Right now with the COVID-19 outbreak a lot of companies are being forced to change the way they operate, with employees having to work remotely outside of the office. This means accessing the shared SOLIDWORKS data in your office becomes more of a challenge. In a previous post we presented the different methods available for accessing data through Remote Desktop Tools, VPN (Virtual Private Network) and Cloud options.

In this post I will outline the various PDM and Cloud services that Javelin provides, so you are aware of the options available and how you can get the help you to remotely access your data.

Javelin Cloud Services

Remote SOLIDWORKS PDM Services

Javelin’s team of Certified Experts provide a variety of remote services including System Implementation, Health Check, Optimization and Upgrades.

• SOLIDWORKS PDM Implementation Service: If you need to organize your business for working remotely then we can provide you with a SOLIDWORKS PDM implementation service that will ensure your PDM system is installed correctly and optimized for remote sharing. Certified PDM Implementation Experts will also advise you on best practices and make you self sufficient. We have refined the implementation process over 20+ years helping thousands of customers with data and document management issues.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Upgrade Service: If you are upgrading your SOLIDWORKS PDM from Standard to Professional in order to take advantage of web tools and access in the professional version; then you should consider our remote PDM Upgrade Service to ensure that the upgrade goes smoothly and downtime is kept to a minimum.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Audit Service: Javelin’s team of Certified PDM Experts can provide you with a comprehensive SOLIDWORKS PDM Audit to ensure you system is optimized for working remotely. Our analysis will determine if there are any issues with your system, establish it’s running at full capacity, verify your data is fully protected, and check that the latest enhancements and features are being utilized.

Javelin Cloud Services

Javelin’s Amazon Web Service (AWS) Certified Experts provide cloud infrastructure and application migration solutions to small and medium sized businesses. We can help you to Plan, Design, Build, Migrate, Run, Operate, and Optimize your cloud service.

• Javelin Cloud Mentoring: Get the guidance you need to select the right service levels from AWS Services. Our team will evaluate your existing PDM infrastructure and provide a future needs analysis including:
  • Servers/Virtual Machines (VMs)
  • Storage Needs
  • Virtualized Hosts or Bare Metal
  • Internal network cabling
  • Routers and Switches
  • External bandwidth requirements and availability, which includes:
    • Match needs to AWS offerings:
      • EC2 instance types
      • EBS storage types
      • Network Needs and Configuration
  • We also provide an AWS network diagram for a proposed infrastructure
• Javelin Cloud Network Configuration: The Javelin team can build a seamless connection between AWS and your current network infrastructure. The service includes:
  • Current infrastructure analysis
  • Switching and Routing
  • Network Speeds and Capacity
  • VPN Appliances
  • External Bandwidth Availability
  • Hardware recommendations for Optimal Performance
  • Hardware and Network configuration and testing
  • Javelin Cloud Server Services
  • Client-Side Configurations
  • DNS Configurations
• Javelin Cloud PDM Installation and Setup: Javelin AWS and SOLIDWORKS PDM Services Team will provide you with the network configuration that best suits your PDM requirements on the Cloud:
  • AWS configuration and build out (SQL, PDM database and PDM Archive in place)
  • Configure Amazon SNS for AWS notifications delivery
  • Configure Amazon SES for PDM SMTP Notifications Delivery (if necessary)
  • Configure AWS VPC for Delivery of PDM SMTP Notifications to OnPrem SMTP Server (if necessary)
  • Create CloudWatch Alarms
  • AWS Backup Configuration
• Javelin Cloud Health Check: Analyze your existing system and provide you with a report. The service includes:
  • On demand checkups (scheduled in advance as required)
  • EC2 resource usage analysis
  • Network usage analysis
  • EBS Storage usage
  • Our team will also provide you with recommendations for upgrade/downgrade of EC2, EBS, or other Amazon resources
• Disaster Recovery Validation Service: Testing of backup systems to avoid major problems, typically includes 1 day to recreate, and 1 day of testing.
  • Verify consistency of backup data
  • Recreate PDM environment and restore data
  • Connect simulated client machines and test restored data
  • Provide reporting on results
  • Recommended annually
• Additional Cloud Services: There are a number of IT services that our experts can provide you, these include:
  • VPN Consulting Services
  • Remote Desktop Tools Support
  • Office 365 Administration
  • PDM Administration
  • Azure, AWS Administration
  • Network Administration and Consultation
  • Setup of a cloud based CAD workstation featuring an Nvidia Tesla graphics processor

Interested?

If you are interested in any of these SOLIDWORKS PDM or Cloud services then please contact us »

The post Services to help you access your SOLIDWORKS Data via the Cloud appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional includes a Microsoft Office Add-in for Excel, Word and PowerPoint that allows you to perform vault operations on documents opened in the Office application.

Microsoft Office Add-in

Normally you would select the Microsoft Office add-in (Microsoft Office Integration) option during the client installation if Office is detected on the system.

Microsoft Office Integration

If for some reason you were not able to select the option via the install wizard, you can manually install the Microsoft Office add-in as follows:

1. First verify if your Office version is 32-bit or 64-bit. The best method is to open the Office application and
   go to File, Help, and view the About information. It should state if the application is 32-bit or 64-bit.

   About Word

2. An alternate method is to start the Office application and view the process details for the application. If it
   shows 32 next to the process name, the application is 32-bit. Otherwise it is 64-bit.
   • 64-bit Word Process

     64-bit Word Process

   • 32-bit Word Process

     32-bit Word Process

3. Browse to ..\SWPDMClient\ folder on the install media and locate the Office add-in .CAB files.

   Office add-in .CAB files

   • Open Office.cab for 32-bit Office. Extract epdmlib.dll and office.dll into the SOLIDWORKS
     PDM 32-bit program folder location (c:\Program Files (x86)\SolidWorks PDM).

     c:\Program Files (x86)\SolidWorks PDM

   • Open Office64.cab for 64-bit Office. Extract epdmlib.dll1 and office.dll1 into the Enterprise
     PDM install folder (c:\Program Files\SolidWorks Enterprise PDM)

     c:\Program Files\SolidWorks Enterprise PDM

   • Rename the files to epdmlib.dll and office.dll.
4. Start a command prompt using the Run as Administrator option.

   Command Prompt

5. Step into the install folder where the two files were extracted and type the following commands (followed by Enter keystroke):
   • regsvr32 epdmlib.dll
   • regsvr32 office.dll

     Administrator Command Prompt

6. Start the Office application and the SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in tab should now show up.

   SOLIDWORKS PDM

7. If it does not show, go to File, Options, Add-Ins, Manage COM Add-ins and press Go…

   Enable SOLIDWORKS PDM Add-in

Make sure the SOLIDWORKS PDM integration add-in is listed and enabled. If it is not listed, try starting the Office application using the “run as administrator” option, then use the Add… option in the COM Add-Ins dialog to locate and load the office.dll file.

Select Word SOLIDWORKS PDM Integration

NOTE: If the SOLIDWORKS PDM tab still does not load, try restarting the system.

The post How to manually install the SOLIDWORKS PDM Microsoft Office Add-in appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Right now with the COVID-19 outbreak a lot of companies are being forced to change the way they operate, with employees having to work remotely outside of the office. This means accessing the shared SOLIDWORKS data in your office becomes more of a challenge. In a previous post we presented the different methods available for accessing data through Remote Desktop Tools, VPN (Virtual Private Network) and Cloud options.

In this post I will outline the various PDM and Cloud services that Javelin provides, so you are aware of the options available and how you can get the help you to remotely access your data.

Javelin Cloud Services

Remote SOLIDWORKS PDM Services

Javelin’s team of Certified Experts provide a variety of remote services including System Implementation, Health Check, Optimization and Upgrades.

• SOLIDWORKS PDM Implementation Service: If you need to organize your business for working remotely then we can provide you with a SOLIDWORKS PDM implementation service that will ensure your PDM system is installed correctly and optimized for remote sharing. Certified PDM Implementation Experts will also advise you on best practices and make you self sufficient. We have refined the implementation process over 20+ years helping thousands of customers with data and document management issues.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Upgrade Service: If you are upgrading your SOLIDWORKS PDM from Standard to Professional in order to take advantage of web tools and access in the professional version; then you should consider our remote PDM Upgrade Service to ensure that the upgrade goes smoothly and downtime is kept to a minimum.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Audit Service: Javelin’s team of Certified PDM Experts can provide you with a comprehensive SOLIDWORKS PDM Audit to ensure you system is optimized for working remotely. Our analysis will determine if there are any issues with your system, establish it’s running at full capacity, verify your data is fully protected, and check that the latest enhancements and features are being utilized.

Javelin Cloud Services

Javelin’s Amazon Web Service (AWS) Certified Experts provide cloud infrastructure and application migration solutions to small and medium sized businesses. We can help you to Plan, Design, Build, Migrate, Run, Operate, and Optimize your cloud service.

• Javelin Cloud Mentoring: Get the guidance you need to select the right service levels from AWS Services. Our team will evaluate your existing PDM infrastructure and provide a future needs analysis including:
  • Servers/Virtual Machines (VMs)
  • Storage Needs
  • Virtualized Hosts or Bare Metal
  • Internal network cabling
  • Routers and Switches
  • External bandwidth requirements and availability, which includes:
    • Match needs to AWS offerings:
      • EC2 instance types
      • EBS storage types
      • Network Needs and Configuration
  • We also provide an AWS network diagram for a proposed infrastructure
• Javelin Cloud Network Configuration: The Javelin team can build a seamless connection between AWS and your current network infrastructure. The service includes:
  • Current infrastructure analysis
  • Switching and Routing
  • Network Speeds and Capacity
  • VPN Appliances
  • External Bandwidth Availability
  • Hardware recommendations for Optimal Performance
  • Hardware and Network configuration and testing
  • Javelin Cloud Server Services
  • Client-Side Configurations
  • DNS Configurations
• Javelin Cloud PDM Installation and Setup: Javelin AWS and SOLIDWORKS PDM Services Team will provide you with the network configuration that best suits your PDM requirements on the Cloud:
  • AWS configuration and build out (SQL, PDM database and PDM Archive in place)
  • Configure Amazon SNS for AWS notifications delivery
  • Configure Amazon SES for PDM SMTP Notifications Delivery (if necessary)
  • Configure AWS VPC for Delivery of PDM SMTP Notifications to OnPrem SMTP Server (if necessary)
  • Create CloudWatch Alarms
  • AWS Backup Configuration
• Javelin Cloud Health Check: Analyze your existing system and provide you with a report. The service includes:
  • On demand checkups (scheduled in advance as required)
  • EC2 resource usage analysis
  • Network usage analysis
  • EBS Storage usage
  • Our team will also provide you with recommendations for upgrade/downgrade of EC2, EBS, or other Amazon resources
• Disaster Recovery Validation Service: Testing of backup systems to avoid major problems, typically includes 1 day to recreate, and 1 day of testing.
  • Verify consistency of backup data
  • Recreate PDM environment and restore data
  • Connect simulated client machines and test restored data
  • Provide reporting on results
  • Recommended annually
• Additional Cloud Services: There are a number of IT services that our experts can provide you, these include:
  • VPN Consulting Services
  • Remote Desktop Tools Support
  • Office 365 Administration
  • PDM Administration
  • Azure, AWS Administration
  • Network Administration and Consultation
  • Setup of a cloud based CAD workstation featuring an Nvidia Tesla graphics processor

Interested?

If you are interested in any of these SOLIDWORKS PDM or Cloud services then please contact us »

The post Services to help you access your SOLIDWORKS Data via the Cloud appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional includes a Microsoft Office Add-in for Office products such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint that allows you to perform PDM vault commands on open documents.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Menu in Microsoft Word

You can select the Microsoft Office add-in (Microsoft Office Integration) option when installing the SW PDM client if Office applications are detected on the system.

Microsoft Office Add-in Integration

Manual installation of Microsoft Office Integration

If the SOLIDWORKS PDM installation wizard was not able detect the Office applications, you can manually install the add-in by following the instructions provided below:

Step 1: Verify your MS Office version is 32-bit or 64-bit. The best method is to open the Office application and go to File, Help, and view the About information. It should state if the application is 32-bit or 64-bit as shown in the figure below:

Office Version Information

Step 2: Browse to the SOLIDWORKS Downloads folder and look for the folder “SWPDMClient” folder

SOLIDWORKS download folder

Step 3: Locate the Office add-in .CAB files and open Office.cab for 32-bit Office or Office64.cab for 64-bit Office products.

Step 4: Extract epdmlib.dll and office.dll into the SOLIDWORKS PDM Installation directories

• For 32-bit Office applications, folder location C:\Program Files (x86)\SolidWorks PDM
• For 64-bit Office applications, folder location C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS PDM
  • For 64-bit Office files, rename the files to epdmlib.dll and office.dll.

Step 5: Start a command prompt and Run as Administrator

Run as administrator

Step 6: Change the location to the installation folder where the two files were copied and type the following commands (followed by Enter keystroke):

• regsvr32 epdmlib.dll
• regsvr32 office.dll

Command prompt entries

PDM Add-in enabled in office application

Step 7: Start the Office application and the SOLIDWORKS PDM add-in tab should now show up.

• If the Office add-in is missing, follow the instructions to manually turn on the add-in.

NOTE: If the SOLIDWORKS PDM tab still does not load, try restarting the system.

The post How to manually install the SOLIDWORKS PDM Microsoft Office Add-in appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

NOTE: Upgrading PDM carries some risk. It’s your company’s IP contained in your vault. Javelin can perform your upgrade for you to ensure it’s done right with minimal down time and risk of data loss. Contact your Javelin sales account manager for a quote. If a PDM upgrade is self-served and it goes poorly, our PDM Technical Support can help get the upgrade back on track, and the time may be billable.

If you are planning on upgrading to the latest release of PDM then make sure you follow our SOLIDWORKS PDM Upgrade Checklist below:

Prepare (Recommended 1 week before upgrade)

• Download the full installation file set through a Customer Portal account (~10GB)
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2011/10/sw-customer-portal/ > ‘Downloads and Updates’
  • Download and run ‘SolidWorksSetup.exe,’ choose ‘Download and Share’ for full file set
• Verify that the system requirements for server and client computers are met
  • http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/PDMSystemRequirements.html/

NOTE: Pay special attention to the Operating System as well as the Microsoft SQL Server versions.  SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020 and 2021 require Windows Server 2016 or newer and Microsoft SQL Server 2014 SP3 or newer.  The SOLIDWORKS PDM 2021 Client requires Windows 10.

