Import user annotations / comments to Contributor?

[mr j]

Hi all,

User annotations / comments (ie. the user entries behind the nice red corner of a cell in a Contributor grid) can be published, seems they make their own publish table.

How about importing them to the application, say, to another cell? How is it done? Well, I know the "to another cell" part, but what's the procedure in general in Contributor admin regarding user annotations?

Didn't find this topic covered here, sorry if I'm repeating something old and discussed over a million times..

[ericlfg]

Hey Mr j,

It's been a very long time since I've looked at this topic..  but I believe what you'd be looking for is an C<A dlink from analyst.  You are able to import user annotations through a filemap which would source your import file.  Once the data and annotations are imported into analyst, you'd fire up the C<A links targeting the contributor cubes and this -should- move the annotations into contributor.

I'm not aware of a way to load annotations into the CAC (using the import data feature, as an example) to achieve what you're looking for.

[mr j]

Hi!

You are able to import user annotations through a filemap which would source your import file.

Am I..?   :o
Sorry I don't follow. I don't see any options in the "New File Map" -functionality which would suggest that if you selected this you're going to import your data from file as an annotation to a cell in Analyst.

edit:
I tried manually entering data and annotation in a cell in Analyst, then C<A D-links both development (&GTP) and production of a Contributor app, but the annotations didn't appear there with either one. Mode: Fill, Type: Regular. Version 10.1.1  :)

I read somewhere you could move annotations between Contributor cubes with local/admin/system links, so I guess the next option is to build a dummy cube just for them and drive links back and forth.

[ericlfg]

Whoops..  sorry, I really missed the mark on this one (as I said it's been a long time).

I was confused with the d-list import functionality whereby you can import the format, calc option and priority from a source (csv, odbc, etc).  Thinking about it now, I do not believe there is a way to bulk import annotations.

Sorry about that.

[ericlfg]

If you are going to pursue the path of a dummy cube to move annotation data, definitely leverage an admin link.  It will leverage the job servers in your cluster and process multiple nodes in parallel.  Analyst C<>A links are single threaded and will only do one elist item at a time.

[mr j]

Given your track record of excellent advice apologies accepted   ;)

Yes, admin links. Still, have to think this over carefully as annotations are only moved if there's data in the cell and I don't want the data to be changed when importing the annotation back... so have to import also the data in the dummy cube. Which should be hidden. Which I hope is not an issue here to begin with.
Yes, I'm thinking 'out loud' without checking any of this and will stop now.

Still, another case of frustration as customer wants something which seems like a simple thing but the tool just can't deliver without this and that workaround   :'(

Thanks again!