pdm philosophy and practice for a small technical office

[sail]

Hola,

we have a small technical office (2 people) with sw profescional 2018. We're out of maintenance.

until today we have done without pdm: we keep all the files in a single folder from which we fish cheerfully (to reuse components as far as possible). management of file revisions is required to the pdf we produce and manage to track the historian, while the 3d and 2d files are all always at the latest updated revision.

now theut is expanding with a third person, and our vpn and line is a bit slow and dancer and it gets a little hard to work so remotely.

So we thought of installing the pdm to checkin/checkout files and not always working on the server, hoping that it is less burdensome.

I'm a little worried about losing the "management" of files, or having to change something in the workflow. Do you have any resources to read to understand how ilpdm works, how to configure it and whether it is the case of doing this? How do you build database dependencies? is created from scratch by feeding the files? is it possible to manage the historian also of files iges and stp?

What do I have to be careful? What trouble have you encountered by standing this system? What would you do the same and different?

Thank you very much to all those who want to intervene. The problem is that I know so little that I probably don't even know what to ask for.

 

[meccanicamg]

I would say that the questions are so many and can only help you with an authorized retailer by following you and understanding your needs. depending on what you want you can get different results.
if you have a slow and unstable network you have to settle otherwise with pdm you only have an extra problem because when you interrupt the database steps on the slow network anyway and can become very slow and very frustrating.
regarding management speed I recommend you to switch to 2021.
If you don't want to switch to premium you can use the free pdm that is in the standard version with the limitations it has.....but as basic manager it works.

 

[cacciatorino]

your problem does not solve it with the pdm but with the cloud (dropbox, onedrive, google drive, see you). I have two employees in smart working and with onedrive business it all works decently.

 

[ceschi1959]

repeating that written by @cacciatorino I'm working with this. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/workstations/zcentral-remote-boost.html is a free software for those who have ws hp, and physically use office ws. on the remote I only have pixels, no lag.

 

[sail]

thank you very much to all for the kind answers.

So you scare me! I was doubtful and with the cuff. I start from the bottom to answer:

baskets: I do not know the program in question but I imagine it is teamviewer type or anydesk or rdp.

Could be a good solution. until today we actually did so for when there was the need to work from outside. Of course it's not like being in the presence, some lag is there. I have seen however that there is a free trial of 60 days, I will certainly try to understand if maybe it has more advanced compression algorithms.

hunter: Could be another way. It makes me a little afraid to keep everything in the cloud but maybe less than to go to a pdm. exists a ganzo way to move all an archive drawings and assemblies and parts together? I tremble at the idea of making a pack and go of 4 gb.

Mechanicalamg. definitely in case I need to avail myself of assistance advice, but I was curious if other users had grown from single seat to technical office with pdm and what to expect.
about the network but perhaps I explained badly: it is the external network adsl to be slow. internally we are wired gb and all right. I wonder if the db question is so heavy from the band's point of view, how to keep and save directly on the server via vpn

 

[cacciatorino]

hunter: Could be another way. It makes me a little afraid to keep everything in the cloud but maybe less than to go to a pdm. exists a ganzo way to move all an archive drawings and assemblies and parts together? I tremble at the idea of making a pack and go of 4 gb.

I have worked a lot with a 20 mega adsl in the cloud, without any problem. the problem is the first synchronization, then the others are limited to the few kb/mbs of the new files or saving the modified files. you have to organize very well the folder structure, which must be unique for everyone. Obviously nothing must be saved out of the established paths otherwise other clients will not find these files saved around.

with solid edge there is the possibility to take ownership of files even without pdm (to avoid overwriting of the same files from different clients), I do not know if there is a similar function with solidworks.

 

[ceschi1959]

baskets: I do not know the program in question but I imagine it is teamviewer type or anydesk or rdp.