• Ensure the 24 digit activation based serial number for PDM has been recorded

Upgrade License Manager (Recommended several days before upgrade)

• On the system serving as the license server, run ‘Setup.exe’ from the downloaded folder
  • Choose ‘Server products’ then ‘Upgrade SolidNetwork License Manager’
• Reactivate SolidNetwork License Manager
  • ‘SolidNetwork License Manager Admin’ from Start menu, then ‘Modify’
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2012/01/the-last-step-to-update-the-solidnetwork-license-server/

Backups (Immediately before upgrade)

• Have users Check In all files
• Ensure that the PDM Archive folders have been backed up
• Backup the SQL Databases
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2015/05/manually-backup-epdm-database-video/
• Backup the PDM Archive Server settings
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2016/06/solidworks-pdm-archive-server-backup/

Server Upgrade

• Upgrade the SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Server and Archive Server programs
  • Run \SWPDMServer\setup.exe to start the SOLIDWORKS PDM server upgrade
• Upgrade the SQL Databases
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2013/04/epdm-database-upgrade-tool/
• Upgrade any PDM Add Ins
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2016/08/solidworks-pdm-professional-task-add-in/
• If SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 Server is installed configure Microsoft IIS to set the application pool for SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 back to the correct identity
  • https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2020/01/solidworks-pdm-web2-upgrade-issues/
• Upgrade any additional replicated Archive Servers 

Client Upgrade

• Log into Windows as the Local Administrator account (ensure full local permissions)
  • http://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2014/02/need-local-administrative-rights-install-solidworks/
• Run \SWPDMClient\setup.exe to start the SOLIDWORKS PDM client upgrade

Following SOLIDWORKS Upgrade

• Upgrade SOLIDWORKS Toolbox if located in the vault.
  • https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2020/04/how-to-manually-update-solidworks-toolbox-in-a-solidworks-pdm-vault/
• OPTIONAL:  Upgrade SOLIDWORKS files using the File Version Upgrade Tool
  • https://help.solidworks.com/2021/english/EnterprisePDM/UpgradeUtility/c_upgrade_utility_overview.htm

NOTE: Need to upgrade SOLIDWORKS? Then check out our SOLIDWORKS Upgrade Checklist

The post SOLIDWORKS PDM Upgrade Checklist appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional has the functionality to configure SOLIDWORKS PDM to send notifications through the default database message system or an SMTP mail server. Whereas SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard supports only the default database message system. But how do we setup the SMTP Server using an Email Proxy Application? That will be addressed in this article.

Why would I need to use an Email Relay?

There are multiple third party applications available to use as an email proxy, this article will highlight only ONE of the many open source application that will act as the proxy to forward emails from one server to another.

It is the responsibility of users to setup and troubleshoot setup of the Mail Proxy Server.

Setting up the Email Relay

1. Download and Extract the Email Relay Application
2. Run the “EmailRelay-Setup.exe” file
3. Configure the Installation per the Screenshots below

• Installation Directories:

emailrelay Installation Directories

• Installation Type:

emailrelay Setup

• SMTP Server

emailrelay SMTP Server Setup

• SMTP Client

emailrelay SMTP Client Setup

• Logging

emailrelay Logging

• Connections

emailrelay Connections Setup

• Server Startup

emailrelay Server Startup

• Complete the Setup
• In the installation directory you will find couple of BAT files. You want to use “emailrelay-start-with-logfile.bat” to start the application.

Configuring SOLIDWORKS PDM to use the Specified SMTP Server

The settings for configuring the SMTP Mail Server within the Administration tool can be found on the SOLIDWORKS Help documentation: Configuring the Message System

If the e-mail messages fail to be forwarded using the E-MailRelay system, check the spool directory for files with a .bad suffix. The reason for failure will be recorded within the envelope file.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Training

Javelin offers various SOLIDWORKS PDM training courses which cover all the new additions and features such as searching within the vault. PDM Administrator training covers topics such as this in great detail and ample examples and exercises are provided for PDM administrators to familiarize themselves with new additions to SOLIDWORKS PDM.

The post SOLIDWORKS PDM SMTP Notifications using Email Relay appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Many times when working within SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional or Standard, you may want to create a Task that can be used to speed up your workflow.

One such example of this could be the task titled “Convert to PDF”, which Converts SOLIDWORKS Drawing files (.slddrw) files to PDF and save them in the configured location within the Task Settings.

Now say when setting this task up, something went wrong and you’re receiving a few “Failed” messages when running the task manually via the Command Menu.

Troubleshooting a failed PDM Script:

1. Make sure that the Task Host is configured on the current system
2. Monitor the Task in the PDM Administration tool via the Task List.
3. Ensure that the correct version of the PDM Add-In is used, If not – Upgrade the PDM Add-In to match your PDM Server Install
4. If there are no changes to the default script. then reset the script.
5. Review the PDM Client Log and Archive Server Log for Errors
6. Review the Windows ‘Application and ‘System’ Event logs for Errors

In this article, we will be looking at Step 4 of the process.

Reset the Default PDM Script

1. Launch the “Administration” tool for SOLIDWORKS PDM
2. Navigate to the Tasks > Open the Task to Modify

SOLIDWORKS PDM Tasks

3. Go to “Output File Details”

Output File Details

4. Copy the script to the Notepad file and Save the file
5. “Reset” the Script
6. If you have multiple versions of SOLIDWORKS – Choose the version that you would like the files to be open and rebuilt in

Reset the script

7. Select “OK” on all Windows. Re-run the Task Script to see the results.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Training

Javelin offers various SOLIDWORKS PDM training courses which cover all the new additions and features such as searching within the vault. PDM Administrator training covers topics such as this in great detail and ample examples and exercises are provided for PDM administrators to familiarize themselves with new additions to SOLIDWORKS PDM.

The post How do I reset my SOLIDWORKS PDM Task Script? appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

While helping a customer with an issue they were having with their SOLIDWORKS PDM serial numbers, I came across an article on how unused serial numbers are handled. This article really helped me understand the way serial numbers are doled out and I believe others will find this information useful.

In this article, I have summarized that information. I would encourage you to read the full article which is available from the SOLIDWORKS Knowledgebase.

As those who have implemented and/or administered SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional likely know, PDM Professional includes a serial number generator.

PDM Serial Numbers

A serial number is a counter that will increment by one, each time it is used. Serial numbers are assigned to file by means such as:

• The SOLIDWORKS add-in, if the option is enabled
• A control in a data card
• Through the use of a PDM template
• An option in Copy-Tree
• Through a call in an API (application programming interface)

Regardless of how the serial number gets pulled, that serial number will be reserved in the SQL database. For the most part, this shouldn’t cause issues, but this can occasionally result in behavior that can cause confusion.

A case study created by SOLIDWORKS Support to illustrate this behavior uses as an example of a PDM template that generates a serial number.

Serial Numbers in a PDM Template

When a user runs the PDM template, the template generates a serial number (DRW-100) and this serial number is reserved. While this user continues to work in a template, another user creates a couple of new components through the Template. These components get assigned the next available serial numbers, which are DRW-101 and DRW-102. The first user then decides to cancel the template creation. Even though no file was created the serial number DRW-100 is still reserved in the database. If the second user were to then create a third component, that component would get the reserved serial number (DRW-100), not DRW-103. This will continue as long as there are reserved serial numbers. When all reserved serial numbers are used, the next counter value will be used.

Next Counter Value

Because these reserved values are lower than the values previously generated by the second user, that user may mistakenly believe that serial numbers are not being generated incorrectly.

The post How are unused SOLIDWORKS PDM Serial Numbers handled? appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS PDM, SOLIDWORKS Manage and SOLIDWORKS Electrical software all rely on databases hosted by Microsoft SQL Server software to operate.

