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Operating on a Database requires at least one Project.
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A Database also has Database-level Defaults, which define certain Analysis/Sizing settings for all Projects in the Database. See Database Defaults for an explanation of each.
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All entities housed in the Property Tree are members of the Database and can therefore be shared between Projects and saved as part of Database Templates. This includes:
Properties:
Library (Referenced by Properties):
HyperX offers a wide variety of options for analysis settings and design criteria to be considered throughout the Analysis/Sizing process. The majority of these settings can be stored as inherent properties of the Database - "Database Defaults." In doing so, these defaults will be inherited by all Projects in the Database, rather than having to set them for each Project individually.
Database Defaults are set on the Database Default Form, which is launched from the 'Database' tab of the Ribbon. They are categorized by: Project Settings, Design Load Case Settings, Zone-specific settings, and Composite settings.
Advanced Settings for the Database and Project can be found by clicking the "Advanced Settings" button on the Database tab of the Ribbon.
In the resulting form, you can customize various settings related to expanding/modifying HyperX processes, specifying coefficient values, etc. These settings are applied to all Projects in a Database or just the current Project by using the "Global" or "Project" version of the setting, respectively.
A new Database can be created from scratch by launching a new instance of HyperX or from an existing Database by navigating to Database>New in the Ribbon.
Option #1: Create a New Database from a New HyperX Instance
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Launch HyperX.
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In the resulting window under 'New,' select a Database Template.
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Use the file browser to name the Database and select a file location. Click 'Save.'
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This ends the official 'Database Creation' process.
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To actually begin working in the new Database, continue to follow the steps and add a Project.
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Option #2: Create a New Database from an Existing, Open Database
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Navigate to the Database tab of the Ribbon and select 'New'.
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Select a Database Template.
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Use the file browser to name the Database and select a file location. Click 'Save.'
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This ends the official 'Database Creation' process.
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To actually begin working in the new database, continue to follow the steps and add a Project.
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Additionally, and particularly useful for collaborating team members working with HyperX, all Database-level entities and settings can be imported from one Database to another. This can be done directly from the parent Database, or via Excel spreadsheet.
Option #1: Import Database Data Directly from Database
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Navigate to the Database tab of the Ribbon and select the 'Import Database Data' button.
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Select 'From Database' in the rise-up menu.
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Use the resulting file explorer to navigate to the Database file (
.hdb3) to import from. -
Select all desired entities and settings for import using the Database Import Form.
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Click 'Import'.
Option #2: Import Database Data from Excel Spreadsheet
Note
This option will only include Materials, Laminates, and Laminate Families. Database Defaults, Projects, Design Properties, Analysis Properties, and Load Properties can only be imported using Option #1.
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Export all desired data from the original Database to an Excel spreadsheet. See Export Database Data.
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In the current Database - which is to import data from the original - navigate to the Database tab of the Ribbon and select the 'Import Database Data' button.
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Select 'From Excel' in the rise-up menu.
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Use the resulting File Explorer to navigate to the Excel file from (1) - which contains all data to be imported.
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Click 'Open'.
Selected Database data - namely Materials, Laminates, and Laminate Families - can be exported in bulk to Excel spreadsheet. This spreadsheet can be shared and reviewed among team members, as well as imported to another Database.
To export selected entities to Excel:
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On the Database tab of the Ribbon, select 'Export Database Data'.
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Use the resulting Database Export form to select all entities desired for export.
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Use the file explorer to give the Excel file a name and saving it to the desired location.
As of HyperX version 2023.3.9, users can use the Database Compare tool to compare ("Diff") two Databases to view and export a report all of the changes that exist between the Databases and Projects selected.
How-To Compare Databases
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On the Database tab of the Ribbon, select 'Project Data' and select 'Database Compare' from the dropdown.
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Set your desired inputs on the 'Database Compare' form.
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Set an 'Original Database' as the source of the comparison.
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Optionally, specify a Project within that Database for comparison.
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Set a 'Modified Database' as the target of the comparison.
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Optionally, specify a Project within that Database for comparison.
Note
The data compared by default is based on the number of Projects specified.
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If only one or no Projects are specified, only Failure Mode and Plugins data will be compared.
If Projects are specified for both Databases, data for Structures, Sets, Zones, Plies, Transitions, Joints, Section Cuts, Elements, Design Loads, CADs, and Discrete Fields will also be compared.
In the 'Compare' section, select additional aspects of the Databases to compare:
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Design, Analysis, and Load Properties - Will compare Property information between the Databases when selected.
Note
If you specify Projects for both Databases, Property information will automatically be compared whether this option is checked or not.
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Materials, Laminates, Fasteners, and Rivets - Will compare information about these entities in addition to the other data being compared.
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Project Setup - Will compare Advanced Settings (Database- and Project-level) and Rundecks in addition to the other data being compared.
Important
This selection will only have an effect if Projects are specified for both Databases.
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Press the 'Compare' button to compare the Databases based on your inputs and launch the 'Database Compare Simple Report' Form to view the results.
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Viewing and Exporting the Report
In the 'Database Compare Simple Report' form you can view all of the differences between the two Databases you've selected for comparison.
The top-level view will show all the categories of changes that exist between the two Databases. Each category in the 'Changes Detected' section can be expanded with each level of expansion showing greater detail about what specifically was changed.
The comparison results can also be exported as HTML by pressing the 'Details' button at the bottom of the form.
After clicking the button and selecting where to save the exported HTML, you can view and share all of the comparison results by viewing the file in a browser.
As of HyperX version 2025.1.4, users can manually compact Databases to potentially reduce their file size. You can select this option from the Database tab of the Ribbon.
Database compaction is automatically run during Database migrations, but this option allows users to manually compact the Database file. If you've been working on one version of a Database for a while and the file size has increased more than you'd like, compacting the Database might reclaim some of disk space.