When you upgrade your SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, don’t forget your tasks do not upgrade automatically. If you want the latest and greatest tasks, you’ll need to unload and re-import the tasks from the new install disk.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
When writing custom code for your SolidWorks Enterprise PDM system, have you been tempted to connect directly to the Enterprise database tables? You certainly could. The database isn’t encrypted and when you first start out it is easy to get the information you need with a simple SQL query.
Don’t. There’s an object for that. Everything you need from the database: BOMs, history, users, variables, searches, … has an associated object in the API.
It may take a little while to learn these new objects, but your code will be more robust and since you never know when SolidWorks may change the database schema, your code will be much more “upward” comparable in the future.
Check out the EdmUtility constants list in the API help file to give you a taste of some of the objects available to satisfy your little SQL writin’ heart.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
This year, SolidWorks World sessions were divided into one of the following tracks: CAD Administration, Customer Success/Designing Better Products, Data Management, Design Automation, Design Communication, Design Validation, Education, Modeling Essentials & Productivity Tools.
I decided to do something different, I followed the Data Management track for all of the sessions I attended. I am glad I did, there were some great sessions given by top notch presenters: Jerry Winters, Dan Burmenko, Joy Garon, Randy Simmons, Jeff Sweeney, … [though my name got left off of the program...what's up with that?! That's the real question we should be asking Kerri Dunne.]
Here is what I thought was interesting. The session Randy and I gave had 40 attendees – which was the most attended session I saw. One session had six attendees, the average was twenty. Where was everyone? Attendance was announced at 5,000, there were 20 sessions per time slot, taking into account people playing hookie or spending time in the Partner Pavilion, you’d still expect a hundred or so in these sessions wouldn’t you?
I learned several sessions had over 200 attendees, so people were going to the sessions, the presenters and topics were good, why is interest so low for this track?
Does this mean the average attendee takes data management for granted? Perhaps they are not in a position within their company to make decisions at this level? Did I screw up and all of the other tracks were that much better? Does the average attendee work for companies that have data management all figured out?
All questions no answers, just giving you something to ponder.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
Hi, it’s Engineering Data Specialist Man with your tip of the randomly chosen time interval.
Imagine you have a file in SolidWorks Enterprise PDM that has two versions. Further imagine you wish to modify this file, but version one is actually a little bit closer to what you want than the second version.
If you “Get” version one, then check it out, Enterprise will get the latest version [in this example version two] first then give you write access. -Most of the time this is good, but not for this example ’cause you just went through the trouble to get version one!
So in this example, you have to check out the file first, then get the older version. When you check this file back in you would create a new version – version three.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
“Hey Engineering Data Specialist Man, when working in SolidWorks Enterprise PDM how often should I check in a file?”
Well little Johnny, how much can you afford? Let’s do a little math: Let’s say the burden rate in your company for engineering is $100/hour. (Burden rate isn’t how much you make, but how much it costs for your company to keep you from quitting your job and moving in with Celine Dion. Salary, sick time, vacation, insurance, electricity, computers, not to mention the company Lexus they let you drive around in.)
Now imagine your computer’s hard drive dies. -Deadski. No data is coming off that newly created doorstop! If you weren’t checking in your file, you have no backups. So one day not checking in your file could cost the company $800, go a week and your company loses $4,000.
This is just lost time, we aren’t even considering the fact that others in your design team aren’t kept up to date with the latest designs.
If your IT department complains of all the versions that are created with each check in, show them the cold storage option, and remind them with every week of lost productivity $4000 could buy them a whole new server!
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
‘Twas the night after my EPDM 2010 upgrade and all through my house
not a peripheral was stirring not even my Logitech High Performance Laser mouse.
When I clicked upon my start menu what didn’t appear?
‘Twasn’t my EPDM Search button oh how the end seemed near!
I picked up the phone, so lively and quick
technical support I called -the loss of this function made me sick.
I banged my head and was making a frown
when the sad new that it was permanently gone came down.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
but Engineering Data Specialist Man and eight tiny reindeer!
A bundle of batch files he had flung on his back
He looked like a genius opening his pack.
He spoke not a word and went straight to his work
and created this batch file and put it in the Taskbar with a jerk.
He sprang to his ‘98 Escort reminding his team to not be late
and I heard his curse softly as his keys fell into the sewer grate.
But I heard him exclaim as he walked down the culdesac
“Turn in an enhancement request, maybe they will bring it back!”
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
The searching powers of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM are pretty cool. (What did you expect, it is built on SQL)
Did you know you can get pretty fancy with just simple Enterprise searches?