The Microsoft SQL Server software is licensed separately from your SOLIDWORKS software, so it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct licensing for both the Release and Edition of Microsoft SQL Server which you have installed.

NOTE: The information in this guide is intended to provide an overview the MS-SQL licensing requirements as they relate to SOLIDWORKS products.  Your Microsoft Software Reseller will be able to help you with more specifics concerning these licensing options.

Do I need to purchase Microsoft SQL Server licensing for SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard?

No. SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard is only compatible with Microsoft SQL Server Express, the PDM Standard database cannot be hosted on any other edition of Microsoft SQL Server.  Microsoft SQL Server Express is free for commercial use so no additional licensing needs to be purchased.  Express Edition is an entry level database server which is limited to being able to use only 4 processor cores and 1 GB of memory per instance.  The database file itself is limited to a maximum size of 10 GB.

What Edition of Microsoft SQL Server should I use to host my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional databases?

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server Express, Microsoft SQL Server Standard, and Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Editions.

For most situations, Microsoft SQL Server Standard should be used for hosting the vault databases.  Microsoft SQL Server Standard Edition is able to use up to 24 processor cores and up to 128GB of memory per instance.  These limits are more than sufficient for most SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vaults.

For some exceptionally large vaults or for replicated PDM environments, there may be benefit in the additional functionality available with Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise, such as database replication and higher resource utilization limits. However typically there are other less expensive steps that can be taken to optimize performance of the vault.  If you feel your performance is being limited by using Microsoft SQL Server Standard Edition to host the databases, speak with your SOLIDWORKS PDM Value Added Reseller first to examine if the Enterprise Edition would provide substantial gains for your specific vault.

Microsoft SQL Server Express can be used for sandbox or training vaults, however it should never be used to host a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional or SOLIDWORKS Manage production vault due to the resource limits of this edition mentioned earlier.

How does Microsoft SQL Server Standard Edition licensing work?

There are two licensing models for Microsoft SQL Server Standard, Server + CAL and Core-Based licensing. More information about these licensing models can be found in the SQL Server 2019 Licensing Datasheet and the SQL Server 2019 Licensing Guide.

The licensing model that is best for you will depend on several factors, including how many users will be accessing your SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault, and what Microsoft SQL licensing you may already own.  It is best to consult with your Microsoft Software Reseller to determine which one you should choose for your specific situation.

If you own no other Microsoft SQL licensing at this time, or if you must keep the licensing separate, typically the Core-Based licensing model becomes the more economical option once there are 25-30 individual users who must access the vault.

Did my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software purchase include Microsoft SQL Standard Licensing?

Possibly, it depends on when you purchased your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software.

• If you purchased PDM Professional CAD Editor, Contributor or Viewer licenses prior to October 8, 2019, then your purchase would have included 1 run-time restricted Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2014 Server License as part of the initial order, as well as one run-time restricted Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2014 Client Access License for each user license purchased.
• After October 2019, these licenses were no longer bundled automatically with the SOLIDWORKS PDM software, though they could be purchased separately through your SOLIDWORKS Value Added Reseller by request up until October 1, 2020.  Since then these run-time restricted licenses have not been available for purchase.
• If you purchased SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Universal License packs (formerly called PSL licenses) before April 1, 2020, then Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2014 Core Licenses (4 Cores) were included with the purchase.

If you have purchased SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional after these dates, then you will need to purchase the required MS-SQL licensing separately through your Microsoft Software Reseller.

What does it mean that the SQL licenses previously bundled with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional were run-time restricted?

The Microsoft SQL Server Standard Server + CAL licenses that were previously bundled with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional were not full, unrestricted licenses, meaning that they can only be used for SOLIDWORKS software (i.e.: SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, SOLIDWORKS Manage or SOLIDWORKS Electrical).  No other applications can be hosted on the Server license and these run-time restricted CALs cannot be used to authorize the client to connect to a SQL server hosting another application.

The Microsoft SQL Server Standard Core licenses however did not have this restriction. (Though for performance reasons we strongly recommend against hosting other databases on the same SQL server that the SOLIDWORKS PDM databases are hosted)

Are there any other limitations with the Microsoft SQL Server licenses that came with my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software?

Yes, these limited licenses did not include Microsoft Software Assurance so that means that they cannot be upgraded to newer releases of Microsoft SQL.  Microsoft Software Assurance cannot be purchased separately for these licenses.  Additionally, these licenses cannot be used for public cloud servers.

How long will I be able to keep using the Microsoft SQL 2014 licenses that came with my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional software?

The Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2014 licenses that were bundled with SOLIDWORKS PDM are perpetual licenses so you can continue to use them for as long as you wish.

However, SOLIDWORKS PDM 2021 SP5 will be the last release of PDM that will be compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2014.  SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022, and all future releases, will be blocked from running on Microsoft SQL Server 2014.  New licenses for MS-SQL will need to be used and the server software upgraded to a release compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 (Microsoft SQL Server 2016 or newer).

If I am using the Client Access Licenses that came bundled with my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional CAD Editor/Contributor/Viewer licenses, do I need to purchase any additional SQL licensing now?

That depends on how many individual people are accessing the vault.

It is very important to understand that Microsoft SQL Client Access Licenses are not “floating” or “concurrent” licenses, the way that SOLIDWORKS PDM user licenses are. PDM user licenses are intended to be shared between users, so once one user is done with the license they can log out the vault, then that license can be returned to the pool and a different user can then take that license.

Microsoft SQL CALs are different, each individual user that accesses the vault would need their own SQL User CAL (the exception would be if multiple users are sharing a single device, and these people only ever access the vault from that device, then one Device CAL could be used instead).

When SQL CALs were previously bundled with PDM Professional User licenses, only one CAL was included per PDM license.  If those SOLIDWORKS PDM licenses are being shared by multiple people, then additional CALs are required.

However, before purchasing any additional Microsoft SQL Client Access Licenses you should first determine if you already own any that are being used for other software, such as an ERP program.  If so, determine whether the CALs are unrestricted and can be used any software or if they are run-time restricted to only be used for that other program.  If they are unrestricted, and if some of the PDM users are already covered by those CALs, then you may not need to purchase additional licensing (once a person is covered by a Client Access License, they can use that license to connect to any SQL Server).

If additional CALs are required, your Microsoft Software Reseller will be able to supply them for you.  Microsoft SQL Client Access Licenses are backwards compatible, so a 2019 SQL CAL can be used to access a 2014 SQL Server.

If I am using the Core-Based Licensing that came with my SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Universal (PSL) licenses, do I need to purchase any additional SQL licensing now?

That depends on how many cores are currently accessible by your Microsoft SQL Server software.  Each SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Universal (formerly PSL) license included SLQ Core-Based licensing for 4 processor cores and additional core licenses could be purchased through your SOLIDWORKS Reseller as needed up until April 2020.  If you require additional SQL Core Licenses, these can be purchased through your Microsoft Software Reseller.

Can I use a cloud hosted Microsoft SQL Server for SOLIDWORKS PDM?

Yes, as long as your Microsoft SQL licensing includes Microsoft Software Assurance it can be used on a public cloud server.  Additionally, some Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud offerings bundle Microsoft SQL licensing into the cost of the instance, effectively reducing the upfront cost of the licensing.

NOTE: though that the Microsoft SQL Server Standard licenses that came bundled with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional cannot be used on a public cloud server.

The post Microsoft SQL Licensing for SOLIDWORKS PDM FAQs appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

This article is more of a cautionary tale than a technical document. Increasingly I’m seeing customers lose SOLIDWORKS PDM data because of not checking in Private State files.

