Data Bridge

KvalCAM Data Bridge is a small Windows utility for moving data in and out of KvalCAM in batches. Use it to import Door Jobs, Door Data, and Feature Groups from a file, or to export them to a file you can back up or share with another KvalCAM installation.

Data Bridge talks to KvalCAM through the KvalCAM REST API. Before you start:

• The KvalCAM API must be enabled. See Enabling the API.
• KvalCAM must be running. Data Bridge can't connect to it otherwise.

Download and Run

Download Data Bridge from the KvalCAM page on the Kval website, or download version 2.0.0 directly.

Data Bridge is a portable application, so there is nothing to install. Double-click KvalCAM Data Bridge 2.0.0-win.exe to start it.

IMPORTANT

Windows may stop the application from starting and show a Windows protected your PC message, because the file is not signed with a recognized publisher certificate. If you downloaded it from the Kval website, it is safe to run: select More info, then Run anyway.

As a rule, only run a file past this warning when you trust where it came from.

Connect to KvalCAM

When Data Bridge starts, it connects to KvalCAM using the default API settings: host http://localhost and port 9707. The connection status in the upper left reads Connected and shows the KvalCAM version, and the main screen lists the machines set up in KvalCAM.

If the status reads Disconnected:

1. Make sure KvalCAM is running and its API is enabled.
2. Select the Settings (gear) button next to the connection status.
3. Enter the Host and Port that KvalCAM's API uses. The port is the WebAPIHostPort value set when enabling the API. Select Restore Defaults to go back to http://localhost and 9707.

It can take a few moments for Data Bridge to reconnect after you change these settings.

Working with Data

Data Bridge has a screen for each type of KvalCAM data. Select one in the menu on the left:

• Door Jobs
• Door Data
• Feature Groups

All three screens work the same way, so the examples below use Door Jobs. Each screen lists every file of that type in KvalCAM's database, with its Name, Description, Created date, and Updated date.

• Type in the Filter box to narrow the list.
• Select Refresh to reload the list from KvalCAM.
• Select Import or Export to move data in or out, as described below.

Imports and exports run in the background. Their progress is shown in the lower left of the window, which reads No tasks queued when nothing is running.

Importing

Data Bridge imports .kjson files. Any file exported by Data Bridge is ready to import.

TIP

A .kjson file is JSON in the KvalCAM API's format. If you have a valid KvalCAM API JSON file that Data Bridge doesn't recognize, change its file extension from .json to .kjson.

To import, select Import, choose the file, and choose an import strategy:

Strategy	What it does
Create Only	Adds every item in the file as a new item, even if it already exists in KvalCAM.
Update or Create	Matches items by their Id. If an item with the same Id is already in KvalCAM, it is updated. If not, it is added as a new item.

WARNING

Create Only can leave duplicates in KvalCAM if you import the same file twice. Use Update or Create to bring KvalCAM up to date from a file without creating duplicates.

Exporting

1. Select the items to export. To select every item, select the checkbox in the heading row, next to Name. The Export button is unavailable until at least one item is selected.
2. Select Export.
3. Choose a name and location for the file, then save.

When the export finishes, Data Bridge shows where the file was saved.