I use SW on a single computer.... My impression is that PDM Works is probably not too helpful for "single" user situations. Is this what others have found? Are there very many "single" users that have found it worth the money?
The program also seems to be fairly complicade to setup and use. Is this what other have found? Or have I just gotten the wrong impression?
Thanks,
Ed
PDMW is easy to set up, especially by comparison to any other PDM software. It will work just as it is right out of the box. I have been tempted to use it for my own stuff just to keep rev levels on some projects sorted out. Even if you work by yourself, if you need something to track revisions, PDMW is a great way to go.
Half of its usefulness is to keep multi-users out of each other's hair, but even a standalone user will benefit from the custom property searches, the where used and the rev control.
If you're just looking at a $500 charge for it, that's cheap if it helps you avoid a single mistake. Using PDM still requires discipline, but it automates most of the discipline.
You could use DBWorks Express for $500 per seat, an it can grow as you grow without learning anything new...
Matt,
Are you saying that PDMW can be purchased individually for $500?
Have you seen it make your system slower by taking up resources?
Can you use it for other types of projects?
Ed
Ed - Which SolidWorks product do you have:
SolidWorks (will require an upgrade or separate purchase) SolidWorks Office (will require an upgrade or separate purchase) SolidWorks Office Professional (this already has PDMWorks included) SolidWorks Office Premium (this already has PDMWorks included)
Steve O
If you have SW Office, it is a $500 upgrade to Office Pro, which includes PDMW. The Reseller might give you a hard time about purchasing it separately if all you have is plain SolidWorks.
Not overall, but there are times when on check in or check out things move more slowly. It does take a little time at bootup to initialize the vault, but that is a direct dependence on the amount of data in the vault.
One thing you can do if you're concerned about it is to put the vault on a different machine. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a mule with reliable hardware. If you would like to put the vault on your local machine, I would recommend getting a new fast hard drive, dedicated to the vault, not just a partition. Depending on how much data you create, you might be able to get away with a smaller drive for this purpose. You probably won't need a 300 GB monster, you'd be better off with a 80 GB
10,000 rpm SATA if you have the mobo for it.You might also get an external drive for backup.
Yes, you can manage all sorts of files in it, and create relationships.
This is a great Idea. I am going to look into this.
I do some software development and it would be nice if I could us the vault functions for that. So you are saying that the relationships can be set up for virtually any file type? Can you please elaborate on this?
As strange as this may sound I don't have PDM works but I do have a copy of the equivelent for Autodesk Inventor. (I think that they call it "the vault") Has anyone used this program? Has anyone used IV's vault for SW's files? It would be great if this is true because it is currently sitting in the box.
Thanks,
Ed
PDMWorks shows files in a hierarchy where the Assy is the top of the tree and parts are under the assy and drawings are under the assy and parts. This is kind of misrepresenting the parent/child relationship a bit, but it works.
You can do the same thing with image files or text files or Inventor files. The nice thing about using PDMW for SW is that PDMW automatically recognizes the relationships and creates them. If you have a large assembly, recreating relationships if you have subassemblies will take a while.
It probably has the same capability, it's kind of a bottom line functionality for a PDM system, but I've never heard of that product before.
I would not recommend PDWx for software development. It does not have the same features you need for source code management. I would suggest setting up a Subversion repository
Dave
Ed,
If I had my own place or he only one using SW, I would definately get PDM, whether it be PDM Works, DB Works, or any other version. To not have to track revisions manually and to have help keeping relationships when working top down is a blessing. Just the added security for those two reasons is worth it's weight in gold.
KMaren
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