PDMWorks Enterprise and Microsoft Dynamics

InFlow Technology has recently put the technology in place to integrate PDMWorks Enterprise with Microsoft Dynamics.  Currently the implementation supports Microsoft Dynamics GP (Great Plains), but could be easily adopted for Dynamics AX or NAV.  The first screenshot shows the engineering BOM in PDMWorks Enterprise.  The second screenshot shows the BOM imported into Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0.

         

Here is how it works:

From within PDMWorks Enterprise, the user simply approves a CAD Assembly such as SolidWorks, Inventor, or SolidEdge.  From here a trigger outputs a file that is automatically formatted and imported into Microsoft Dynamics.  A Bill of Material and/or item master records can be imported into Microsoft Dynamics and the transaction completes within a few moments of the PDMWorks Enterprise approval.  If you don't have an approval process in PDMWorks Enterprise, just add a transition to manually send the data to Microsoft Dynamics (see screenshot).

What will this do for you?

If you are a user of Microsoft Dynamics and PDMWorks Enterprise, this integration will reduce the time it takes to move engineering BOM data into your ERP system.  You can save hours upon hours of labor cost and also reduce errors associated with data entry.  If you are interested in learning more about the integration, just contact InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise Report Generator

For users of PDMWorks Enterprise, you may notice the menu item "Report Generator" under the Tools menu in PDMWorks Enterprise.  There is information in the help about this tool, but in general terms, it allows users to plug in SQL queries to their PDMWorks Enterprise implementation.  For example, if you want to run a report such as:

• Users in a particular group
• Groups that the logged-in user belongs to
• Logged In users (report with License Type in use)
• Assembly Structure of an Assembly
• Complete Where Used report including all revisions
• Documents with Specified Configuration
• Documents in a particular state

These are just a few.  In fact, any SQL query can be turned into a report that can be imported into the Report Generator and executed by regular users.  The Reports are saved in a CRP format.  I have attached examples in a crp file.  (Download PDMWE_Sample_Reports.crp) 

Simply double click on this file to import the reports into your current vault.  From there, you just have to select which users/groups will have access to the reports.

To run the report, go to Tools > Report Generator (see screen shot)

Select the report to run and click the green arrow.  If you are running the report on a file, as shown in the screenshot, just drag and drop the file(s) into the report window before running.

PDMWorks Enterprise SolidWorks 2008 Migration Utility

Included in the latest Service Pack of PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 is a utility for upgrading all your SolidWorks files in your PDMWorks Enterprise vault to a SolidWorks 2008 format.  The utility comes in your PDMWorks Enterprise installation package under the folder "\Support\File Version Upgrade".  The utility is called "File Version Upgrade.exe".  Double click on this exe file on your file server and it will install the necessary files in your PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 Program Files directory.  There you will find a file called UpgradeUtility.exe with a help file to get you started.  Before you install, you need to be at PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 SP2 and you need SolidWorks 2008 and a PDMWorks Enterprise client installed on the machine that you are using for the upgrade.  It will use a seat of SolidWorks during the upgrade.  Below are some features:

1. Ugrade based on file type (ie sldprt, sldasm)
2. Upgrade based on file state or based on some data card variables
3. Break your upgrade job into mulitple jobs
4. Share processing across multiple computers
5. Stop and start the migration and it picks up where it left off
6. The tool will not attempt the upgrade if the file is already SolidWorks 2008
7. The application can automatically increase the system version (optional)

Keep in mind, that each SolidWorks file will be opened and save automatically in SolidWorks 2008 so you will not be able to open files in SolidWorks 2007.  You also have to make sure all files are checked in before starting.  If you PDMWorks Enterprise vault is large, you probably want to do this in batches during off hours to reduce impact on SolidWorks users.  Also, remember to BACK UP your vault before progressing with the upgrade.  Any questions...forward to InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 Language Options

In the latest release of PDMWorks Enterprise 2008, we saw some additional languages added.  So, at this moment, PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 supports English, French, Korean, Russian, Czech, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish.

