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PDMWorks Help Please

PDMWorks Help Please

PDMWorks Help Please

(OP)
Currently where I work, there is a gentleman who was just placed in charge of this program.

He's running around trying to explain these implementing procedures to all other engineers and drafters and he has NO idea what he's talking about! (I know this, because currently, I am the only one at the moment who uses PDMWorks)

My question to all of you is this: is there a website or a highly recommended book that I can get ahold of in order for this man to get a clue before he tells everyone wrong and our filing system falls apart???

Because I'm really worried about this...

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

I'm not aware or better yet familiar of any book but for starters I recommend that he read the PDMWorks manual accessable thru the help button on the PDMWorks application. It is actually quite short and will give the basics of the program. Also very important is knowledge of what I would call universal priniciples of Parts/Data Management PDM. I'm sorry I have no books to recommend as I have learned what I know from work experience.

Also make sure your understanding of PDMWorks is solid so you are not caught off guard in  your attempt to help this gentleman.

Sam

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

Yes, if you are the administrator get your VAR involved.
You will have to be very diplomatic here or you will alienate your boss. Best thing is try and get the boss to write these statements in memo’s or e-mails. Then the boss cannot say, “I never said that”. Every time he makes a statement you believe is not in the best interest of the company, post the statement here. We will pick it apart. Check what the PDM help has too say. Read PDM Rules to Live by: FAQ559-1227

Bradley
SolidWorks Professional x64 2007 SP2.2
Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 3.93 GB of RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3400

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

I'd get the VAR involved anyway. It doesn't hurt to call them and ask for a "Best Practices" document or something along those lines. Depending on your contract, your company may even be able to get free training.
If you're 100% sure that this guy is going to screw things up, write down the reasons and then discuss it with him. If he doesn't get it, escalate the situation. I've seen what can happen when PDM gets messed up. It's not pretty.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

littleyertle,
Out of curiosity, what is he trying to teach the users about PDMW? Maybe we can help?

Chris
SolidWorks 06 5.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 02-10-07)

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

Your VAR can send an AE out to your location and they can give you onsite training. It will probably cost you, but its better then screwing your Vault up. I had a customer screw theirs up for 6 months, because they didn't set it up right and the vault was trashed and they had to delete the vault.

Don't make the same mistake, you will regret it.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP pc2
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

(OP)
There is no current administrator designated, that's what they assigned him to do...

Let me ask a few questions before I delve any further...


Can more than one person access the same the drawing at one time?

For commonly and frequently used parts like nuts and bolts, would you reccommend using the toolbox/library or would you use PDMWorks?

If you were to use a part for a new assembly from the library that was also used in another assembly stored in PDM would the library pull from the database set on the server? Or from PDM?



And I've read the help section, but the rules were helpful also... I appreciate your help on all this...

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

Q: Can more than one person access the same the drawing at one time?
A: Yes, but only one person can have ownership at a time.

Q: would you use PDMWorks?
A: If I had it to do over again, Yes I would.

Need some time for last question.

Bradley
SolidWorks Professional x64 2007 SP2.2
Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 3.93 GB of RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3400

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

Follow Scott Baugh advice. We did not use ToolBox the way it was intended, now every new screw cost us $ in time. That was a big bad mistake for us. All we wanted to do was save the cost of 7 ToolBox seats.  

Q: If you were to use a part for a new assembly from the library that was also used in another assembly stored in PDM would the library pull from the database set on the server? Or from PDM?

A: PDM only has one file stored in the vault no matter how many times you see it in the vault. Each user works in their own local working directory.

Bradley
SolidWorks Professional x64 2007 SP2.2
Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 3.93 GB of RAM
NVIDIA Quadro FX 3400

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

I don't use Toolbox. More headaches than it's worth.

Chris
SolidWorks 06 5.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 02-10-07)

RE: PDMWorks Help Please

Toolbox parts should be setup as Standard libraries (vault Admin) and if you have your settings correct (AE will help with this) it will only create a shortcut to the file in the vault. And if you check out a file that has TB parts in it, it will reference the location on the server and open the requested assembly.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP pc2
www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376

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