Here are some points to remember:
You can use as many wildcards as you wish in a search. The search function will assume your entry is enclosed inside of asterisks unless you actually type a wildcard character. Thus “J” returns the same as “*J*”, “J*” returns the same as “J*”.
Here are some examples of what files are returned if you enter different values in the file name box in a search:
J |
all files containing the letter ‘J’ (same as *J*) |
J* |
all files starting with the letter ‘J’ |
*y |
all files ending with the letter ‘y’ |
.doc |
all files containing the letter letters ‘doc’ (this could return all .doc and .docx files) |
*.doc |
all files ending with the letters ‘doc’ (.docx files would not be returned!) |
J*S |
all files starting with the letter ‘J’ and ending with the letter ‘S’ |
J*SWEENEY*.PDF |
all .pdf files beginning with the letter ‘J’ that have the letters ‘SWEENEY’ |
J .pdf |
all files containing .pdf AND all files containing with the letter ‘J’ |
J* *.pdf |
all .pdf files AND all files beginning with the letter ‘J’ |
Jeff is cool |
all files containing the word ‘Jeff’ AND all files containing the word ‘is’ AND all files containing the word ‘cool’ |
"Jeff is cool" |
all files containing the words: ‘Jeff is cool’ |
C?T.doc |
all .doc files starting with the letter ‘C’ and ending with a ‘T’ (cat.doc & cot.doc would be returned, coat.doc would not nor would cat.docx) |
*.doc? |
all files ending with ‘.doc’ and one additional character (*.doc files would not be returned) |
.sld??? |
all SolidWorks parts, drawings and assembly files |
J*.sld??? |
all SolidWorks parts, drawings and assembly files that begin with the letter ‘J’ |
This logic works with any Enterprise variable, not just file names. As an example “3?? S.Steel” in the material text box would return all parts made from 304 S.Steel or 316 S.Steel.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
Looking for a quick way to kill your SQL engine and bring your SolidWorks Enterprise PDM system to a screeching halt?
I just got a support call from an Enterprise customer who was complaining they could not connect to the database. Tried restarting SQL, the service stopped – good…but then I could not start back up again – bad. Rebooted the server, the service still laid there dead. -worser than bad!
Next, tried to do a SQL repair install – the repair install failed, telling me “the database engine was bad”. Well no kidding! Had to do a clean uninstall/reinstall of SQL before we could get the service started again.
What happened? Symantec AntiVirus. Symantec started scanning the databases and less than a minute later there was nothing left but the crying. Luckily it didn’t seem to hurt the actual databases – they mounted right back up after the reinstall.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
Had a little scare yesterday and since misery loves company I thought I would share it with you.
Yesterday I received an email with this image:
These are the file properties of the Microsoft SQL 2008 install that comes with SolidWorks Enterprise PDM. Look closely, it says that it is a prerelease! Yikes! Using a prerelease for production data?
I’ve done some checking and this SQL build (also known as 10.0.1600.22) is a a RTM build. [Reference] I have no idea why it says prerelease in the version information. If you are concerned, there is a service pack can be downloaded from the Microsoft web site.
Heart attack averted. As you were.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist 3DVision Technologies |
In the PDM world drawings are always seem to be the after-thought. Are they the parent or the child? Should they be revised if you need to add a missing dimension? Does meta data go in the part or drawing or both? If the meta data does go in both, how do you ensure the data is synchronized?
Even red-headed step children point to 2D drawings and laugh.
During a SolidWorks Enterprise PDM install I did last week, we implemented what I think is a rather unique solution. We didn’t create a datacard for drawings, and the drawings don’t even enter the design workflow, they just sit in a simple “Uncontrolled” state with no transitions going in or out.
I hear some of you gasp: “But Engineering Data Specialist Man how do they find their drawings? What about revision control?!?” It actually is pretty simple. For them, the model is the master, the model is what is revised and searched on. If you want the drawing from a search, do a “Where used” on the model. The drawing’s titleblock information points to the model’s file properties anyway, so what is the point of having a drawing datacard? Designers can check the drawing in and out all day long, adding their missing dimensions, but they cannot modify the model without revising it.
It could be argued that changing a tolerance on a dimension can change the model, thus designers add their tolerance to the model and replicate these tolerances to the drawings. The model is the master, the drawing only annotates the model.
I’ve been to places where they have had the same issues and we have written quite a few little tricks and “work arounds” for these problems where in fact the simplest solution may have been to do nothing at all!
This solution isn’t for everyone, but it is very easy and can solve many data management drawing issues.
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Jeff Sweeney Engineering Data Specialist |
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