Creating Named Data Sources

When data is added to an object, it is explicitly attached to that specific object and has to be manually updated any time there is a change. Once it has been turned into a named data source, it can be used across the document to populate the value of objects in your document; furthermore, you can used named data sources to export data to external files. As a result, named data sources are much more scalable in the long-term.

To create a new named data source

  1. Select Data Sources in the Toolbox to display the Data Sources pane.

  2. Open the context menu for Named Data Sources and select Create Named Data Source to open the Create Named Data Source wizard.

  3. Follow the prompts in the wizard and click Finish once complete.

To name an existing data source

  1. Double-click on the object containing the data source you wish to share to open the Object Properties dialog. Alternatively, select Properties from the object's context menu.

  2. Select the desired data source from the Navigation Pane.

  3. Select the Data Source tab to view the Data Source property page.

  4. Next to the Name field, click the icon to open the Change Data Source Name wizard.

  5. In the Name field, enter the desired name by which you wish to refer to the selected data source.

  6. Click OK to apply the name change and close the Change Data Source Name wizard.

Once you have named a data source, it will appear in the Named Data Sources dialog.

To link an object to a named data source using the Properties dialog

  1. Double-click on the desired object to open the Object Properties dialog. Alternatively, select Properties from the object's context menu.

  2. Select the desired data source from the Navigation Pane.

  3. Select the Data Source tab to view the Data Source property page.

  4. Next to the Name field, click the icon to open the Change Data Source Name wizard.

  5. Select Link to existing named data source.

  6. In the Named Data Source field, select the data source whose value you wish to use.

  7. Click OK to apply the name change and close the Change Data Source Name wizard.

To link an object to a named data source using drag and drop

  1. Select Data Sources in the Toolbox to display the Data Sources pane.

  2. Expand Named Data Sources to show all available named data sources.

  3. Click and hold down on the desired named data source.

  4. Drag the named data source to the desired object.

  5. Release the named data source.

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