Best way to get specifications into a set?

[jnr]

Maybe this is an age old question but has anyone figured out the best way to get specifications into a document set for small scale residential? In a time before they snuck ODBC into the software, I had to resort to creating the specs in excel, then copy and paste cells as an image into vectorworks (god forbid you had to modify anything after the fact). This was the only option as neither the clunky worksheets nor the built in database could do more than 255 characters. So far I have not wrapped my head around ODBC and am not sure it will help as it seems its more for outbound information and not import. I also recall that our cousin, Archicad had the capability of linking to Word and Excel about ten years ago.

thoughts?

[jnr]

So here's an update. have battled an export out of numbers to a .csv file, imported it into a big worksheet (including randomly lopped off text-eventhough cell is less than 255 limit), then have created viewports to make columns on the drawing sheet. Does force one to work in the every clunky archaic worksheets though. Its like working in vintage Lotus or worse. We seem to get more bells and whistles with each version, yet basic stuff like easier to use worksheets or the now insanely counterintuitive stair tool continue to languish or veer off the rails....go figure.

[J Lucas]

I use referenced pdf docs that can be replaced and thus updated. However, I fully agree with your observations.

[jnr]

J:

I don't use pdfs for this mostly because its just one more layer of crap to contend with when the goal ought to be to simplify and streamline the process. Why have to go thru the ridiculous exercise of exporting to a third party to then import? God forbid one makes any mistakes or has corrections and then have to do it all over again.

I'm completely baffled that given the hard sell on the virtues of BIM implementation across all scales of projects, that material specifications are left to languish in what is essentially late 1970's technology of the worksheets. All other aspects of the software have made quantum leaps in sophistication since I started using it as MiniCad 7. For the most part, the worksheet functionality and user interface has not fundamentally changed since then. If it were my company, I guess I would be embarrassed. I don't get it.