Workgroup PDM Transition Survival Guide Part 1: Projects .

Workgroup PDM – Transition Survival GuidePart 1: Projects to FoldersWorkgroup PDM is going the way of the steamship, the rotary telephone and the sundial, butfor its many devotees, letting go and moving on is not easy. To smooth the path fromWorkgroup PDM to SOLIDWORKS PDM, we offer this series of articles which outline thedifferences and explain how familiar features in Workgroup PDM are handled in SOLIDWORKSPDM.Say Hello to the Vault ViewIn Workgroup PDM, all vaulted files are organized in Projects, which are typically accessed throughthe SOLIDWORKS Explorer utility. The first thing to get used to in SOLIDWORKS PDM is that accessto vaulted files is achieved using the good old Windows Explorer, by means of a special folderknown as a Vault View. When you look into your vault through the Vault View, Windows Explorershows you folders – plain Windows folders – instead of Projects. They perform much the samefunction, but there are important differences.Workgroup PDM ‘Projects’888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COMSOLIDWORKS PDM folders

Folders Show File Location, Not Assembly RelationsIn Workgroup PDM, a Project can list the files that are placed inside it, but in the case of anassembly file it also shows the components in that assembly in a hierarchical tree. This means thatProjects as shown in the SOLIDWORKS Explorer provide both file location information as well asassembly relations.File location and assembly structure mixed together in Workgroup PDMThis seems natural to Workgroup users who are used to it, but in fact the two kinds of informationare not necessarily related; where the file is stored may have nothing to do with what other files itdepends on or that depend on it. As a result, users can become confused by the juxtaposition of‘where the file lives’ and ‘what the file is used for’, and so for clarity SOLIDWORKS PDM separatesthese two different types of information each into its own special area. The File List shows folderstructure and file locations – just like Windows Explorer has always done, and the Contains andWhere Used tabs together show how files are related to one another.File locations and assembly structure displayed separately in SOLIDWORKS PDM888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COM

Doing this makes clear the distinction between where a file is stored in the vault and where it isused in assemblies or drawings. This is particularly helpful when a part is used in more than oneassembly; the part file only resides in one location, so it is only shown in its actual location in theFile List. By viewing the Contains tab – and its counterpart the Where Used tab – a user canquickly and easily determine its assembly relations.Enhanced Information DisplaysBy separating the file location and assembly relation info, SOLIDWORKS PDM takes advantage ofthe opportunity to enhance the display of information in some very useful and intuitive ways.File ListThe File List pane can display columns (in the Details display mode) which hold information directlydrawn from SOLIDWORKS file properties or from PDM metadata values called ‘variables’.Administrators can create custom sets of data columns and set them to be viewed by differentusers and groups, so the details of the information displayed can be customized to suit the needsof users with different task sets and responsibilities. For instance, engineers may want to see partdescriptions, revisions and materials, whereas for management it may be more useful to see theworkflow state, approval date or product class. Each individual user also has the ability to arrangethe order of the columns and their widths to create a more intuitive and efficient display of theinformation most useful to them.File List pane shows PDM variables in customizable columns888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COM

ContainsThe Contains tab displays a list of items that are referenced by whatever file is selected in the FileList , along with a variety of related bits of info such as configuration, quantity, version and path ofreferenced items. There are display options, too, including whether or not to show configurations,how many levels to display and which version of the parent file to show reference information for.Contains Tab shows assembly tree and details of referenced items888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COM

Where UsedThe Where Used tab shows the reference tree information from the other direction – you see a listof higher level files which reference the selected item. A similar set of columns and displayoptions is available here as well.Where Used Tab shows a tree of files which reference the selected item888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COM

What About Links and Attachments?Another difference that derives from separating out file location info from reference info is thatLinks are no longer necessary. In Workgroup PDM, if a part is created for one Project, then alsoused in a second Project, the second Project must show the part as a Link – a placeholder for a filein one Project when that file actually resides in another Project. In SOLIDWORKS PDM, each file islisted only in the folder where it actually resides – its membership in various assemblies is shownas Contains/Where Used info – so there’s no need to create the appearance of a file existing inmore than one folder.Attachments in Workgroup PDM have been replaced by User-Defined References in SOLIDWORKSPDM. These references act just like typical SOLIDWORKS references (from an assembly to itscomponents, etc.), and can be set to display in Bills of Material if so desired. Custom Referencescan be set to any kind of file, so an assembly file can contain a reference to assembly instructions,ECO documents, relevant procedures, etc.Folders – Projects on SteroidsIn SOLIDWORKS PDM, Folders replace the Projects of Workgroup PDM. Although SOLIDWORKSPDM folders are nominally the same as regular Windows folders, because they live in theenhanced world of the PDM vault, they get extra superpowers as well.At first glance, they may be confusing to long time Workgroup users, but with a little experienceyou’ll find that SOLIDWORK PDM Folders are more convenient, flexible and information rich thanWorkgroup Projects, and provide a great step forward in CAD file management functionality.888.688.3234 GOENGINEER.COM

Workgroup PDM – Transition Survival Guide Part 1: Projects to Folders Workgroup PDM is going the way of the steamship, the rotary telephone and the sundial, but . enhanced world of the PDM vault, they get extra superpowers as well. At first glance, they may be confusing to long time Workgroup users, but with a little experience .