Would SOLIDWORKS PDM Web 2 Benefit my company? Primary Benefactors Companies that have vendors or off site personnel that need access to the vault but are not part of the design team would benefit from Web2. Field server might be a good example of someone that is mobile and needs to pull up drawings read only. Web2 may give them greater accessibility to current drawings. CAD users may also benefit from it as an additional option but they would typically […]
We have seen many instances where a SOLIDWORKS PDM administrator would like to provide hyperlinks to files inside the vault. The hyperlinks would be used to quickly open files inside the vault from 3rd party applications like an ERP system. Problem: you need to use a special syntax link for your hyperlink, otherwise the file you need will not automatically cache into the explorer folder on your PDM client. In other words, you cannot use “C:\Vault Name\Folder Name\filename.sldprt” as your […]
An important issue was identified in the SOLIDWORKS 2017 SP4 release. The problem reported is that with SOLIDWORKS 2017 SP4 Closing files in SOLIDWORKS with the SOLIDWORKS PDM Client add-in enabled may cause SOLIDWORKS to become unresponsive. This problem affects the SOLIDWORKS 2017 SP4 software used in conjunction with SOLIDWORKS PDM 2017 SP0 – SP4. The workarounds available for this problem are: If you have not already, Do NOT install SOLIDWORKS 2017 SP4 Do not use the SOLIDWORKS PDM […]
There are many different backup strategies and related tools for company resources out there. Backing up and being able to restore your SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault can often be more important than most of your company systems for a few reasons. First, it often stores and controls access to most if not all your company’s critical intellectual properties. In addition, these files are often a work in progress and any interruption or extended downtime can translate to lost productivity and missed target […]
In a previous article, we discussed the inner workings of PDM versions. In a nutshell, versions are the way PDM tracks the changes to individual files. Every time we make an official change to a file, a new version is created and added to the file’s history. The good news is that the system handles versions for us automatically. If you want to know more about versions and how they work, check out our last PDM 101 here. People often […]
Occasionally, I will talk with a customer that is new to Solidworks Products or has been newly or temporarily assigned in an administration or project role for the company’s vault. This information is for you folks… you know who you are . 🙂 The SOLIDWORKS PDM products can be a bit confusing to short timers. The names are similar and there is not an easy way through normal communication to differentiate or identify what product you use. First, Solidworks PDM products […]
I have seen, on more than one occasion, an assembly that has multiple cyclic references in an assembly. Now, I totally understand that when you’re under a deadline, it may save time initially to just copy a part to use for another assembly as opposed to searching your vault, especially if you have a large data set that can take a considerable amount of time, also assuming the description is incorrect, etc. However, as previously noted, while you may be […]
One of the fundamental parts of any PDM system is its ability to track the history of documents. How it tracks that history can vary from system to system. With SOLIDWORKS PDM, it does this through document versions. So, that begs the question, “What is a Version in the SOLIDWORKS PDM vault?” The short answer is that a version is a “snap shot in time” of a particular document. Versions are created in PDM as we make changes to the […]
If you moved your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional or SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard database or archive server components to a new server, your existing clients will not be able to connect, as the server connections are hard-coded into the registry. The best way to point to the new server is to remove the vault view and re-add it. However, you can also edit the registry to make this change. You will need to change the keys for the database server and the […]
New to Solidworks PDM or considering it as a solution at your company? Maybe you have used Solidworks PDM for years but workflows are still a bit of a mystery? I hope to provide you some workflow basics that will take some of the mystery out of how they are configured and their benefit potential. This is not a replacement for Solidworks PDM Administration Training or a comprehensive functional description. As always, Inflow Consultants are available to assist you in any […]
