SOLIDWORKS PDM is a client-server software that requires various network connections to function properly. There are numerous ways to check on those connections to ensure everything is working as it should – or to identify the problem when it’s not.
This article will go over how to resolve the Application Exception: Invalid Class error that can occur when trying to launch eDrawings. You may also see it occur in PDM when clicking on a file to view the preview. The PDM preview uses eDrawings, which is why it can be seen in PDM. This error can appear simple, stating “Application Exception: Invalid Class” or lengthy with a string of other lines.
This article explains how to quickly switch the SOLIDWORKS PDM license types on a per-client basis. This method works for both SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard.
The ability to link model information to your PDM data cards is one of the many benefits of a PDM vault integration. For most, linking Summary and Custom properties to a PDM data card is sufficient. (Figure 1) However, there is a growing user base using configurations for their models to save time and money. (Watch our SOLIDWORKS Configurations - Quick Tip video to learn more.) This article covers how to link configuration-specific information to the SOLIDWORKS PDM data card.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional is a powerful document management tool. Collaboration, version control, revision control, change history, and access control are just some of the many features of PDM. Some of these features can be automated by Dispatch, an add-in provided with PDM. Automation can also be achieved by API written in C++, C#, or Visual Basic. However, Dispatch and in-house API can have their challenges. If the out of the box options can be so problematic, then there has to be a better solution. Enter GoExpress.
File vault backups should be part of the daily management of SOLIDWORKS PDM – for both Professional and Standard environments. Without regular and complete backups, you could be left with major data loss in the event of a failure or security breach. The entire purpose of PDM is to house your intellectual property, and for many of our customers, their IP is a foundational component of their entire business. Losing that could be disastrous, and we’re hoping to help you avoid that outcome by making sure your environment is set up properly before anything comes up.
The nature of our current technological landscape is such that when it comes to server crashes, outages, and security breaches – it’s a matter of “when” it happens, and not “if” anymore. This makes it all the more important that you and your team understand how to recover your SOLIDWORKS PDM environment from backups if something goes wrong.
SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is a great data management tool included with SOLIDWORKS Professional and SOLIDWORKS Premium. However, it is built on an SQL Express database, which unfortunately means there are no automated maintenance plans in SQL Server Management Studio. This makes automating the SQL backup procedure more difficult, but it’s absolutely still possible, and you even have a few different options to suit your needs.
SQL Maintenance plans create a workflow of the tasks required to make sure that your database is optimized, regularly backed up, and free of inconsistencies. The Maintenance Plan Wizard comes with prebuilt core plans, but manually creating plans gives more flexibility in execution. They can only be used with SQL Standard or higher, and so are only compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional.