Welcome to Workgroup PDM
The SolidWorks Workgroup PDM®application
is project data management software that runs inside the SolidWorks®
environment or as a standalone application. Workgroup PDM controls projects
with procedures for check out, check in, revision control, and other administration
tasks.
Vault.
The vault is a folder or directory (usually on a server) where projects
and documents are stored. The vault service is software that controls
access to the vault through Workgroup PDM. The vault and vault service
are installed and maintained by a vault administrator. Users store documents
in the vault by means of Workgroup PDM clients.
Vault Administration.
In addition to installing the vault, the vault administrator uses VaultAdmin
to create users and projects, specify revision and lifecycle schemes,
and establish global settings.
Client.
After the administrator establishes projects and user accounts, users
can check documents in and out, change revision and lifecycle status,
and generate reports. The client runs inside SolidWorks or within SolidWorks
Explorer.
Documents.
Documents are stored in a vault. Users check documents out of the vault,
and the documents are copied to the user's local work space. Modified
documents are checked back in, typically incrementing the revision level.
Ownership.
To check a document out of the vault, the document must not have an owner.
The user who checks a document out becomes the owner. Only the owner of
a document can check the document into the vault, but ownership does not
imply read/write status, nor does it guarantee eligibility to check the
document in (if the lifecycle status prevents it, for example). Only one
user at a time can be the owner of a document.
Users
If the Workgroup PDM administrator has created
a project and given you access to the project, you can begin managing
the project documents with Workgroup PDM using a client.
Administrators
As administrator, you are responsible for
setting up the projects, user accounts, and so on in the VaultAdmin tool. For installation
and upgrading, see the Workgroup PDM
Installation and Administration Guide, available in <install_dir>\VaultAdmin\lang\<language>\install_pdmworks.htm.
What's New
Read about new functionality in Workgroup
PDM by clicking Help, What's
New.
Workgroup PDM API
The Workgroup PDM API is available with each
Workgroup PDM client.
Help
You can access Help through the SolidWorks Help menu and from all Workgroup PDM
dialog boxes.