TDP 4.2 Loop Connections error: Object reference not set to an instance of an object

Toad Data Point & Toad Intelligence Central
1

Using TDP 4.2 64-bit on Windows 10
Am trying to see how to use Loop connections, but I keep getting an error.
Basic steps:

  1. I create a fresh automation, and click on “Loop Connections”
  2. It puts the little box in the designer, and then I select 2 valid Excel connections.
  3. I tried doing execute script, which I assume will run against each conn from the loop? I could not find where to specify the loop-conn as a variable.

but no matter what activity I put in the loop-conn, it always gets this error
Loop_connections_1 - Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

I even tried it with NO activity enabled, or just LOG activity, but same error.

I can find nothing in any logs that gives me any hint what is wrong.
Tried both with the excel connections already connected, and NOT connected - same result.
My Local Storage db is started.

I am my wit’s end, no idea how to fix this.
I will likely just give up on automation ,i find it very picky and tricky and impossible to debug on my own.
I get so frustrated…!! And I found zero docs/helps about loop-connection. only stuff for loop-dataset.

Any advice what is happening? thanks
-m.

2

I think you found a bug. i can’t get it work with Excel connections and get the same error. I am going to have QA test and enter bug ticket. perhaps we can find a work around. Can the excel data be imported to Local Storage (if you have the Pro edition)

3

I do have Pro edition, and I suppose i could look at importing to Local. That is my end intent anyway - I need to join the excel with a table in local db, to an excel file, to look up one piece of information, then store that in that local db. Since I can’t do an update in cross-db query , i had to try an alternative.
This is just a one-time thing, but i have hundreds of excel files (with non-standard names), so I was looking for some way to streamline it.
I was thinking this morning I might be able to just use some lookup, in excel itself , maybe that would work. I’ve already dumped out the local DB’s table to an excel sheet (it is a list of test cases with a bunch of meta data about them), so updating it in excel might be sufficient. But now i have to learn the excel syntax. I like SQL better :slight_smile:

I got the process to work manually but the automation bug is thwarting me.

If you can repro this in test, that is good. Please post back with the bug number, I’m keeping track of ones I’ve identified.
thanks

4

Issue is entered as QAT-13670 but unfortunately it has missed the cut off for the TDP 5.0 release. It will need to get fixed in 5.1.