Performing Bulk Changes
There are times when you want to change a value on many assets at once. The ARDI bulk changes interface allows you to do this.
You use the relationships in your database to help you control which assets are effected by your changes.
For example, you can change a property on every asset of a particular type, on every asset downstream from your water supply etc.
You can also use an AQL query to nominate the assets you'd like to change.
Accessing the Feature
To perform a bulk change, start from the asset that you are using as the basis for your selection. This means that if you want to change all assets of a particular type, you should start from that type.
In the example, we have just realised that all of our 3D models for butterfly-valves are much too small. We need to make them bigger.
So first, we…
1) Search for the Butterfly Valve type and open the Details. 2) Go to Asset Tools
3) Select Change Assets Under/After This One
Above, you'll see an example of the Bulk Changes page.
This change applies to all assets… allows you to choose which relationship you want to base the selection on. For types, there is only the one option.
Directly Related Only allows you to specify that only those assets that are directly connected to this one are used. This means that only children (and not grandchildren) will be used.
This option is useful when dealing with types - it allows you to ensure that only those assets that are marked specifically as this type are chosen, rather than assets that are connected to one of its child types.
Action is where you select what kind of action you would like to perform on these assets.
This list will grow significantly over time as new functions are added, but here are some of the more common choices….
| Action | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Assign Type to Assets | Add a type to each of the assets |
| Change Location | Moves each of the assets to a different location (note this is usually combined with the Directly Related Only option, otherwise you'll flatten your content |
| Change Link Transform | Add a transform to data links for a given property |
| Change Scale | Alter the 3D size (scale) of the assets |
| Copy 3D Behaviours | Copy effects from the current asset to all others |
| Copy Asset Bindings | Copy bindings from the current asset to all others |
| Copy Live Links to Historical | Copy all live Data Link on one live source to one historical source |
| Delete All | Used to bulk-delete assets |
| Remove All Links | Remove all relationships from assets |
| Remove Link To | Remove all relationships with a specific asset |
| Remove Type from Asset | Removes a specified type from all assets |
| Remove Property | Removes a property from all assets |
| Replace In Name | Search-And-Replace in asset names |
| Search and Replace in Links | Search-And-Replace in data link addresses |
| Update a Property Value | Set a property value on all assets |
When you select an action, additional options will appear for more information about the action you've selected.
When you are ready to proceed, press 'Apply Changes'.
NOTE: Applied incorrectly, this function can be damaging to your database. We suggest backing up your data before performing bulk changes.