will use either the Elemend ID or Type Element ID as the unique identifier against which imported Excel data will be mapped. The alternate data key method allows you to define your own unique ID, making data mapping much easier. Learn more about this method in one of the topics below.

    Choose an Alternate Data Key

    You can choose your own property or set of properties to use as an alternate data key. The data key property must be unique for it to work well, so consider using other properties that are required to be unique such as:

    You could also use a combination of parameters that would likely result in uniqueness such as:

    Set an Alternate Data Key

    By default a link definition will have the Id column set as the data key. You can confirm which is the data key by seeing which property or set of properties is highlighted in blue as shown below. To change the data key to another property you need to right-click on the property and choose the option to “Set as Data Key”.  In the example below the Type Mark value is set as the data key. When data from Excel is imported, it will map the properties when the Type Mark matches, regardless of the Element Type Id value. This can be particularly useful when mapping type data between two files.

    Using “NEW” to Create and Manage Standards

    Ideate BIMLink can be used to both create new elements and types and manage data on existing elements and types. Both actions can be accomplished with a single Excel import when a unique data key (or set of keys) can be set and “NEW” is used in the Id field. A common example of this workflow is for the management of object styles, line styles, parameters, custom family types, or materials across multiple files.

    In the latest version of Ideate BIMLink, this sample is setup to illustrate this workflow: 06 Line_Styles-Create_NEW. In this example, the Subcategory (aka name) property is required by Revit to be unique, so it’s a perfect use of this method. When you export the data from a Revit file you’ll see a list of all possible line styles in the project, including built-in styles. It’s important to understand that the Id value of a Line Style in the current project may not match that of the another file, which is why the concept of the Alternate Data Key is useful.

    If you want to ensure that the same Line Style standards are true within 10 other Revit files, you will need to edit the Excel file to change the Id value to “NEW”. When the Excel data is imported into additional Revit files, Ideate BIMLink will create the new style if it does not yet exist. If the style does exist it will modify all properties of the existing line styles to conform with the information within Excel.

    Using the Sample Content

    The best way to understand the alternate data key method is to try the sample content.  In addition to the example noted above, there are several examples that come with the product, most of which are labeled with the “-AK” designator to indicate this method.

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