From an IT perspective, it can be difficult to deploy in multiple languages, so all end user clients can be rolled out in one language and then changed after the fact.  In fact, the language choice can be made from the administration tool, just by changing user or group settings.  It is easy.  Just right-click on a user or group in the admin tool and select settings.  There is a tab called Language.  From there you can select a drop down menu to set the language for that user or group  (See image).  The language will take affect during the next reboot.

Using this tool, IT can deploy one client type, and the PDM admin can set or change the language settings whenever appropriate.  Any questions, send to InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 Improves Security Options

With the launch of PDMWorks 2008 SP2, there is a new security option that is available for use.  Now users can choose to select specific files and decide whether or not they want to share the files with other users or block access.  To control the permissions, right-click on a file, Properties, and go to the permissions tab.  See image:

Here is a little summary:  Before this addition, the security of a file was typically determined by vault location and lifecycle state.  In other words, if you were in the engineering department, and you had rights to see all files in the "New Projects" vault, then you could see all files, no matter who created them.  With this new option, an individual user can chose to deny access to a file or set of files.  OR the administrator can set an option to deny access to any file created by a specific group.  In other words, if you are in the R&D group, you can create files all over the vault and no one can see those files except others in the R&D group.

Of course, this gives an individual a lot of power, and "With great power, comes great responsibility."  Any user can just decide to hide files in the vault.  So, this is a permission that the administrator has to grant a user or group.  Otherwise the option is not available.  The administrator can modify the option by editing the normal security profile for a group or user and selecting the option shown in the image.

 

Blank Drawing Data Cards????

Having issues getting information into a drawing data card even though the titleblock is filled out and the part data card is completely filled out?

Well PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 has the answer.

Just follow these steps:

Create an additional block/attribute mapping for just the drawing extension (slddrw). Use the block name ”$PRPSHEET” (note that it must be spelled with capital letters) and the attribute name should be the property you want to retrieve from the model, for example ”Description”. Note to keep the existing description custom property mapping for the drawing as well. (i.e. CustomProperty/Description).

NOTES

• The PDMWorks Enterprise SolidWorks add-in must be enabled.

• The linked properties will be copied / updated each time the drawing is saved from within SolidWorks.

PDMWorks Enterprise...Why so blue?

For those who use PDMWorks Enterprise, you may have noticed a time when all your folders turn from green to blue (see image on left).  You may think your PDM system is sad, and then you may become sad because you will quickly realize that you can't see the file data card, you can't search, and you can't see all the files.  Your menus will be disabled and even if you reboot, the folders will not go green again.  Weird, huh?

Well, the truth is that you are simply in offline mode.  This mode is available so users can work while not connected to the vault.  In Offline mode, users can be on a plane and be able to open any file that is in their cache.  For those who are unfamiliar with the cache, basically every file you ever view or edit is stored in your local cache.  While offline you can access these files, however you are limited to file access.  You cannot search the vault, view the data card, or generally do anything that requires an actual connection to the database.

So how does one get into "Offline Mode"?  Normally users stumble into offline mode accidently when they try to log into the vault when they are not on the network.  The login prompt will ask you if you want to Work Offline and, if you say "yes", the system will go offline and stay offline until you decide to "Work Online" again.  To go back online, just browse into the blue folders, and go to Tools > Work Online. (see image)

So, don't be sad.  Your PDM system is doing exactly what it is supposed to do.  Any questions about this, contact InFlow Technology.

I ain't afraid of no Ghosts...

In the spirit of Halloween, I want to tell you a ghost story.  This ghost story is about something scary for PDM administrators.  I am talking of course, about PDMWorks Enterprise ghosts, a frightening apparition to those who do not understand.  Here is the 411.  A PDMWorks Enterprise ghost object is created when a file or folder is downloaded to a local user's cache, but then later removed from the vault.  When this happens, as the picture shows, the folder or file becomes light gray in the cache, thus giving it a ghost-like appearance.