What are Private State Files?

According to the SOLIDWORKS PDM Help, “Private State files are files that other users have added to the vault, but have not yet checked in”.

Private State Files are SOLIDWORKS PDM files that have been copied or saved to a Local Vault View and are ONLY available locally. They are not saved to the Server where PDM stores files (archive server).

While these files can be seen by other users, if they have the Folder Permission “May see files before initial check in (Private State)”, few operations are available for these files until they are checked in (the ability to view Private State files is only available with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional). These Private State files cannot be cached to another computer or opened on another computer.

Permission to See private State Files

Local Files need to be checked in

Because of its importance, I want to restate that saving or copying a file to a Local vault view does not add the file to the archive server. Only a check-in operation will do this. Not understanding this can lead to data loss.

With more people working from home and potentially experiencing slow connections, some users are checking files infrequently. Sometimes they only check in files at the completion of a project. While this may seem to save time, in fact, this practice is self-defeating, as at one point these files need to be checked in. The result is that instead of checking in a few files on a regular basis, a whole project needs to be checked in at once. So now instead of trying to push a couple of files through a slow connection, potentially dozens of files need to be pushed through the same slow connection at one time.

Private State File Limitations

Few PDM operations can be performed on these Private State files.

• Private State files cannot be transitioned.
• There is no history for Private State files, so if you need to get an earlier version of a file, in order to recover from unwanted changes, you cannot do this.
• Further, while Copy and Move Tree are available, for Private State files, referenced files will not be included with copy or move tree.

No Referenced Files Included In Copy Tree

• Also, if Private State files are deleted, they may not be recoverable from SOLIDWORKS PDM Folder properties, nor the Windows Recycle Bin. In other words, you lost all that work.

Private State Files not Recoverable from PDM

Private Files can be permanently lost!

But likely the greatest problem with Local State files is that if something happens to the system where these Private Files exist, the files may be permanently lost.

With the loss of functionality and the very real possibility of losing work, is it really worth saving a bit of time by avoiding checking in files regularly?

The post Check In your SOLIDWORKS PDM local Private State Files so you don’t lose work! appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

In this demonstration session from our recent virtual tech conference we’ll take a look at the suite of data management solutions from DS SOLIDWORKS.  No matter your company size or process complexity there is a solution designed for you. Watch the playlist below to learn more:

Data Management Solutions

Covered in this demonstration are on-premise solutions from DS SOLIDWORKS, plus solutions from Javelin to take the technologies to the cloud.

• SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard, powered by Microsoft® SQL Server Express and fully embedded into SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and Windows® Explorer, provides an intuitive set of configurable tools to manage your SOLIDWORKS files.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, powered by Microsoft SQL Server Standard extends the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard to allow your entire enterprise to easily share data and collaborate on designs.
• SOLIDWORKS Manage provides a unique set of advanced data management tools. This is accomplished by leveraging the file management capabilities and ease of use of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and adding powerful project, process, and item management capabilities.
• Javelin Cloud Services, can help you to Plan, Design, Build, Migrate, Run, Operate, and Optimize SOLIDWORKS on the cloud. Javelin’s Certified Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Microsoft Azure Experts provide cloud infrastructure and application migration solutions to small and medium sized businesses. For any stage of your cloud planning, adoption, or management process, you can rely on the Javelin Team to help you achieve your goals.

Want to get started with SOLIDWORKS PDM?

We have a getting started guide to help you figure out how to implement PDM Standard. If you want Javelin to implement your PDM system then check out our implementation service and other SOLIDWORKS PDM services available from Javelin.

The post SOLIDWORKS Data Management Solutions appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

In this article and related videos we compare the different data management solutions available from DS SOLIDWORKS and the cost required to implement and maintain the system.

1. How much is a lack of Data Management costing your business?
2. What does a Data Management system do?
3. Pros and Cons of DS SOLIDWORKS Data Management Systems
4. Return on Investment (ROI) Example
5. Get started with Data Management

How much is a lack of Data Management costing your business?

A lack of data management can be very costly for your time and business especially with the way most of us work today. How many of these situations do you experience in your business on a daily basis…

• File open and save times are very slow! With many of us working from remote home offices, these performance issues have increased, and data has become even more disconnected with workarounds.
• I can’t find my files: Scouring hard drives folders with Windows File Explorer search can help but is very slow and limited. So much time and productivity are lost trying to track down data, which inevitably ends in unnecessary recreation of parts!
• Am I using the latest version? So now I finally found a file and sent it to the shop floor. The part gets machined… but when assembled, it doesn’t fit… was it the latest revision? How much cost is incurred from scrap and penalties from product delivery delays?
• I spend too much time on administrative tasks! Different people need different forms of consumable data. Such as PDF files of drawings, DXF files of sheet metal flat pattern, or Excel-based BOM.  How about entering the same data over and over again; we enter the same part numbers, descriptions, materials, finishes, customer data into part files, drawing title blocks, bill of materials, then again in other business systems like an ERP. How much wasted time, and worse, how many errors are not detected?
• I need past revisions of parts! Your customer just contacted you looking for a replacement part from a product they purchased five years ago. How quickly can you zero in on all the parts and the revision level they were at back then. Back to the situation of not being unable to find the file and having to reverse engineer the part. Costly for you and the client.
• It’s hard to share files with other users and offices! Your satellite office needs a file. You suffer from lost productivity finding the file, creating the email and another copy of the file, then lose track of who has the latest version after sending it.

What does a Data Management system do?

The main reason for using a data management system is to centralize and secure your data. The system will maintain a history and audit trail, automate the creation of consumable files and can make data more self-serving. For example, Bill of Materials (BOM) and consumables can be requested and accessed at the appropriate time. The performance boost from working from a local cache is especially beneficial for CAD designers. You can push and pull data between different business systems to eliminate duplicate data entry.

Every business is at different a stage for company size and number of departments; with their own product and process complexities. One data management system does not fit all, so DS SOLIDWORKS have different options to suit your needs for both today and tomorrow.

Pros and Cons of DS SOLIDWORKS Data Management Systems

There are currently four DS SOLIDWORKS Data Management Systems to choose from, and two of which utilize Windows Explorer making them very easy to use. Here is an overview of each system along with their pros and cons:

SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard

SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard, powered by Microsoft® SQL Server Express and fully embedded into SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and Windows® Explorer, provides an intuitive set of configurable tools to manage your SOLIDWORKS files.

• Pros:
  • It is included comes with SOLIDWORKS Professional & Premium
  • It’s easy to use because it integrates into windows explorer
  • There’s Minimal setup and minimal cost.
• Cons:
  • Limited performance as it’s build on Microsoft® SQL Server Express
  • Limited capabilities when compared to the other solutions, such as no data card lists.
  • No replication to get data to different offices
  • No API
  • Limited to 1 workflow and 10 states with single transitions
  • No system integrations like ERP, MS office, or other CAD systems.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, powered by Microsoft SQL Server Standard extends the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard to allow your entire enterprise to easily share data and collaborate on designs.

• Pros:
  • Fully functional data management
  • A very nice API making it almost limitless what you can do with this solution
  • It Integrates with other products like DriveWorks, SOLIDWORKS Composer, SOLIDWORKS Electrical, and other CAD systems
  • It can integrate with ERP systems
  • It can replicate data to maintain data access and performance, even globally
  • It has unlimited workflows to manage just about any data source
  • It also makes Bill of Material access flexible and convenient.
• Cons:
  • This is a document centric solution
  • Document management only
  • Not true processes

SOLIDWORKS Manage

SOLIDWORKS Manage provides a unique set of advanced data management tools. This is accomplished by leveraging the file management capabilities and ease of use of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and adding powerful project, process, and item management capabilities.

