Keeping yourself and others in your company current with activities can be a constant challenge. The SOLIDWORKS Manage Web Client (Plenary Web Client) helps manage this while keeping users engaged across devices. This client interface has the full look and feel of the desktop client and while allowing internal or external users to connect to the SOLIDWORKS Manage environment and any connected SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vaults through web-enabled portals from devices with an internet browser such as computers, smartphones, and tablets, all without installing any software.
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So, you have made the decision to get a product data management (PDM) system to manage your company data so you do not lose your files, track changes and a variety of other benefits. That’s great! Now you are being asked who is going to be the administrator for the system, and you have no idea of what that really means. What does it take to be a PDM Admin? How much of your valuable time is going to be occupied by administrative duties for PDM? Are you going to have to access the server? Let’s dive a little bit more into these roles.
First, SOLIDWORKS introduced us to a Bill of Materials (BOM) table on the drawing that was updated to match the components in the assembly. Then we moved to SOLIDWORKS PDM where we could look at a BOM without even opening the assembly and save it out if needed. Now we have moved to SOLIDWORKS Manage, where we can create BOMs from assemblies, add items to the BOM that are not CAD related, and easily run comparisons.
How could life get better for companies that gather information in their BOMs? SOLIDWORKS Manage 2022 brings two new features for BOMs to the table to help us make our work lives even more efficient. Now you can share an editable BOM with someone who does not have Manage, and you can use a BOM from Manage in your SOLIDWORKS drawing.
When working within a PDM system, it’s important to understand what a local file is and why it should be utilized rather than working strictly over a network. Many SOLIDWORKS and CAD users need a powerful data management system to organize their files to implement different workflows, maintain quality and have maximum efficiency when modeling. Rather than deal with any of these tasks manually, SOLIDWORKS PDM allows multiple users to work on a data set without stepping on each other’s toes, and it does so by being a network-based program.
I love SOLIDWORKS PDM and how it makes life easier for an engineer to do their job and keep their files in one secure location. With that said, I’ll admit that there are times when you just need more from PDM with regards to the Bill of Materials (BOM). I mean, who wants to model oil, glues, etc. just to have them be on a BOM? I get it, I really do. Having those materials accounted for ensures that when the assembly person goes to grab the grease, it’s there, but having to put blank models inside an assembly?
SOLIDWORKS PDM is awesome for storing your files and making sure that everyone follows the rules to get products into the customer’s hand. In SOLIDWORKS PDM, you can locate files by searching for them using the information stored in the database. Even with this searching ability, some companies prefer to have folders to organize their files. So, what can you do to keep your vault clean? SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional provides the right tools to help you organize your vault. Let's take a look as I’ll run through a couple of them right now.
SOLIDWORKS PDM is a phenomenal tool that can help you stay on top of your data. While using SOLIDWORKS PDM for storage of my files, or to show someone how to use PDM, I find myself using a few tools over and over. It is surprising to me how often our clients do not use these options, so I thought I’d share five of my favorites, and hopefully make your work a little easier.
When SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional (formerly known as Enterprise PDM) was introduced it was bundled with Microsoft SQL Standard server and user licenses. Anyone who bought SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional during this time also received licenses for Microsoft SQL Standard bundled in with the purchase. SOLIDWORKS has made several announcements over the past couple of years, regarding future updates and how they would interact with SQL licenses, and a significant change is coming with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2022.
I think I can safely assume that if you are reading this that you are looking for a better way to manage your SOLIDWORKS design files, supporting documents and product development process. Well, SOLIDWORKS offers three different data management solutions: SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard, SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and SOLIDWORKS Manage, but how do you know which one is the best fit for your company?
In this blog, we will review the differences, clear up some questions you may have, and help you determine which is the right data management solution for you. First, let’s start by looking at the purpose and capabilities of product data management (PDM) tools and then, how each of these SOLIDWORKS products meet the need.