 

This will happen if a user has already cached a file or folder and then the object is deleted or renamed in the vault.  The object in the vault is updated, but any file or folder that has been downloaded to a local cache is not automatically changed.  It gets flagged as "Read-Only, Not part of Vault" and gets a "ghost" icon.  To get rid of them as a user, just delete them.  As an admin, there is a setting that automatically slimes these ghosts.  Just follow these steps and your house will be clean:

1.  Go to the admin tool and right click on Users

2.  Select Settings

3.  Select the Explorer Tab

4.  Check the box on the option marked "Automatically delete local read-only files that are not part of the file vault"  (See snapshot)

Select OK and the ghost files and folders are removed.  This setting can be global or defined specifically for groups or users.  Questions...send them to InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 License flexibility

With the release PDMWorks Enterprise 2008, there are some enhancements related to how the client licenses are used.  In previous versions, the administrator had to decide the license type that a user needed up front and the user could not change it after the initial installation.  For example, if a user needed read/write license only 10% of the time, and view only access 90% of the time, the user still needed a PDMWorks Enterprise contributor license or "editor" license.  Now the user can change the license type by opening the Administration tool, selecting help, and choosing the required license from the drop down list (see attached image).  The user has to reboot the computer following each license change, so it's not something a user would want to do all the time.  But it does improve the flexibility of the PDMWorks Enterprise environment.

PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 ERP Export and Import

Recently there was a post announcing the release of PDMWorks Enterprise 2008.  This product has some new import and export capabilities to exchange information with other applications, such as ERP or CRM. 

Here is what you can do:

• Create sets of variable aliases to map PDMWorks Enterprise BOM variables to ERP data
• Import data from an ERP application into SolidWorks by creating import rules
• Export data from SolidWorks to an ERP application by creating export rules
• Import ERP data to populate PDMWorks Enterprise lists (drop down menus on data cards)

Here are some screenshots.  The first screenshot shows the mapping for exporting from SolidWorks.  The second screenshot shows a workflow transition used to trigger the export to ERP.  The third screenshot is the import setup screen.  Any questions regarding functionality or setup, contact InFlow Technology.

   

DWG Viewing options for PDMWorks Enterprise

As you may or may not know, PDMWorks Enterprise supports the viewing and revision control of DWG (AutoCAD) files as well as SolidWorks.  When it comes to viewing DWG, you do have options.  The Preview tab will automatically choose True View, VoloView, or eDrawings depending on which you have installed on the client machine.  When installing PDMWorks Enterprise, it will automatically install eDrawings, but if you have True View or Voloview, it will use one of those viewers instead.  PDMWorks Enterprise uses the following order when selecting the viewer:

1. Trueview
2. Volo® View
3. eDrawings
4. Saved bitmap in file

If you have Trueview or Voloview installed and you want to use eDrawings instead, it is a simple registry setting.  I have attached the registry settings in a zip file.  Download PDMWE2007-_Change_DWG_preview_application.zip   Make sure you consult your local PDMWorks Enterprise administrator before making any registry changes.  Any questions, contact InFlow Technology.

SolidWorks Releases PDMWorks Enterprise 2008

This is a release  we at InFlow have been looking forward to for a while. SolidWorks Corporation today unveiled PDMWorks Enterprise 2008. SolidWorks has done a great job of listening to what is going on in the field and improving an already strong product. We  will be talking about the specifics as time goes on, but to give you a taste of whats new ...

Improved support of SolidWorks Configurations

This has gone from a weak spot for PDMWE to a true strength. The new version allows access to the structure of each configuration without launching SolidWorks. This information can also be used to create reports and BOMs.

Better control and management of Bills Of Materials(BOMs)

Multiple BOMs now be created for for an assembly. For example, you can have a separate BOM for as designed, as Manufactured, as Serviced, etc.