• Pros:
  • Integrates into SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional
  • Adds process management and project management.
  • Can distill and display data through dashboards and reports
  • Very customizable
  • Powerful Bill of Material management like BOM Variants and types or even starting a new product from a BOM.
• Cons:
  • There’s no API yet so it’s very configurable but not customizable
  • It does have it’s own user interface that people will need to learn

3DEXPERIENCE Works

3DEXPERIENCE Works is a portfolio of connected, powerful and collaborative Data and Product Lifecycle Management solutions on the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE® platform. It empowers your team to collaborate and share your SOLIDWORKS® 3D designs and data on the cloud.

• Pros:
  • Quick out of the box functionality
  • No hardware requirements
  • No client installs and again integrates will SOLIDWORKS and Microsoft office products.
• Cons:
  • Workflows are pre-defined
  • The performance is dictated by your internet speed.
  • There are currently no ERP integrations
  • Minimal configurability
  • It currently only has revisioning where SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard and Professional have revisioning and versioning.

Return on Investment (ROI) Example

Now that you have a better understanding of the data management systems currently available and their pros and cons, you will also want to know much does each solution cost, and which is the right fit for your business?

As an example we will review the cost for a company which has 10 users who need data management, comprised of:

• 5 dedicated CAD designers
• 5 other other users:
  • 1 Manager
  • 1 Purchaser
  • 1 Salesperson
  • 2 Shop Floor users who want to benefit from their own data management but also want to Collaboration with other departments.

In the table below you can see a breakdown of the initial software cost, ongoing annual cost and typical return on investment time for a DS SOLIDWORKS data management solution:

NOTE: Costs shown in the table below are approximate US dollar estimates, contact us for an accurate quote

*Based on 5 CAD users & 5 other department users

** Costs shown in US dollars

Get started with Data Management

So how much is your current data management costing you today? Go and take account of the lost productivity and lost revenue from the many manual and repetitive processes you use today. Check on the amount of scrap from costly errors that make it to the shop floor.

Status quo is always easy to fall back on, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right answer. Invest in your company!  Ensure your most valuable asset is protected and that you squeeze every ounce of value from it. With the right data management system your productivity will go up, and your team will work more cohesively. As you can see in the ROI table above, the more data and people you connect, the more significant your returns will be. Lastly, no matter where you might want to start today, these solutions allow you to grow within each solution and across these solutions.

If you have any questions or want to find out more, please visit our website and reach out to talk with our knowledgeable staff.

The post What is the cost of SOLIDWORKS Data Management? appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Working offline within SOLIDWORKS PDM is a great option if you want to bring work home on your laptop, or if there is maintenance being performed on the vault and there’s no access to the server. 

In a perfect world, you’ve remembered to switch into offline mode ahead of losing access, but if you’re forgetful and impatient (like myself), there is an option to make this switch within the registry, without having to wait for the delayed login prompt when the server can’t be found by the client

Work Offline in SOLIDWORKS PDM

WARNING! – Only complete this change if you are comfortable with the Windows Registry.  Accidental changes to the registry can render your system inoperable, exercising extreme caution is required when making any registry edits.

• Start Regedit.msc and navigate to;
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Vaults\[vaultname]

Registry Editor

• RMB within this key > New > DWORD

New > DWORD

• Set the New Value Name as ‘Offline‘
  • and the Value Data as ‘1‘

Set the New Value Name as ‘Offline’

• Then the PDM client will be instantly switched to offline mode, without having to wait for the login prompt;

SOLIDWORKS PDM Offline Mode

NOTE: If you’ve used offline mode previously, the registry key may already exist.  In this scenario we can just switch the Value Data to ‘1‘

The post How to switch SOLIDWORKS PDM to Offline Mode using the Windows Registry appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

By default within a replicated SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional environment, 10 files are replicated per transfer to the target server(s) during scheduled replication.  If you’re experiencing bottlenecks or low bandwidth; it’s a good idea to reduce this number, or, if you have available bandwidth; the number of files can be increased to speed up replication.

This value can be adjusted at any time and is a useful tool for troubleshooting communication problems within a replicated environment.

How to adjust the number of files that are received per transfer to the target server

NOTE: Steps within this article involve editing the Windows Registry.  This process can severely damage the operation of installed programs and should only be done by someone that is familiar with working in the Windows Registry.

On the target server;

• Open the registry editor and browse to the following key;
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ArchiveServer

Navigate to Key

• Create a new DWORD value named ReplicationThreads
  • RMB > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value

New DWORD

• Select the new key ReplicationThreads
  • RMB > Modify

Replication Threads Modify

• Edit the key as follows;
  • Base = Decimal
  • Value Data = Define the number of files to be received by the target server

Set The Value

The number of files set must be between 1 and 64

• Hit OK and close the registry editor.

To incorporate the changes, a restart to the archive server service is required;

Restart the archive server services

The post Adjusting SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Replication Performance appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

The SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 client allows users to connect to your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault online from most devices with an internet browser. Web2 client is beneficial for external and internal users who are not connected to their office network or have an unsupported operating system.

Access to Web2 is included with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional using either a Web or a Viewer license. The Web license comes with each CAD Editor, Contributor, or PSL license. You can dynamically access SOLIDWORKS files with the main web browsers (Edge, Chrome etc.) without loading plug-ins. Take a look at the demonstration to learn more:

Why you need the Web2 Client

Today’s manufacturers face a host of challenges related to effectively managing product design and manufacturing data—not just within product development and manufacturing departments but across the greater manufacturing enterprise. How well manufacturing organizations manage product and production data—and leverage this data to support related functions—has a direct bearing on a manufacturer’s ability to grow, as well as maintain and extend its competitive edge.

You’ve invested in SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and realizing the advantages of centralized data, increased productivity with  automated tasks, and you’re benefitting from the visibility and productivity gained through workflows.

One very important gain is the granular and dynamic file security you now have, knowing that the right person will have access to the right data at the right time. With this in mind, you may want to make it EASIER for users to access your SOLIDWORKS PDM online with the Web2 Client, and providing your business with the following benefits:

• Allow all departments access to project data online
• Connect shop floor, sales, service technicians, managers, and clients
• Collaborate at work, at home remotely, or in the field
• Access data with a web browser on most devices, no need for CAD software or powerful machines

Using the Web2 Client

The Web2 Client provides users with:

• Viewing capabilities for many file types such as PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Browser independence
• No client installation requirements
• Transition action support such as setting revision variables

Other capabilities include:

• Quick searching and viewing of vault data.
• A mobile version for small hand held devices like smartphones.
• The ability to preview multiple file types.
• Thumbnail previews of SOLIDWORKS files when accessed via the mobile version.
• The ability to open SOLIDWORKS files with the eDrawings application for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
• Contains and Where Used information.
• State change capabilities.
• Editing capabilities.

Who should access SOLIDWORKS PDM Online?

• The shop floor to start. Quite often, the shop floor gets the main office hand me down computers. So they may not have the system requirements to run a current operating system. Or at the other end of the spectrum, you may have more mobile solutions like tablets that don’t run a Windows operating system at all.
• Sales teams who are out of the office would benefit by having access to the latest data.
• Service teams that are on the road who may need access to current repair procedures. Or, what if they could communicate back any issues they’ve found, immediately with photos from their smartphone.
• Managers or clients may need to review or approve the design drawings. Wouldn’t it be more productive if they had access to the vaulted data and be able to keep the process moving efficiently no matter where they might be?

