Earlier this week I I took part in training, offered by our VAR, on PDMWorks Enterprise (PDMWE) 2008. For the past 5 years, or so, I have been involved in a few PDMWorks Workgroup (PDMWW) implementations and I continue to have nothing but praise for the software. I am not afraid to admit it’s shortcomings but it does do an awesome job when used within it’s limits. In my current position, I administer a PDMWW vault that has been customized so much that most PDMWW administrators would not be able to recognize it. Using custom scripts, we have been able to add extra functionality that allows us to use the system in accordance with our Document Control requirements. After this weeks training, I have learned that all the extra functionality that we added to PDMW is available in PDMWE right out of the box. In lieu of  the SolidWorks tips I normally offer on Mondays, I am going to offer you a brief introduction to what PDMWorks Enterprise offers and how it differs from PDMWorks Workgroup.

A Quick Introduction to PDMWorks Enterprise

PDMWorks Enterprise started out it’s life as Conisio, an engineering document management system offered by GCS Scandinavia AB, before the company was acquired in May of 2006 by the SolidWorks Corp. PDMWE is a Product Data Management (PDM) system that, like it’s sister product PDMWW, aides in the organization and management of product data in a multi-user environment. Unlike PDMWW, PDMWE is fully integrated into Windows Explorer which should make training end users a lot easier since most, not all, users are familiar with using Windows Explorer.

The Fundamentals of PDM

Most PDM systems, including PDMWW and PDMWE, share the same DNA when it comes to basic capabilities. Some do it better then others and some still are more adapted to different industries. Listed below are the basic capabilities of most PDM systems:

• Organize product or project files – Each PDM product is different and admittedly I have not seen very many but based on my personal experience, PDM systems do a great job of organizing your companies project files in a clear easy to use manner.  Our current systems allows us to easily organize our SolidWorks data based on design groups and product hierarchy.
• Secure vaulting/retrieval, versioning and revisioning of files – Your product or project data, including CAD data and supporting documents, are stored in a central secured location on your network. As checked out documents are modified and checked back into the vault, the versions and/or revision is incremented allowing all product history to be maintained.
• Change control and sharing – A multi-user collaboration environment is where PDM systems shine. Access to project or product data can be controlled by limiting certain groups and users access to files at different document states. As most users can agree, a non-controlled multi-user environment can be a scary place. Someone can make changes to a file that you may be referencing that can ultimately cause problems for your entire project.
• Searching and reporting -  As the number of files in your company grow, it may prove to be nearly impossible to find the files you are looking for in a timely manner. This has to be one of my favorite aspects of PDM, being able to search your vault quickly and even creating a report based on your search criteria.
• Tracking file references – Anybody in an engineering environment can contend that be able to track where a document such as a part file is being used or what parts are being referenced by an assembly can be very important. One of my favorite things about PDM is as you rename and move parts, drawings or assemblies the references are maintained. Try doing that outside of PDM without having to jump through some hoops.
• Automating audit trails – Audit trails are very important for regulatory compliance. Audit trails are created to track when documents were accessed, modified or routed and by whom.

How PDMWE Approaches Product Data Management

At the risk of sounding like a reseller of PDMWorks Enterprise, PDMWE performs the tasks described above marvelously. In case your wondering, I have nothing to gain by you buying or implementing PDMWorks in your organization, not that I wouldn’t accept a kick back of some sort , I am just here to introduce you to how PDMWE is an awesome PDM package. (Wow, that last sentence sounds like I really drank the Kool-aid!) I will not tell you how PDMWE is better then any other PDM package out there because I have never used any other package except for PDMWW. So I will only be able to briefly describe PDMWE’s approach and how it differs from PDMWW.

• Full integration into Windows Explorer – In my personal opinion, the most important aspect of PDMWE is its integration into Windows Explorer. This allows non-SolidWorks users to be able to contribute to the project flow unlike with PDMWW which was only available through SolidWorks and SolidWorks Explorer. Shown below is the PDMWE interface in Windows Explorer, courtesy of Lou Gallo.
• PDMWE uses Microsoft SQL Server - I don’t know how other packages are built but PDMWE is much better then PDMWW because it is uses a true database. PDMWW does not use a database instead it uses a flat folder structure which can be limiting especially as your vault grows. With PDMWE being based on Microsoft SQL we can quickly and easily transfer data to and from outside applications such as out ERP and XML based PDF forms.
• Better Support for Large Organizations – PDMWW was originally design for much smaller groups located in the same general vicinity. PDMWE is optimize for large organizations that may access the vault data form remote locations via a WAN. Remote File Vault Server replication localizes the data to other areas in your organization decreasing file access times when opening CAD data remotely.
• Improved Workflow Support - PDMWW had a basic workflow support using lifecycles. With lifecycles you were able to advance documents through the various document milestone from Creation, Release and through Obsoletion. This system works fine but it still is very limited since it only allows for one workflow for the entire vault and some task such as delete and rename are allowed all-or-none access to users. With PDMWE each document type, group or category can have it’s own Workflow. This allows different group types such as marketing, sales, graphic design, document control and engineering (to name a few) to each have their own workflow with it’s own set of rules and access rights. Using States and Transitions each step of the workflow can access controlled, operations automated or process controlled. Shown below is a typical workflow used in PDMWE:

• ‘Smart’ Files – PDMWE supports every file format supported by MS Windows, including but not limited to .slddrw, .dwg, .xls, .doc, .pdf, .txt, .ai, .psd, .gif, .jpg, .idd, etc.  When a files is checked into the vault it becomes smart. No it didn’t suddenly get a brain, instead it becomes smart with the addition of property information, or metadata. This allows you to associated information such as part numbers, descriptions, owners, customer information, material, etc. with any and all documents stored in the vault.
• ‘Smart’ Folders – As with documents stored in the vault, folders can also be associated with metadata that can be used to describe the project contained in the specified folder. This makes organizing projects a lot easier.
• File and Folder Data Cards – Data Cards provide a simple interface for adding and updated properties for folders and files. Each Data Card can be easily modified by the system administrator, using a VB like interface with drag-and-drop objects, to meet the company needs for each document type.
• Notifications – PDMWE has built in, right out of the box, the ability to send notifications to users or groups the status of a document in various states in the workflow. This extends the ability to managers or departments to provide approvals when a document is updated. Notifications do not require a separate email system to be set up but it does allow for SMTP usage if needed. PDMWW did not have a easy notification system built into the environment. Third-party applications would have to be used to send out notifications in PDMWW.

Conclusion

Well that was just a quick overview of PDMWorks Enterprise. I could have gone one more but I think that was enough for one day. I am not an expert on PDMWorks Enterprise, yet, but I am here to answer any questions you may have. I am a lot stronger at PDMWorks Workgroup and I am definately more confortable describing PDMWW. If there is an interest, I can continue more coverage on PDMWE as I learn more. Let me know what you think. In case you are wondering, I will not describe any process or procedure my company implements since it could possibly be disclosing proprietary information but any general PDM information is free to describe.

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