CADconform for MicroStation Readme

Configuring the ODBC Data Source

CADconform installs a tutorial database 'CADconform Demo' when first installed, which can be used for testing purposes. However, when you wish to start creating your own CAD standards database, it is strongly recommended that a new database and data source are created. This guarantees that if you upgrade CADconform at a later date, it will not uninstall your customisations. There are three types of data source names that can be created from the Windows Control Panel:

User DSN
System DSN
File DSN

CADconform supports all three types of data source, however the simplest and most flexible type to use is the 'File DSN' type, which stores the database configuration settings in a plain ASCII text file. The main advantage of this type of data source, is that the one file can be shared by multiple users on the network, making central administration much easier. User and System DSNs store their settings in the Windows Registry, which means they must be configured and maintained individually for each Client. CADconform Server creates a directory specifically for File DSNs in the CADconform installation sub-directory 'File DSN'.

To create a File DSN data source (recommended):

From the Windows Start menu, choose either:

"Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC )" on Windows 2000/XP, or

"Settings > Control Panel > ODBC Data Sources" on Windows 95/98/NT

Go to "About" and ensure that all of the core components are at least version 3.51.xx. If they are not, then install the newest drivers.
Go to "File DSN" and choose "Add"
Choose a driver, for example "Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb)" and click "Next".
Browse to the 'File DSN' sub-directory in the CADconform installation directory, and create a data source name in that directory.
Click "Create" and enter a file name (eg: "CADconform.mdb") for the database file. This file should be created on the network server so it is visible to every client machine. It is preferable that this database is installed in the existing "Database" directory of the CADconform Server install path.
Click "OK" to confirm the data source and "OK" a second time to close the ODBC window. Your ODBC data source is now configured and ready to use with CADconform.

If you wish to create a separate database for reports, follow the steps exactly as above, only name the data source "reports" or something equally meaningful. For efficiency purposes, it may be preferable to create the report database locally, unless reports are intended to be shared by other users.