I think I can upload only one picture at a time? apologies for posting several times, pictures say a thousand words and all…
I set “comment” to the 1.00k resistor I want to use, and set footprint (in my case, it’s “1206 res”).
My “database” is an Excel file with all of those parameters in it. There is a setting file which I tell Altium how to link, what the lookup key is that is to say, and then what parameters I want to update/overwrite.
Later on I export to Excel (or csv in KiCAD).
[No picture needed here. 
]
I was able to import my Excel into Libre, just have to figure out next step…
You need to open one more topic and read nine more posts to self promote yourself, after which, you you will have no restrictions for posting pictures.
What you’ve described in posted images is darn-near (99%) Exactly the same process in Kicad - just called different words.
Doing the sequenced-steps you show (via images) BUT in Kicad is:
Assuming you have a Kicad Schematic open:
• Place a Symbol (or, Create one)
If placing a Symbol, Icon on side (can change values after placed)
If creating a Symbol, Click the Icon in Top Menubar…
You can set/change Values and Footprint anytime
• Menubar|Click Tools>Update_Symbols_From Library>Select what you want (be Careful!)
• Menubar|Click Tools>Generate_BOM
(select a CSV one…) Now, you got a CSV to use as you need…
You would have discovered all of the above if spending only 15 minutes clicking and exploring… (and, Trying it…) 
Ah, thanks (and apologies to all who I just spammed!).
Alright, digging into that… I see update from library, but not update from database at the moment (not that it will work, as I don’t have a lookup key set yet). Still making sense of the help documentation, I think I need to parse through this and set this up first, then update from library can point to this database.
Ok, I see, I make this file, add it to the symbol library table (haven’t gotten that far just yet).
Question: Does this support more than single key lookup? I usually use 3 fields for the key (comment/value, footprint, symbol name). It doesn’t say “no” but it doesn’t seem to indicate yes either. Guess I’ll find out soon enough.
Not seeing it just yet… The lookup key appears to need to be unique, but singular. I need to think about that a bit, it’s getting too late for my brain to process new data now. 
What I want to do is to match KiCAD “value” to what is called “comment”. Am guessing the fastest way is to change the database column heading to be “value” instead? last crazy thought of the day before turning in…
Don’t knowing new features in KiCad I think, understand the main difference between your way and my way.
Many years ago we tried to use Protel 3 to get all information needed for BOM but later we decided to make BOM externally. To not use element that we don’t plan to use and find it very late after generating BOM we decided that after placing element at schematic we don’t change its any parameters. So we had in Protel library separate symbol for each resistor value we use. And I copied that assumption when in 2017 I moved to KiCad. I have in KiCad libraries only elements I can use.
That way to use new element I have to add it in KiCad library and in my spreadsheet, and you do it only once - I think it is the main difference.
The habit to not edit values at schematic helps to keep our elements warehouse as small as possible and using new element is always after consideration.
We had a semi-automatic placement machine that had limited number of drawers and we prefered to have the same element set for as many as possible different PCBs so limiting the values used also helped.
I must understand what KiCad gives in this area and may be change totally my way.
This is quite different from what OP is describing. I think you’re talking about putting metadata into symbols manually, and exporting to a spreadsheet (as a BOM).
The critical thing OP wants is for the data to be pulled from a spreadsheet that already contains the metadata. This is what the database libraries feature does, although as mentioned it’s typically a “real” database rather than a spreadsheet.
1 Like
No, you need a single key for KiCad.
1 Like
True, I suppose but, to me the Important aspect to Know is that 'Once the Meta Data (Label Fields) are associated with a Symbol, using them in CSV or Database is simple and is a Choice user can make.
Further, user can Edit one of the Kicad BOM (python) scripts to customize it with Labels/Fields… Then, use the BOM tool. I’ve done a few of them - easy to do with basic knowledge… Once the BOM is created, use the desired Database program…
That said, To me, this his Morphing beyond using Kicad
There are several ways to get a Customized database from Kicad and the choice is up to User.
I conclude (my contribution) with Two Video’s showing:
• Adding Custom Fields to a Symbol (I used some of OP’s Field-Names and Values. Could be a Stock Kicad Symbol or User’s Symbol) And, can create a default template for it…
(can do individually and/or in Bulk Copy&Paste, shown in Video)
• Exported CSV from the Bulk-Edit Panel (I did Not use a BOM) for this one but, I did use a BOM in previous posts
(Note: In Libre, use ‘Spreadsheet Connection’ to ensure compatibility with Database…)
Video resolution is low (to keep file size within 4meg limit for posting). Did Not care about making these for Academy Award…
I am not sure if you understand this or not, but with the OP’s desired workflow (database libraries), you don’t put the metadata in the symbols. You keep symbols without any metadata, and instead store that metadata outside of KiCad (in a database)
So the user doesn’t want to “get a database from KiCad”, they want to have KiCad talk to a database.
1 Like
Yes, I understand that. Thus, that is why I stated,
OP’s info/screenshot of what to put in a file is posted above…
Have you actually tried that?
It looks like a different kind of junk:
In addition, I have a suspicion that Excel is not SQL 
KiCad currently only supports ODBC connections to SQL databases.
Excel is actually a SQL able database if you wish. You can run sql queries towards excel yes. I wouldn’t do it but it does work.
Appreciate the help from all. I was trying to avoid asking something that was in the “just go read the manual” category… sounds like, the single key lookup nixes what I am after. Which is fine, I will just have to figure out different method for my KiCAD projects, that’s all. The Excel file I use in Altium, I started that like 15 years ago and once I had a process, just stuck to that process, right way or not–it worked for me.
I’ll go back to reading the basics now and poking around, and then later on figure out how, if possible, to merge two EDA tools to use one database. [As it is, after I started on this, I realized, at work I’m not allowed to create an Access database, not without lots of approvals. So making an LibreOffice database, while very interesting, isn’t something I can take back to work.] Or have a different workflow for KiCAD projects, different methods for a different EDA tool.
Worst case (best case?), I could learn how to do simple string programming, read in a file, look for keywords, edit, etc. Several years ago I had a coworker write a program that would import an Excel BOM, compare against the Excel database, and update as necessary. I wonder if a similar workflow could be done in KiCAD: close the schematic file, run some script that opens the schematic, looks for any element, finds a match to the DB, and then updates parameters accordingly. When the schematic file was opened up, all the updated parameters would be seen. Way, way beyond my ability at the moment.
Again, thank you all.
Why? Can you say more about why this is a dealbreaker? It is extremely common to need a “primary key” in a database (whether that databse is an Excel spreadsheet or not). If by “lookup” you just mean search, you can bring in as many columns as you want and search all those columns, you just need a column that contains unique values per row. This is typically an internal or manufacturer’s part number.