GoEngineer Blog

SOLIDWORKS 2021 SP5 will be the last release of PDM Professional / Manage that will support the use of SQL Standard 2014. This will only affect PDM Professional, not PDM Standard. PDM Standard uses a free SQL Express that does not require any paid licensing. However, the installed version of SQL Express will still need to be upgraded.

 

PDM templates have the power to radically change how files are created. In this article, we'll demonstrate how we can use templates to create folder structures and files from existing templates inside of PDM and SOLIDWORKS, using inputs to create a semi-intelligent part number system.

There are plenty of reasons why one might share their SOLIDWORKS PDM vault with an outside entity, but not their licenses. This could certainly apply to outside vendors or sister companies that have their own PDM licensing and wish to remain separate. In this article, we'll detail how to set this up.

If you are a SOLIDWORKS PDM user, you are likely aware that the Administration tool is installed with the client software regardless if you are a PDM admin. Typically this tool is not all that useful for non-admins and therefore never gets launched, but for those in a group that has been set with any admin-level permissions, you may find you launch this tool regularly.

Often times a company will change the process in which they want a file to travel through their company, resulting in major workflow changes. Sometimes this includes going to the extent of putting together a whole new workflow. So, how do we get some or all of the files that were in the old workflow, over to the new workflow? In this guide we will walk through, step by step, how to move files from one workflow to another.

Locking a PDM vault can be performed by the administrator inside the Administration application. Right-click the Vault you want to block log-ins for, and select Properties. In the File Vault Properties window, click Block Log-ins. The Block status will change from Log-ins are permitted to Log-ins are blocked.

SOLIDWORKS PDM 2021 includes lots of new icons for States and Transitions. Previously existing State icons have been updated as well as the icon interface. Being able to sort icons into different categories makes it easier when making a selection as well. Changing a State icon can be performed by the administrator inside the Administration application.

Web2 search capabilities are not quite as robust as a full install of PDM. In a web interface we lack search cards and favorites, which stifles us down to searching for a value in the File/Folder name, Comment and Description by default. With some tweaks to the configuration we can free us up to search across any number of variables.

When accessing a SOLIDWORKS PDM vault through Windows Explorer, all the information for the files is displayed in columns. However, sometimes the default column set does not display all the information a user could be looking for. To solve this, a custom column set can be added to the view. Multiple column sets can be created and assigned to different users so they can be customized to the individual user’s and group’s needs.