BOMs can be routed through work flow. This allows you to route them for approvals or distribution and more.

Using the PDMWE, multiple people can review and edit BOMs without installing SolidWorks. This allows non CAD users contribute to the BOM creation process.

BOMs can now include units of measure.

Improved Connectivity to External Systems

Many companies we talk to put integration to external business systems (ERP) high on the list of priorities. PDMWE 2008 makes a bigger piece of this task a configurable tool rather than a customization. Communication can be triggered manually, or via a work flow. Communication is done via XML files. This process is bi-directional. As an example, this capability can be used to send BOM information to your ERP system and get costing information pushed back into PDMWE.

Improved replication across multiple sites

PDMWorks Enterprise 2008 features faster, more powerful replication of design files across distributed organizations. It optionally replicates only the latest version of design files for faster, less processing-intensive downloads. New capabilities enable design engineers to easily find the current version of any part or project, eliminating confusion and errors.

Other improvements:

• Improved foreign language support
• Performance improvements

There is a lot more to discuss. More to come.

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!

PDMWorks Enterprise Workflow - Lifecycles vs. Routes

For those who use PDMWorks Enteprise, you will notice that all documents are assigned a workflow when they are added to the vault.  These workflows are developed using the Workflow Editor (here is an example).

Everything from a CAD drawing to a word document will have a workflow assigned.  Because of this, we have seen some people confuse workflow with document routing.  In PDMWorks Enterprise, a workflow can serve two purposes, Document Lifecycles and Document Routing.  Here is the difference:

Document Lifecycle:  This applies to documents that undergo revision control.  For example, a SolidWorks drawing may start out as "Work In Progress", then move to "Pending Approval", then "Approved".  Once Approved, the drawing gets a new revision which moves it back to "Work in Progress." The file goes through "Pending Approval" and "Approved" once again and then goes through this loop every time a new revision is required.  This path represents the lifecycle of the drawing.

Document Routing: This applies to documents that need to be "delivered" to various users in an organization.  For example, an ECN would be attached to a route that could start at "Initiated", move to "Engineering Review", "Manufacturing Review", to "Completed."  In this case, the workflow has a beginning and end.

So, as you are working on your SolidWorks Drawing workflow, keep in mind that drawings are typically lifecycled not routed.  If, you need to route your solidworks drawings to various departments for approval, usually we see those being attached to ECNs or New Drawing processes that have their own forms and routes.  If anyone has any questions, just reply to the post or send comments to the team at InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise Flexible Notification

                 

If you are interested in more flexible notification when using PDMWorks Enterprise work flow, InFlow has developed a tool to assist. We wrote about this before, but now, there is a video that explains how it works.

Sharepoint to PDMWorks Enterprise Migration

This is a post to highlight some recent successes in migrating from Microsoft Sharepoint to PDMWorks Enterprise.  The migration is accomplished through the use of a migration application in combination with a process to extract and "prepare" the data for migration into PDMWorks Enterprise.  We were able to migrate lots of different office documents with revision history.

So, if you own (or are looking at) PDMWorks Enterprise and you have a current installation of Sharepoint.  We can help migrate the data...just ask InFlow Technology for help.

PDMWorks Enterprise Alert!

The stored procedures must be updated to service pack 3.1 when upgrading to PDMWorks Enterprise 2007 SP03.

You can download SP3.1 here from the SolidWorks support site. Please give Inflow Technology a call if you need any assistance.

No one wants to buy PLM…Part 3 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.

“Maintaining your largest client”

When your largest and most important client tells you that “you will outsource your design work or you will lose us as a client,” you have 2 choices:  You outsource the design work, or you lose the client.

If anyone is calling me “Captain Obvious” after reading that statement, you are probably not alone…

Outsourcing is a reality for many InFlow customers…we run across very few companies that are not designing, manufacturing, outsourcing, or assembling outside of the US.  This particular customer was no exception.