Setting up SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault Online

SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 is included with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and simply needs to be installed and configured using standard Windows IIS found on your server. You can keep access to the web interface internal to your office space, or you can securely open your vault to users outside your office.

Contact us to help you get setup

As you can see from the demonstration, SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 gives you an easy and convenient way to access your data. Whether you’re working remotely or out in the field, you have access to your vaulted data. If you want to improve the communication with your clients, Web2 will definitely improve your processes and continue to add value to your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional investment. Contact us to get setup »

The post How to access your SOLIDWORKS PDM Vault Online appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Issue: the recent Windows Security Update (KB5003637) released in June 2021, may break the integration of Adobe Reader ActiveX within SOLIDWORKS PDM. This can result in a black window when previewing a PDF, or on some systems, this may cause SOLIDWORKS PDM to crash! There have also been reports that right-clicking a PDF and trying to use “Open With” to open the file in either Adobe or Chrome will crash Windows Explorer.

Solution: This 3DEXPERIENCE Technical Partners Community article provides details on this alert and a potential workaround for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. You can use your SOLIDWORKS ID to log in. If you are not able to access the article, please follow the instructions below.

Black Preview Window for PDFs

Solution Instructions

First, confirm that Adobe Reader ActiveX is being used with SOLIDWORKS PDM and Windows Security Update (KB5003637) has been installed. You can check if the Windows security update (KB5003637) has been installed by doing the following.

• Right-click on Windows START and run Windows PowerShell(Admin)

Checking if Windows Security Update (KB5003637) is Installed

• Type ‘get-hotfix’ at the command prompt and press the enter key on your keyboard. This will list all of the Windows updates on your system.  Look for all the highlighted updates shown in the below image, to confirm that Windows Security Update (KB5003637) is installed on your system.

Installed Windows Security Update (KB5003637)

If Security Update (KB5003637) is installed on your system, you are using Adobe Reader ActiveX in conjunction with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, and you are experiencing problems with previewing PDF’s, please try the following workaround.

• Start the Windows Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\FileFormats\.pdf
• Double-click “4” to edit this key, and leave only “InsoPlugin.dll”

Editing Registry Key “4”

• Restart your computer

NOTE: incorrect changes to the Window Registry, can cause installed applications or Windows to fail. Use caution when making changes to the Windows Registry, or have an IT professional make these changes for you.

There is no workaround available for SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard as Oracle Viewer is not part of that product.

The post Windows June 8 2021 Security Update (KB5003637) Disables Adobe Reader PDF Preview Support in SOLIDWORKS PDM appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

SOLIDWORKS PDM is awesome for storing your files and making sure that everyone follows the rules to get products into the customer’s hand. In SOLIDWORKS PDM, you can locate files by searching for them using the information stored in the database. Even with this searching ability, some companies prefer to have folders to organize their files. So, what can you do to keep your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault organized?

SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional provides tools to help you organize your vault:

Using SOLIDWORKS PDM Templates

First off, you can use templates within SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. What are templates, you ask? Templates are commands that let you set up a folder structure or create a file from a right mouse click. Users can start a project by right-mouse clicking in the vault and selecting New Project.

SOLIDWORKS PDM New Project

Folder Sets

This will create a known folder set with a specified name (maybe a project number) at the location you want and whatever folders you need inside that top-level folder. So, the next time you start a project, a new set of folders will be created that match the first set. What’s even better? The user that creates the project may not have the ability to create new folders. They only have the ability to start a project. No more random “New Folder” folders in the vault!

SOLIDWORKS PDM Known Folder Sets

Locating Files

By starting a project from a template, you can prompt users to fill out the information that is important to the project. For instance, you can provide a list of customers, production sites, descriptions, etc. This information can be pushed down to the files that are saved in these folders. By pushing folder information to the files, you can now search for that information. This makes finding files much easier.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Folder Information

Searching for PDM Files

Even if you have the cleanest vault in town, it can be hard to find a file when you’re new to a company. We’ve all had that problem where you are assigned to change a part but have no idea where the existing 3D model is. Someone handed you a PDF and you ended up recreating it. Not a good solution. What can you do? Use the search tool! By using the search functionality, you can search for keywords that you know. Have the part number? Type the part number in. Have the manufacturer, type that in. It goes on and on. Just add what information you have and SOLIDWORKS PDM will help you narrow it down. What if you know what assembly it is in? Great! First, search for the assembly then go to the Contains tab and right mouse click on the file and look under Browse to. Now you can find the file you were searching for.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Browsing

Don’t forget, you can access search from Windows Explorer, or from the File – Open window as well.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Windows Explorer Search

By using these powerful and intuitive tools provided by SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, you can keep your vault organized with folders and not have duplicate parts created when someone couldn’t find the information needed.

Watch the on-demand webinar

Learn all the details on how to organize and find your data in a PDM environment with templates and searches in this on-demand webinar:

The post Tips for Managing your SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional Vault appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

So, you have made the decision to get a SOLIDWORKS PDM system to manage your company data so you do not lose your files, track changes and a variety of other benefits. That’s great! Now you are being asked who is going to be the administrator for the system, and you have no idea of what that really means.

What does it take to be a PDM Administrator? How much of your valuable time is going to be occupied by administrative duties for PDM? Are you going to have to access the server? Let’s dive a little bit more into the PDM roles.

To clarify, there are two types of admins for PDM:

1. A PDM System Administrator
2. A PDM Application Administrator

PDM System Administrator

The System Administrator is normally from the IT side of the business. This person is the one that is responsible for the SQL database, archive server and database server. This individual will need to be involved during installation or updating to a new software version since they have the required logins for the server and the administrative logins for PDM and SQL. This is no small set of tasks, but on a day-to-day basis this person has very little interaction with the program.

A conversation between a PDM client, SQL Server and the Archive Server

PDM Application Administrator

The second type of administrator is the Application Administrator, which is generally the role people are referring to when they are asking how much work time the role will consume. This administrator will define who has access to what files/folders and at what stage in the workflow a user can access a file.

For example, during the design phase, only designers/engineers will have read and write access to CAD files, but when the files are released, everyone has read access. When you are originally setting up a vault, this administrator is heavily involved in the process to ensure that PDM functions how the company wants. After that initial period, the day-to-day interactions with PDM from an admin side are minimal. As your vault and your needs evolve, the admin would need to add a new employee, check a user’s permissions if they cannot access a file, make simple modifications to cards or workflows or maybe help out on a tech support call to debug an issue.

Configuring SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard Vault

What is the Admin Role in SOLIDWORKS?

Generally speaking, these two roles can be applied to most PDM systems. Let’s look at SOLIDWORKS PDM specifically and what that means. SOLIDWORKS PDM has a user-type called Admin, which has different properties than a normal user given administrative permissions.

These properties include:

• When a new vault is created, it is the only active user
• Cannot be deleted, disabled or renamed
• Folder permission for users allow them to see initial state
• Can delete a file or return it to a checked-in state that is checked out by another user or in another vault view
• Has access to all search favorites in a PDM Professional vault
• Can change the category of a checked-in file

Once SOLIDWORKS PDM has been deployed, it must be properly maintained by qualified individuals who will be responsible for daily maintenance tasks and for any subsequent configuration changes. Determining who takes these roles and how it works is critical to the success of software use.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Training

If you feel like you need training on either of these roles, take a look at the SOLIDWORKS PDM training courses available from Javelin.

