Databases

Connect to a database - Configure a data source

Use data from a customer and/or staff database on your XpressDox templates. As a first step, the database needs to be configured as a data source in XpressDox. Learn how to configure a data source in this article.

More information about your configured data source

Now that you have configured your data source, there may be some properties on the XpressDox configuration screen you want to know more about. Learn about those properties here.

Ways to interact with a data source

Now that your data source has been configured, there are a few different ways in which you can interact with that data source. For example:   ChooseFromDataSource Present the users with a database icon, and allow them to select a record from the database using a search UI.   LinkToDataSource...

Using data in a LinkToDataSource

When it comes to pulling data from a client database, you probably want your users to type in a number, press TAB and populate the interview immediately with data.   Type in your number, and press TAB   Example code: The code for that looks like this: «LinkToDataSource(AccountNumber,Clients,RefreshNoSave,id=<AccountNumber>)» where AccountNumber...

Using data in a ChooseFromDataSource

Now that you have configured a data source, the data can be used on your XpressDox template using commands such as ChooseFromDataSource or IncludeDataSourceData. Learn more about these XpressDox commands here.

Using data in an IncludeDataSourceData

Using the data source commands on your XpressDox template (..cont) If you have not yet configured a data source, you need to do before proceeding. You will find instructions on how to configure a data source here.   Whereas the ChooseFromDataSource relies on interaction from the user in the interview,...

Configuring a data source with a sub collection

This article shows how to configure a sub-collection, and then how to use it in a LinkToDataSource. As shown below, enter data such as an account number and press TAB. The Link retrieves data from the database based on the ID (to retrieve one record) or range (to retrieve multiple...

How to use a data source multiple times in the same template

Map data elements in the configuration to use the same data source multiple times in the same template   Use case: You keep one data source of States / Abbreviations but you need to use it for Plaintiff / Defendant / Attorney.     Solution:   Map a data source...

SalesForce as a data source

XpressDox offers Salesforce.com users a simple-to-use Salesforce with Word or Web integration that enables users to populate their documents with Salesforce data automatically. This means that anything from simple documents to complex agreements can be produced in seconds. In order to prepare for this integration you need to download and install...

A Stored Procedure as a Data Source

This Cookbook article refers to the AdventureWorks database which needs to be installed at a location available to your development environment. If you have not already done so, you can download the database from Download the AdventureWorks Database. It is assumed that you already know how to configure a datasource...

WebService API data source: rules for XML

This post assumes you have configured a WebService API data source.   Here are the rules required for your XML to be used in a List and Search:   The API URL should not contain “<id>” Your API must return (or use xsl) XML in a collection as pictured below....

A Web Service as a Data Source

Configuring a web service as a data source follows the same first steps as for other data sources. The first place where it differs is (obviously) at the point where you choose the type of data source: When you press the “Finish” button, the data source will be entered into...

A SQL SELECT as a data source

It may be that you are developing a set of templates using data from a database, but you are not the database administrator, and so can’t create your own views or stored procedures in the database.  Using the feature described here, you could at least address the database with a...

An Elite Database as a data source

XpressDox can retrieve data from just about any data base, but in particular, data from the Elite practice management system can be made available to your templates. The Elite data base is a Microsoft® SQL Server database, and so can be configured as such in the XpressDox configuration dialog.  Below follows a step-by-step look at configuring a...

Managing contact details on letters

Ensuring correct contact details on a letterhead can be a huge problem in a large enterprise. XpressDox has a number of features which make it possible to overcome this problem. One of these is the Data Source Configuration feature together with the ChooseFromDataSource command.

Make data source information available on all templates

Global information sometimes needs to be made available to all templates. Either all templates in an organisation, or all templates in a specific application or group of applications. XpressDox Docussembly™ makes this possible via the Configuration of a data source.

Use a SQL Server Data Source to include Customer information on a template

XpressDox can provide data from a large number of source databases. In particular, SQL Server databases can be configured as Data Sources in XpressDox, and this makes it possible to include data form those databases in templates. This Cookbook recipe shows how to configure a SQL Server Customer table, from...

Install a third party data source

It is possible to export an XpressDox configuration file which contains data source definitions. This exported configuration can then be sent to other interested parties and imported into their own configurations. A typical example is when a data source for a specific data base is created by, say, a system...

Creating new Data in a Data Source

With effect from version 6, XpressDox offers a number of features which help the template author to develop templates which add new data to data sources. For example, to open a new account in an accounting database. The commands which are used to create data in a data source are...

How to change data or insert new data into a data source

Data from a data base can be inserted into a template. Perhaps this data has changed since it was last updated in the database, and the template-running-user is the one who knows about this change. It should be permissible for the user to change the data and have the change...

Save the Dataset into a Database Column

There are any number of reasons that you might want to save the dataset for a template into a single column in as database.  One of these would be to report on the data set, as described here. The first step is to write the dataset into a column.  This is...

The Data Set Data Source

When you have a system of templates and have run them a number of times, say for a number of your customers, the saved data set files become a source of valuable information.  It would be nice to be able to access those data files as though they were a...

Run a "mail merge"

Use one template to generate a letter to each of a set of clients whose contact details are saved in a database.

Reporting on template usage

XpressDox now provides a formal reporting module in the Cloud, however if you would like to build your own reporting system it can be done as follows:   XpressDox can be configured to record every usage of a template, giving the date and time it was run, along with the...

Download the AdventureWorks database

Some of the sample templates which are delivered with XpressDox make use of one of the early instances of the Microsoft AdventureWorks SQL Server database.  This database can no longer be obtained from any Microsoft web site, and so a backup is made available here. You can download the .zip...
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