InFlow’s customer was bidding on a multi-million dollar contract to design large automation equipment for their primary client.  The client had received other bids:  If the customer were not willing to outsource a share of the design work to a lower cost labor pool, they would simply be priced out of the contract.  However, the project management had to remain stateside, where the bulk of the product/customer familiarity existed.  The company was lucky enough to have a large labor pool in India.  However, this did not solve the issue of collaborating on the project.

As many of us know, CAD files are big, especially when you are dealing with assemblies made up of thousands of parts.  They are too large to email in most cases, and opening them up from a remote server can take several hours.  Furthermore, making and sending multiple copies of these files to disparate locations can cause divergent data sources and destroy the ability to collaborate on a global project.

InFlow has assisted this customer in setting up a centralized PDMWorks Enterprise data vault in Wisconsin and replicated file vaults in both Wisconsin and India.  Using this methodology, the design intent can be formed in Wisconsin, working closely with the client; CAD files can be created, specs can be written, and data can be life-cycled through its change process.  When ready, files are replicated to the server in India, and the files can be updated while they are constantly connected to the database in Wisconsin.  All changes are recorded in real-time, and designers are not able to copy over each other’s work.  The files are replicated upon check-in from India, and updates are reviewed with the client at key project milestones. 

InFlow’s customer is now 6 months in to this project, and it is going extremely well.  It seems that working with InFlow turned out to be the “obvious” choice.

PDMWorks Enterprise Cache Tips

For those familiar with PDMWorks Enterprise, it uses a local cache when a user accesses a file.  This local cache works like Internet caching.  As you may or may not know, when you browse internet pages, images from those pages are copied down to your local hard drive so the page displays faster the next time you browse.  PDMWorks Enterprise works the same way.  Any time you access a file by viewing or modifying, that file is copied into your cache.  So the next time you view the file, the system will access it from the local cache instead of from the server saving valuable time, especially when you are accessing a large CAD assembly that can be over 100MB.  So when you view a file here is the process that PDMWorks Enterprise follows:

1.  Looks for the file in the cache
2.  Compares the version with the version in the cache
3.  If the version in the vault is newer that the one in your cache, the version tab will look like this screenshot:

4.  If you want a more recent version, you can just right-click on the file and "Get Latest Version" or "Get Version" to get a specific version.  See screenshots:

Note: the admin can force "Get Latest Version" only for users and groups so those users cannot accidentally get older versions.

So, you might ask, if it stores a copy of every file I view, won't my hard drive fill up quickly?  The answer is "yes" and that it why there is a "Clear Local Cache" selection available from any folder inside of PDMWorks Enterprise. 

So if you are done with a project, you can clear it's cache and it will remove all the files from your local machine.  If you are starting work on a project, you can just right-click on a project and select "Get Latest Version" and then it will load your cache with all the project files.  For more information visit InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise Authentication

For those interested in implementing PDMWorks Enterprise, here are some basics regarding authentication:

1st: PDMWorks Enterprise is a secure vaulted application, meaning that access and permissions are based on a user's unique login name and/or group.  Depending on the user's rights, they may see totally different parts of the vault (ie engineers see engineering folders, purchasing sees purchasing folders, etc.)

2nd: There are three "modes" of authentication: PDMWorks Enterprise login, Active Directory (or windows) login, and LDAP server login.

Here is some information about each authentication mode:

PDMWorks Enterprise login: This mode is the easiest to administer if you have a small group of people (<20) and you don't have domain rights to browse active directory on your network.  The down-side is that you need to add all your usernames and passwords manually.  InFlow Technology has developed an import tool that can import users (usernames, full names, email address, etc.) from an Active Directory group, but if this tool is not used then you will need to create the users manually.

