To generate documentation or export metadata to a database of your choice via CLI, you simply execute a command with a few parameters.


TABLE OF CONTENTS



CLI command to generate documentation in PDF, MS Word, HTML, Excel, and CSV


The below information is required in order to pass parameters to BulkPro:

1. The source file storage directory

2. The desired output format

3. The destination folder for copying the output files


It is as simple as that.


rapiddox start -s <<sourcefolder>> -f <<outputformat>> -o <<outputfolder>>


ParameterDescription
-s <<sourcefolder>>

Full path to the source folder that contains the input Tableau files.

-f <<outputformat>>

You can generate various documentation and export metadata in various formats.

Document output options:  pdf | html | excel | csv 

-o <<outputfolder>>

The full path of the output folder into which the output files are to be created



ExampleS

 

To generate documentation in PDF format for all the twb/twbx files located in the /home/source folder and save it to the /home/output folder, you can use the following command:

 

rapiddox start -s /home/source -f pdf -o /home/output


 

To generate documentation in HTML format, you can use the same command with the following parameters:


rapiddox start -s /home/source -f html -o /home/output

 



CLI command to export metadata to a database


You must configure database connections in BulkPro before you export metadata.  Please visit the KB page on configuring databases.



Once you've configured your preferred database connections in BulkPro, you can utilize the "rapiddox start" command with the following set of parameters to process source files and export the resulting metadata to the database. Below is the syntax for the start command.


rapiddox start -s <<sourcefolder>> -f db -d <<databasetype>> -k <<keeplatest>> -o <<outputfolder>>


ParameterDescription
-s <<sourcefolder>>

Full path to the source folder that contains the input Tableau files.

-f <<outputformat>>

To export metadata to a database, you must use db as the parameter value.

-d <<databasetype>>

You must pass on the type of database in this parameter.

Options: mysql | mssql | postgres

-k <<keeplatest>>

When reprocessing previously handled source files, you have the choice to either overwrite existing records in the target database or retain them.


Selecting "true" as the option will result in the deletion of output records related to this file from previous runs, with only the output records from the current run being generated.


On the other hand, by choosing "false" as the option, the target database column named “latest” for all the output records pertaining to this file from the previous runs will be updated to false, and the output records from this run will be created with the “latest” column value as true.  This is to help you keep track of the historical changes in the source files.


 

Examples

 

Exporting to a MySQL database

rapiddox start -s /home/rapiddox/source -f db -d mysql   -k true

 

Exporting to a MS SQL database

rapiddox start -s /home/rapiddox/source -f db -d mssql   -k false


Exporting to a Postgres database

rapiddox start -s /home/rapiddox/source -f db -d postgres  -k true