Introduction

Spindle Document Distribution allows the use of ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) drivers to access external data sources. This can allow the automation to access data that are not available via the document printing process.

Sage 50 Accounts uses a proprietary database to hold the accounting system data, and ships with its own ODBC driver, allowing third party applications, including Spindle Document Distribution to read the data.

Applies to

• Spindle Professional 2009*
• Spindle Professional 2012*
• Spindle Professional v6*
• Spindle Document Distribution v7
• Spindle Document Distribution v8

* All references in this document to Spindle Document Distribution apply equally to Spindle Professional

Process

The ODBC drivers are set per machine, and are configured using the ODBC Source Administrator control panel. This can be found in Windows Control panel>Administrative Tools>ODBC Data Sources (32-bit). Note that there is a 64-bit equivalent to this control panel, but as Spindle Document Distribution is a 32-bit application, we are only interested in the 32-bit one.

Select the 32-bit driver that matches your Sage 50 version and click Configure...

Ensure the Data Path points to the correct accounts database file, then click OK to dismiss this window, and again to close the control panel.

You can now connect to the Sage 50 data using any ODBC compliant application, including Spindle Document Distribution (also MS Excel, Access etc).

Spindle Document Distribution Configuration

Open Spindle Document Distribution Tools>External Data

Under Data Sources, right-click and choose New Data Source:

Name the source and click Edit, and select Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers

Click Next >>. on this page select SageLine50v24 (or whichever version you configured in the ODBC control panel previously) as the data source name, and enter Sage 50 user credentials to connect (in the example below we have no password configured for the manager account):

When the Test Connection returns a success, click OK

Then OK again to dismiss the Data Link properties window.

Configure the Data Link

In the Data Links section, right click to create a new Data Link:

Name your new link and select your newly created data source from the drop-down list, the choose the table from the next drop-down:

From here you can specify the primary key and which Spindle Document Distribution command will be matched against it in the upper right and which commands you will assign to the data fields in the lower part of the window:

For further information on using External Data please see the Spindle Document Distribution help guide located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Draycir\Spindle Document Distribution\Help\Spindle Document Distribution.pdf, section 7.4.

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