Could be a good solution. until today we actually did so for when there was the need to work from outside. Of course it's not like being in the presence, some lag is there. I have seen however that there is a free trial of 60 days, I will certainly try to understand if maybe it has more advanced compression algorithms.

to us has changed life. it is, and you will see, to install two software, a sender on the ws that remains in the office on, and a reciver I installed on the laptop. vpn only exchange the pixels of the ws desktop, for that they are very fast, indeed since connected to the laptop I have 'only' a 24" the necessary pixels are less.
try it and tell us

 

[drake]

I read the discussion and I don't know how to give you a specific advice because I don't use a synchronization of the type that serves you. I've been reading something like this in sw mail to work in teams on cloud. Try to hear them.

 

[sail]

you have to organize very well the folder structure, which must be unique for everyone.

this is very simple: is all thrown into the "technical office" folder
@drake mmm keeping everything in the cloud doesn't fascinate me. my files my date.

Anyway, maybe that's what it takes to men.

Thanks again.

 

[SperX]

Hi, I think if you only have a workflow the standard pdm is fine, I am in the ground and here when we got the pdm they made the first installation with the settaggio of the workflow, users with various permissions, data card and file control, I think it is equal also in Italy. as far as speed is concerned, if you have big files you will have problems only at the first opening (until sw2019 improved a bit with sw2020), once the file is open it is fine.

As for the historian in the vault remains all in database, you will have the history of all the times that you change a file and chance to go back or open an old version and save it apart (used often? ).

only neo for me is the price.

 

[sail]

hi, to give a closure and satisfaction to all those who have prodigated to intervene in the thread, I inform you that in the end after tests on virtual machines and a crazy and desperate study of the manual and usage houses on the internet, we will go with the pdm.

It's gonna be okay. in doubt I have twelve backups.

thanks again for your advice and suggestions.

 

[cacciatorino]

Be careful that you are about to contract a wedding from which it will be very difficult to get out.

 

[sail]

eh I see the use of solidworks (like every cad, if you need a historian) as a matrimony.

Let's say the pdm will have the children. ?

 

[Onda]

I have been using professional pdm for more than 10 years, I look great, compared to the cloud, has the advantage of working with local files, so with access to instant disk. a copy of the files for each machine.
check-in check-out operations are quick. also remote usage is great.
Obviously, it serves a server, it is not trivial, but once installed it is great.

 

[cacciatorino]

I have been using professional pdm for more than 10 years, I look great, compared to the cloud, has the advantage of working with local files, so with access to instant disk. a copy of the files for each machine.

but all cloud systems have the app to make a local copy of the files that are on the cloud.

 

[Onda]

but all cloud systems have the app to make a local copy of the files that are on the cloud.

Yes, the difference that the data transfer on the network only happens when you check in the file, and then release it, while with other systems happens at each rescue. you do not need a fast network to work with the pdm, I doubt instead that to work with other systems the data passage, and the answer, is different. Besides, with the pdm a file remains unchangeable, even on pc, if you want it to be so. is not just blocked by the application.

 

[cacciatorino]

Yes, the difference that the data transfer on the network only happens when you check in the file, and then release it, while with other systems happens at each rescue. you do not need a fast network to work with the pdm, I doubt instead that to work with other systems the data passage, and the answer, is different. Besides, with the pdm a file remains unchangeable, even on pc, if you want it to be so. is not just blocked by the application.

Look if you have a dsl or fiber, with small files like those of a pqarametric the problem of latency is minimal. for the file boiling in effect on solid edge you can apply the "states" (released, in working, available, reserved, etc) even without pdm, perhaps this function is missing in solidworks and then the pdm becomes important.

 

[Onda]

in solidworks, that I know, the states are only there with the pdm. I manage quite complex projects, with files that can be very big, you know the individual files that axes them. But it is not said that there are no other ways of working. pdm has a number of disadvantages:
- keep on a server, with windows updated, I have to pass from server 2012r2 to 2019, because the last version does not turn under 2012..
- licensing and maintenance costs, unless you have knowledge of sql

Conversely, we work in group, with 6 people on the same project, distributed on two offices, at a distance, without ever having problems managing files. It's not easy.