AutoCAD Map 3D: Deciding When to Use Object Data

Object Data is available only to AutoCAD Map 3D users. Mapping systems may be designed to separate database functions from the graphic map, usually when the data is accessed and updated regularly.

Object Data is best used to document static data that is associated with an object, such as a sewer pipe diameter, type, length, and so on. This data does not require regular access by non-AutoCAD Map 3D users. Dynamic data, such as maintenance records, often requires multiple records to associated to a single object. Object data becomes cumbersome when more than one record in the same table is linked to a single object. Many functions, such as a query, thematic maps, and the properties palette, recognize only one record per object, regardless of how many are associated with the object.