Windows Login: This mode can be enabled by toggling the option at the Archive server in the Archive Server Configuration screen (see screen shot).  All you have to do is add Active directory user groups to the "login" list by selecting the settings button.  When you go back to the PDMWorks Enterprise Admin tool and select add new user, you can import hundreds of users at a time.  The next time a user needs to log in, they will have to use their Windows login information.  If they don't want to retype that username/password, it can also be set to automatic and they are automatically logged in.

LDAP Login: This mode can be enabled by selecting LDAP Login as shown the previous screen shot.  Once selected, a user dialog box will open where you can enter your LDAP server settings (see screen shot).  Much like Windows Login, you can go back to the PDMWorks Enterprise Admin tool and add many users at a time.

PDMWorks Enterprise x64 2007 SP03 Now Available!

SolidWorks has just announced that the x64 version of PDMWorks Enterprise is now Available!

Visit the SolidWorks Customer portal to download.

Give Inflow Technology a call if you would like assistance!

Improving PDMWorks Enterprise Replication Performance

As you may know, PDMWorks Enterprise provides companies with the ability to manage solidworks files.  Included in the cost of the software is site to site replication which automatically copies files from one site to another so that users always work on files from their local network.  So, if 1 GB of data is changed on a given day, you can schedule the replication of this data to all other vaults on your network.  So one of the questions I get is, "If I schedule replication 3 times per day, how can I keep the replication process from bringing my network down with a transfer of 500 10MB files?"

Here is the answer:

Go to the following registry setting on your Archive Server:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ArchiveServer

Right Click on the Archive Server Registry and select: Create a new DWORD value.

Name it ReplicationThreads and enter a decimal value between 1 – 64 to specify how many files should be received at the same time (default is 10). "the lower the number the lower the bandwidth consumed by the replication"

Restart the archive server service for the change to take effect.  Any questions, contact InFlow Technology.

PDMWorks Enterprise 2007 SP03

SolidWorks has just announced service pack 3 for PDMWorks Enterprise is now available.

You can visit the SolidWorks customer portal to download it. Please give Inflow Technology a call if you would like assistance.

How can I tell who is Logged into PDMWorks Enterprise?

I have recently been asked, How can I tell who is logged into PDMWorks Enterprise?  I want to be able to reboot my server and I want to make sure everyone is logged out.  Answer: PDMWorks Enterprise does not use any fancy license management software, it keeps track of licenses and logged in users inside a SQL database.  So, to get a license count, all you have to do is run a user search from Windows Explorer.

When logged into PDMWorks Enterprise go to Tools > Users (if there is no Users pick available, your admin has to turn this on in the Search Card form)

When the search dialog comes up, just make sure the box marked

"Show logged in users" is checked and the box marked "Show logged out users"

is unchecked.

Next select the search button (upper left corner, looks like a magnifying glass)

A list of all logged in users will display. You can see user information related to those users and you can send them an email by Right-clicking on the user

’s name and selecting "Send Mail"

.  It will send the mail using the internal notification system or using your normal SMTP server.  Questions, visit InFlow Technology

Enterprise Gets Flexible Notification!

PDMWorks Enterprise will allow you to notify participants of a WorkFlow during changes in a process. However, the users that are notified are static and set up during the creation of the process.

Inflow has addressed a need and has provided a solution to our customers that allow them to selectively choose users during a change in the process at runtime.

The customer merely sets up what WorkFlow "Transitions" require runtime notification. As the process traverses each state in the WorkFlow, the user will be prompted for whom should be notified.  The notifications are carried out using PDMWorks Enterprise’s notification subsystem. Therefore, depending on how you have the system setup, the notifications could be via email or the Enterprise Inbox.

As an added bonus to the above solution, we have also added the ability to notify any user in Enterprise about any file. For instance, lets say I just added a document to the system, and I want to tell my fellow associates that it is there for them to view, I would just right click on the file and select “Email a Link to this document…”. The user is prompted for who to notify and allows for a small comment.

Please contact the Inflow Technology sales department if you are interested in getting this flexible notification solution working on your PDMWorks Enterprise system!