Working With Driveworks Production and Development Groups

OK, so you’ve developed your new DriveWorks system.  It’s up and running and being used.  Your colleagues are not only happy with it, they’re impressed with you and your new-found skills.  You accept their bows and applause as you walk through the office.  Management is happy with the time and money now being saved.  You’ve gladly accepted the pay rise.  Life’s good.

Meanwhile, of course, you have already seen ways to improve your DriveWorks system even further, so you’ve been working on a copy of it.  Now it’s ready to replace the working system, but how can this be done?

A process must be followed to upgrade your existing DriveWorks Group with your new one.  This process will require three (3) DriveWorks Groups:

1.   Production      –  the live one that everyone is using and is happy with

2.   Development  –  the new one you have been busily working on

3.   Holding            –  A temporary one you will make when following these instructions

 

Here are the steps required for both an Individual Group and a Shared Group.

 

Individual Group Process:

1.    Take a copy of the DriveWorks Production Group file.

2.    Paste this to create a copy and rename it to be Holding.

3.    The Holding Group is an exact copy of the Production Group, including Specifications, Released Models and Released Master Files. This also includes Group Security etc…

4.    Next, you need to clear the Holding Group of data that may have changed. These are things like Projects and Captured Information.

5.    Open the Holding Group in DriveWorks Data Management.

6.    Remove all of the DriveWorks Projects and Captured Information from the Holding Group.

7.    Next, use Import Project in DriveWorks Data Management to import the DriveWorks Projects from the Development Group into the Holding Group.

8.    While importing the DriveWorks Projects, you are also given the option to import the Captured Components for these DriveWorks Projects.

9.    Import all DriveWorks Projects into the Holding Group.

10.  Now you need to test the Holding Group. Run Specifications and test Model Generation to make sure everything works.

11.  After you have tested the Group, you now have a Group that has Production Specifications with Development Projects and Captured Information.

12.  You now need to remove the Production Group and all of its data and replace it with the Holding Group.

13.  Specifications should be left, but all Project Data and Models need to be taken from the Holding Group Location.

 

Shared Group Process:

The process is the same for Shared Groups, but you need to take backups of the DriveWorks Shared Group and create new Databases in SQL.

1.    Take a copy of the DriveWorks Production Group.

2.    Restore this Backup into SQL Server to create a copy and name it Holding.

3.    The Holding Group is an exact copy of the Production Group, including Specifications, Released Models and Released Master Files. This also includes Group Security etc…

4.    Next, you need to clear the Holding Group of data that may have changed. These are things like Projects and Captured Information.

5.    Open the Holding Group in DriveWorks Data Management.

6.    Remove all of the DriveWorks Projects and Captured Information from Holding Group.

7.    Next, use Import Project in DriveWorks Data Management to import the DriveWorks Projects from the Development Group into the Holding Group.

8.    While importing the DriveWorks Projects, you are also given the option to import the Captured Components for these DriveWorks Projects.

9.    Import all DriveWorks Projects into the Holding Group.

10.  Now you need to test the Holding Group. Run Specifications and test Model Generation to make sure everything works.

11.  After you have tested the Group, you now have a Group that has Production Specifications with Development Projects and Captured Information.

12.  You now need to restore the Holding Group over the top of the Production Shared Group in SQL.  All of its data should be removed and replaced with the Holding Group’s Projects and Models.

13.  Specifications should be left, but all Project Data and Models need to be taken from the Holding Group Location.

 

I hope this blog helps.  Here are some Help file topics related to this process:

• http://docs.driveworkspro.com/Topic/HowToBackupASQLDatabase
• http://docs.driveworkspro.com/Topic/HowToRestoreASQLServerDatabase
• http://docs.driveworkspro.com/Topic/DMImportProject

 

Bill Murch
CSWP, CSWE, CDWP
Solutions Consultant
Central Innovation, Sydney, Australia

At Central Innovation, we can provide all – or part – of the solution, including SOLIDWORKS, ARCHICAD, and many more industry-leading tools.

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