There is a company called AimaSoft that has a neat little program called "Entralink", whcih is basically an Enterprise Explorer. It allows you to easily link your ERP data (SAP in this case), with your CAD models.
The program shows the ERP data on the right side of the screen, and you can have a SW assembly on the left. When you Open the SW assembly, it shows you the feature tree of parts, like SW would. You get a visual idea immediately if there is a part or assembly in your CAD file, that does not exist in the ERP system. If you want it added, it is a click away.
You can take the ERP data (you specify which fields) and send it to the SW model also. If there are multiple configs in the model, it will ask which config you want the data stuffed into.
The program will assign a JPG or eDrawing to the part in the ERP. You can also assign Word, Excel docs or even PDF's if you want, to have quick access to ECN's, ECO's or whatever. Oh, you can also embed websites to a part for such things as Vendor or Manufacturer. Makes it simple for anybody to find any relevant doc about the part.
You can save the work or assembly to WIP (Work In Progress), or release it to any PLM or ERP system. It also has 3 levels of access, so you can limit some folks to just viewing the data if you want.
In case you want more info, their website is
or you can ask me questions about it by sending them to "craig at okswug dot com"
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Mr. Pickles