5 simple reasons why PDM Professional is better than PDM Standard

So you have decided to take the plunge into the world of file management with PDM Standard. Or perhaps you’ve been using Workgroup PDM for years, and don’t need to be sold on the value it adds. But is PDM Standard really going to be the best fit for you and your company going forward?

PDM Standard may well be the easy choice. It is after all, free; provided you have SOLIDWORKS Professional or SOLIDWORKS Premium level licenses. However in my experience it’s better to make the right choices as early as possible when it comes to PDM. The first step is to get a PDM system; the second is to use it; the third is to get it working for you. Step three will typically cost you up front; to get the system doing what you want it to do from the get go. The long term benefits of this will see a tangible return on any investment, which far outweighs the financial outlay.

So I’m here to give you 5 technical reasons (as I’m a technie) why, having decided on PDM Standard, that you might want to reconsider and make the even smarter decision onto push onto PDM Professional as the right solution.

1. Automation – Tasks and Dispatch can automate any number of repetitive tasks. Probably the commonest is the automatic creation of pdfs from drawings when a file reaches a Release for manufacture state. However this is the tip of the iceberg. Pdf creation is straightforward to setup. A step up from this is the use of Dispatch to create more customised actions which could be an automatic action via a workflow or simply a new option added to a menu in the Vault. May sound complicated but it really isn’t. An even further step would be to create tailored custom applications & add-ins. This is something we can help with. If you are familiar with myintercad or #TASK then you have an idea of what our development team is capable of. Both of these tools were developed ‘in-house’. If you haven’t seen either, Google them or contact us for more information.

The image below shows the property dialog for a connection in the workflow in PDM. It shows that when a file is Released, that a Task is actioned to create a pdf automatically.

The first image below shows the PDM Standard Action dropdown menu in the Vault. The lower image shows the PDM Professional Action dropdown menu where two new items have been added by creating new ‘apps’ in Dispatch.

2. Manage Office documents – If you need to incorporate any Microsoft Office documents into your working practices then PDM Professional will deliver an add-in for use in Office, giving you direct access to controls for the vault inside MS Office. PDM Standard works well when you are looking to manage SOLIDWORKS files only.

The image below shows the PDM tab in Word, for the Word version of this article, which is managed in a PDM Professional vault.

3. Multiple Workflows –Different file types (SOLIDWORKS documents, Microsoft Office docs, pdfs, images etc..) often need to be managed differently. Images, for instance, typically do not need to go through the same procedures as engineering files. With PDM Standard you are limited to a single workflow and a maximum of 10 states. Not ideal for pushing pdf’s into the vault and locking their accessibility/visibility. Nor replicating an extensive working practice for engineering files. PDM Professional removes limits on and limitations on Workflows, giving you the freedom to comprehensively replicate and enhance your working practices in PDM.

The image below shows all of the Workflows in a Vault.

The image below shows an example of a Production Workflow. If this workflow was in PDM Standard we would not be able to add any more states. It is not uncommon to see far more complex processes in use at customers already running PDM Professional

4. Notifications – Know when things need to be done or have been done. With notifications your workflow can trigger an email to you so you are instantly aware once a file has reached a particular state, making it easier to stay on top of checking, releasing and more.

The image below shows the property dialog for a connection in the workflow. It shows that several Groups (Engineers, Viewers & Managers) will receive notification when a file is Released. In the workflow image above, notice all of the links between states that show a bell icon. These indicate notification will be generated if a file passes through this link.

5. Templates – Automate and standardise on file and folder creation, perhaps incorporating multiple serial numbers for different file name streams (i.e.: parts, assemblies, projects). PDM Standard does not deliver the ability to generate numbers automatically via a configurable serial number. A template can create a project structure in the form to a top level and sub folders, automatically name the folders, and provide information for the project data cards.

The image below shows sub folders, automatically created in a new project, the images for which are further down

The image below shows the right click shortcut menu in the Vault.

The image below shows the dialog presented to the user when creating a new project. Notice a serial number is already in use for the Projects folder name, it displays in the Project Code field. The ability to pick from a list on the dialog is also a PDM Professional only feature. This list can be created inside or outside SQL.

The image below shows a further feature of PDM Professional card lists – aliases. We have specified New Holland as the Customer and NH_ has automatically been added to the Project Code. See above for the contents of the completed project folder

To wrap up this article I’ll summarise. Hopefully the points I’ve made above, or at least some of them, resonate with you. If they do then PDM Professional might be for you. If you’d like more information please do not hesitate to get in contact with us. Even if they don’t or budgets don’t allow at this moment in time then they have given you a flavour of what you could be using in future. The migration path from PDM Standard to PDM Professional is a straightforward step you can take in future. The systems are effectively the same, with limits and omissions in functionality built into PDM Standard.