Tips for Using Enterprise PDM’s Label Function

Remember that kid that was always picked last to be on the kickball team? I think SolidWorks Enterprise PDM’s Label function was that kid.

What good is it? I have seen it used three different ways.

First, versions that have a label are never cold storaged. Add a label to a version and you will always know it will be there when needed.

Second, you can search for text inside a label. Imagine you have a group of files that you use often. You can give them all the same label. Then, when you search, you can have them all come up together for quick access (think favorite search).

Third, you can use a label as a milestone in your file’s history. Perhaps: “This is the version approved by the FDA” or “Customer rejected this version” or “This file was rolled back because of…”.

An interestingly unique trait of labels is that you can change and even delete them. I don’t know of any other entity stored in a file’s history that can be deleted.

I think that little kid just kicked a ground rule double!

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Jeff Sweeney is an Engineering Data Specialist at 3DVision Technologies, a SolidWorks Value Added Reseller with locations across Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky.  He is a regular contributor to 3DVision Technologies’ Blog where you will find new ideas to improve your productivity with Enterprise PDM and SolidWorks.