Anyone here ever integrate data from a database to Adobe InDesign? We are looking to not have to hand create the tables in our pricebook going forward but simply pull it in from Epicor (even if there are between steps like Epicor->Excel->InDesign or Epicor->XML->InDesign). I’ve seen that there are some pretty basic data features in InDesign but for what we need to do I think we are going to be looking for a third-party plugin of some description. An example of what we are looking to populate is below.
Some of the data sections have some pretty particular requirements so if we were able pull by filtered query or use multiple datasources and assign to areas that would be primo. I’m used to flexibility of web this InDesign stuff is for the birds!
Will this help? Variable Import
I did something similar with illustrator. Should be the same for InDesign.
Only thing is it looks like you have to one to one map those variables and if we add or remove products,colors,lines we would have to go adjust the variables anyways. Unless I misunderstand how the build in merger works.
I must be missing something since you would be altering the layout to add/update variables anyways or you can use a generic variable for the columns: co11, col2, col3
where each column relates to a column and you could rearrange the layout without changing the variable names. Sorry maybe I just don’t fully understand the request.
Also there is a variable importer script to make it more flexible with a tutorial here
Basically just to fill the whole table space with a query.
From this data that contains our stock pricing
From what I see above in your new post, my suggestion would be to develop a standard excel file formatted how you want already to fit on the pages containing tables, and do a save to PDF where each pages table set of data fits on your page and then just link the file to the pdf and it will update for you when you open it & refresh links. Then you are using excel to do the SQL connect and formatting and PDF export to be easily imported/overlaid onto your design template (I have done this too for some catalogs I designed before).
Hmmm unless I can find a more elegant solution that may be the way we go. So you can embed a PDF inside the InDesign file?
Well, I KNOW it works in illustrator just fine I would believe InDesign is the same and just a matter for tweaking your design to fit the table data and vice-versa. I found it to be easier to have a master template with links to all the individual pages as linked imports and edit each page on it’s own and do link refresh on the master once the pages were done. InDesign should be the same/similar.
(Plus I am comfortable with the menus & toolsets in Illustrator. Seems that was also how I did this same type of process when I dabbled in InDesign about 5 yrs ago and I ended up going with this method above through illustrator)