Powerful Data Management Capabilities with SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard

The launch of SOLIDWORKS 2016 product line is full of new enhancements to make great design happen, and in addition, we are also providing our SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium customers with a new way to manage those great designs. SOLIDWORKS is introducing a new data management solution based on the architecture of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (which is being renamed to SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional) called SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard. Now customers can get robust data management capabilities while working in SOLIDWORKS or DraftSight.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard removes the file management overhead companies contend with by storing their SOLIDWORKS and DraftSight data on local and shared network drives. Issues such as maintaining an efficient history of file versions, searching, notifying people when things change, and moving or renaming files go away with SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is built right into Windows Explorer so engineers and designers are already familiar with the user interface and can ramp up quickly. It also has a deep integration while working in SOLIDWORKS so users never need to leave SOLIDWORKS to search for files, check out files for editing or check in files to automatically create a new version. Users can also take advantage of the powerful electronic workflow capabilities by moving a file to the next stage in its approval or editing process -all within the SOLIDWORKS Task Pane. The electric workflow engine will also send out notifications to users when things change in the system, like when files are in need of approval or when they are approved. In addition to the notifications, rights to see and/or edit certain files can change based on their state to prevent draft or unapproved designs from making it to manufacturing.

Finding the right data quickly is another big advantage SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard provides users. All metadata, such as custom property information, configuration name, and workflow state, are all stored in Microsoft SQL Server Express for fast searching. Searches are performed right in Windows Explorer including Open and Save dialogs and provide instant access to dynamic preview, contains and where used information. The layout of the search input interface can be easily configured to match company standards and nomenclature through the use of Search “Cards.” The same card technology enables the configuration of Data Cards that display custom property and other metadata to the user.

SOLDIWORKS PDM Standard is built on the same architecture as SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional (aka SOLIDWOR Enterprise PDM), so it can be easily upgraded if and when a customer’s needs change. SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional adds a higher level of automation including multi-site replication, automatic creation of neutral files (i.e. PDFs, STEP, IGES, etc) and the ability to extend the functionality with custom applications and Add-ins.

It’s never been easier to remove the overhead of manual file management by adopting a purpose-built SOLIDWORKS data management solution as it is with SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard. To find out more visit the SOLIDWORKS Product Data Management page.