Output to excel or xml

green squirrel

Hi there,
What I'd like is to only generate tables and columns, and put this info into excel. However, I see thats not possible (correct me if Im wrong?)
So I thought: ok, I'll create the html stuff, and read it as xml (in vba, for instance). The trouble is, I don't think the generated HTML is well formed - msxml2 parser doesnt like it.
So is it possible to output just pure xml?

OK thats it, thanks all.

peter.peart

Thanks for your post. Unfortunately, it's not possible to output to pure XML.

Out of curiosity, why do you want the outputted documentation in Excel format?

Peter

green squirrel

peter.peart wrote:

Thanks for your post. Unfortunately, it's not possible to output to pure XML.

Out of curiosity, why do you want the outputted documentation in Excel format?

Peter

We need to document our system, and we do not use vizio, so excel is the only alternative.
Im trying to do a database dictionary of all the relevant fields in all the relevant tables. I want to design excel in such a way that all fields can have a hyperlink (or something else) which allows them to automatically see the database dictionary definition by hovering or clicking. I was thinking about automatically launching the html one, but unfortunanately you can only open the page, not focus (and autoscroll ) onto the field definition.

So I have to do this the hard way.

Im a little bemused that theres no xml output, though - I would have thought the xml would have existed, and HTML page would have been created by running a transformation stylesheet over the xml.

Ah well. I suppose i could always create the xml myself using ....
SELECT objtype, objname, name, value
FROM fn_listextendedproperty (NULL, 'schema', 'dbo', 'table', 'claimmoney', 'column', default)
for xml auto, elements

... or something like that. Quite simple actually!

You guys should think about having an xml output option - nothing wrong with having raw, unadulterated data!
It would be easy after that - excel 2007 can open xml with no difficulty.

Anyway, thanks v much for getting back to me.