SmarTeam Foundation Server Settings on a Client- Where did they go?

I have been answering this question a lot lately, so I thought I would take a moment and document it.

In the past, PRE V5R17, you could change the foundation location on a client by modifying the xml in the Machine.config file. The file is located in the "C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG" directory. That location could change based on what version of .NET you had installed and working with SmarTeam.

It has now been moved, to what I believe is a much better location. You can find the settings in the file: "SmarTeam.Std.LocalConfiguration.dll.config" in the "C:\Program Files\SMARTEAM\Bin" directory.

This config file is also an XML file and you will need a text editor or your favorite xml editor to make the changes. WARNING! Don't try to use MS Word or Wordpad.

Look for the machine name, or IP address, of your foundation server in the config file. The XML will begin with URL ->  <Url>tcp://m90-tech8:5606/

You need to change the Machine name between the forward slashes (//) and the colon (:)

Also note that there are 3 places in the file where this needs to be changed.

So there you have it... If you ever need to point your SmarTeam client to a new, or different, foundation server just follow the directions above.

No one wants to buy PLM…Part 6 of an infinite series

I am a PLM sales person…and the title of this blog entry may imply that I am whining about my job. While I am not immune to the occasional emotional episode / mild tantrum, the title of this blog entry has a purpose. I assure you that this purpose has nothing to do with my emotional state.

Companies that contact InFlow are generally not looking to buy a PLM solution. Rather, they are looking to solve complex issues in their organization. Often times, the connection between the issue and the definition of PLM is somewhat cloudy. Therefore, my goal in this series is to discuss some of these challenges that InFlow has addressed with PLM and some of the measurable success that our customers have achieved.

"Change, for lack of a better word, is good"

Excuse the cheap Gordon Gecko rip-off...but who else would you expect a sales guy to quote?  Change in any organization can be viewed as a good thing.  That is, unless you are the poor sap that has to deal with all of this change.

ECRs, or Engineering Change Requests, are the way that many companies request product and design changes within the product development group.  ECRs are product development’s answer to the corporate suggestion box:  They allow anyone from any department to recommend a product change in a formal manner.

ECRs are encouraged.  Many companies believe that their people should have as much input into product line improvements as market research studies and customer demand.

One of InFlow’s customers encourages this type of input from its employees…they posted sheets outside of the VP of Engineering’s office that were filled out and dropped in his mailbox.  This encouragement was not ignored…the VP processed an average of 15 ECRs per week.  The unfortunate part of this story is the process by which these ECRs were…well, processed.  The VP had to complete 50 manual steps before beginning the approval of an ECR.  These tasks included attaching documentation to support the change, reviewing inventory levels in the ERP system, filling out his form that mirrored the employees’ request, and determining the approval route.

Recently, this InFlow customer implemented PDMWorks Enterprise, a Data Management solution developed by Solidworks Corporation. Working with the InFlow team, the customer formalized the ECR process, created submittal and approval forms inside the system, and has created an automated notification system that routes the forms to the proper approvers.  This was completed in a little less than 3 weeks, and the results have been fantastic:  All 50 manual steps have been eliminated from the ECR process.  Furthermore, the submittal process happens online and is much easier for employees to access and complete.  The result:  The customer is completing 3 times as many ECRs.  However, their backlog of active ECRs has decreased by over 50%.  The company is generating more ECRs and processing them faster and more efficiently.

Gordon Gecko also said, “Lunch is for wimps.”  Be that as it may, our VP of Engineering certainly now has more time to take a well deserved lunch.  Enjoy.

PDMWorks Enterprise Viewer Options

PDMWorks Enterprise has different options when it comes to viewing files in the Vault.  There is an embedded eDrawings viewer for SolidWorks and AutoCAD.  There is also an embedded Stellent viewer which supports 400+ file formats, mainly Microsoft Office and Image files.  The Stellent viewer was recently acquired by Oracle and the attached PDF shows some of the file formats supported by the viewer.  Download stellent_support_viewer_files.pdf

For those who want to store files that are not supported by eDrawings or Stellent, you do have other options.  If you already use a viewer for your particular file type, you can simply integrate it by changing the viewer settings.  See screen shot:

This screen is found by right-clicking on users, and selecting "Settings".  Here you can virtually choose any 3rd party viewer and PDMWorks Enterprise will launch it when you select a file and perform a right-click "View/Markup".  This will open the file in a separate window, not to be confused with the embedded viewer (eDrawings and Stellent).  Any questions, send them to InFlow Technology...

InFlow Technology named on SolidWorks Service Partner page

With SolidWorks VARs beginning to present PDMWorks Enterprise to their customers, many VAR's are beginning the process of building an implementation team for the PDM/PLM application.  However, so far the demand for implementations have been so great that some resellers need additional help.  With this in mind, SolidWorks has put together a list of service providers to help resellers implement PDMWorks Enterprise.  So far, SolidWorks has listed 7 service partners (4 headquartered in the US).   InFlow Technology was named to this list earlier this year and has already worked with resellers around the country with great success.  Check out the SolidWorks Service Partners at http://www.solidworks.com/pages/partners/categories/service-partners.html.

Ouch! No More VB6!

I knew the day would come... and it is happening soon!

I just came across a note from SolidWorks discussing Visual Basic 6 and PDMWorks Enterprise...

For stability reasons, the 2008 version of PDMWorks Enterprise will no longer support VB6. If you have developed addins using VB6 you will need to convert them to VB.Net before upgrading to the 2008 release.

Also, make sure you use the "Multi-Threaded" option.

Working in .Net will also ensure that your addins work under x64 bit environments.

Inflow Technology has API services. Give us a call if you need help!

Control SmarTeam

This little tip has been around for a while and should work with older versions of SmarTeam.

If you hold down the control key while starting SmarTeam, you will get a dialog to choose what database you want to log into.

For those that don't have multiple databases, this tip won't do much for you. However, those that do have multiple databases might find it useful.

Anyone else have any little tricks they want to share?