The post SOLIDWORKS PDM Administrator Roles Explained appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

How do you encourage growth while maintaining your competitive edge? Download the paper to learn how manufacturers use data management to improve their ability to manage, secure, find, and leverage product data efficiently.

Today’s manufacturers face a host of challenges related to effectively managing product design and manufacturing data, not just within product development and manufacturing departments, but across the greater manufacturing enterprise. How well manufacturing organizations manage product and production data—and leverage this data to support related functions—has a direct bearing on a manufacturer’s ability to grow, as well as maintain and extend its competitive edge.

In an increasingly competitive global market, manufacturers must not only manage product and production data successfully, commonly known as product data management (PDM), they also need to effectively manage the distribution of product design and production data to related departments to improve their performance, a process known as distributed data management (DDM).

Download a White Paper to discover:

This paper examines the top five reasons why a manufacturer should improve their data management processes and the ways that SOLIDWORKS® data management solutions can help them achieve their data management and business goals, by:

• Boosting productivity by automating manual, repetitive tasks and minimizing delays
• Improving product quality by eliminating revision errors and executing ECOs more efficiently
• Facilitating collaboration by connecting teams and linking product development with production
• Increasing organizational agility by shortening lead times and incorporating concurrent product development and manufacturing planning
• Inspiring innovation by more efficiently eliciting feedback from across the enterprise

Data Management Solutions

On-premise solutions from DS SOLIDWORKS, plus solutions from Javelin can take the technologies to the cloud.

• SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard, powered by Microsoft® SQL Server Express and fully embedded into SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and Windows® Explorer, provides an intuitive set of configurable tools to manage your SOLIDWORKS files.
• SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional, powered by Microsoft SQL Server Standard extends the capabilities of SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard to allow your entire enterprise to easily share data and collaborate on designs.
• SOLIDWORKS Manage provides a unique set of advanced data management tools. This is accomplished by leveraging the file management capabilities and ease of use of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and adding powerful project, process, and item management capabilities.
• Javelin Cloud Services, can help you to Plan, Design, Build, Migrate, Run, Operate, and Optimize SOLIDWORKS on the cloud. Javelin’s Certified Amazon Web Service (AWS) and Microsoft Azure Experts provide cloud infrastructure and application migration solutions to small and medium sized businesses. For any stage of your cloud planning, adoption, or management process, you can rely on the Javelin Team to help you achieve your goals.

The post The Top Five Reasons for Manufacturers to Improve Data Management appeared first on The Javelin Blog.

Here is an overview of our current recommended SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 system specifications and requirements.

While the following recommendations are intended as a general overview for most SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vaults, determining proper server and client hardware is one of the first steps that Javelin will provide during a SOLIDWORKS PDM Implementation service.

We strongly recommend that you contact our specialists if you are considering the purchase of any hardware or software for PDM. The optimal hardware and configuration for your vault may vary depending on many aspects, including the number of users, number of files in the vault and other factors.

NOTE:  These recommendations DO NOT APPLY to SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard

Database Server:

• Processor: 4 Cores with 3Ghz or higher clock speed
• Operating System: Windows Server 2019
• Database Software: Microsoft SQL Server Standard 2019 CU4 (see further information regarding licensing below)
• Memory: 32GB (see further information regarding memory below)
• Storage configuration: Windows OS and SQL Server software in RAID 1 SSD ; SQL Database file (.mdf) RAID 1 SSD; SQL Log file (.ldf) RAID 1 SSD

Archive Server:

• Processor: 3Ghz or higher clock speed
• Operating System: Windows Server 2019
• Memory: 16GB
• Storage configuration: Dedicated high speed storage drive(s) for archives

What is the recommended system architecture for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 servers?

For medium and large PDM Vaults, It is recommended that a separate, dedicated server be used for the PDM Database Server.  For performance reasons no other databases should be hosted on the same server that is hosting the PDM database.  It is recommended that the SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Server Service (also called the Database Helper service) be installed on the same system that is hosting the SQL Server software.

NOTE: It is strongly recommended that the Microsoft SQL Server software not be installed on a system that acts as an Active Directory Domain Controller, this can lead to several known issues, including security risks.

A separate server should be used for the SOLIDWORKS PDM Archive Server service.  That same server can also be used for the PDM Web2 Server software.

What are the minimum hardware requirements for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

The minimum requirements can be found on the SOLIDWORKS System Requirements page.

What Processor (CPU) is recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM  Professional 2022?

SOLIDWORKS PDM supports both Intel and AMD processors.

For the Database Server, Microsoft SQL can take advantage of multi core processing.  For optimal performance of PDM functions, it is recommended that the average CPU utilization be kept below 50%.  If average utilization is above 50%, then more cores may be needed.  Please note, If using Microsoft SQL Server Standard Core Licensing, adding additional cores may require also purchasing additional core licenses.  This can be discussed with your Microsoft retailer.

For the Archive Server and Web2 Server components the CPU requirements are much lower.

What Operating System is recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 server components?

SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 is officially supported on the following operating systems:

• Windows Server 2016 (SOLIDWORKS PDM 2023 SP5 will be the last release of SOLIDWORKS PDM that will install on Windows Server 2016)
• Windows Server 2019 (recommended)

NOTE:  Windows Server 2012 & Windows Server 2012R2 are NOT compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022.  As of the Service Pack 0 release, Windows Server 2022 compatibility has not yet been announced.

What Operating System is recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 clients?

As of the Service Pack 0 release, SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 can only be installed on Windows 10, compatibility with Windows 11 may be announced with future service packs.   SOLIDWORKS PDM 2020 SP5 was the last release compatible with Windows 7. SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 will not install on Windows 7.

Does SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 work in virtual environments?

Yes, however SOLIDWORKS only tests and supports PDM in specific virtual environments. A list of the currently supported virtual environments can be found on the SOLIDWORKS website

Can SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 be hosted in the Cloud?

Although SOLIDWORKS does not test PDM in any cloud provider (please see the note regarding non-supported environments bellow), cloud based servers running Windows Server Operating Systems, such as AWS EC2 or Microsoft Azure, can be used for SOLIDWORKS PDM servers.

Javelin offers various PDM cloud based solutions for customers who are interested in moving their data management to this environment.

If you are investigating your own cloud environment, please take note of the following:

• Amazon Web Service’s Relational Database Services (RDS) is not an appropriate option for hosting PDM databases as it does not allow using a db_owner This leads to several issues when using PDM.
• The runtime restricted license of Microsoft SQL Standard 2014 that was bundled with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional licenses purchased before Fall 2019, cannot be used for cloud based environments. For a cloud based SQL installation, you will need to ensure that you have an SQL Server license with Software Assurance, or use a EC2 or Azure instance that includes the appropriate licensing.
• The latency between the clients to the cloud server must be under 100 milliseconds to prevent issues, best performance will be achieved if latency is below 50 milliseconds. Keep this in mind when selecting your Availability Zone.

What version and release of Microsoft SQL Server is recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

The following releases of Microsoft SQL Server can be used to host PDM Professional 2022 file vault databases:

• Microsoft SQL Server 2016 (SOLIDWORKS PDM 2023 SP5 will be the last release to be compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2016)
• Microsoft SQL Server 2017
• Microsoft SQL Server 2019 (Recommended)

NOTE:  SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 is not compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2014 (SOLIDWORKS PDM 2021 SP5 was the last release that was compatible with Microsoft SQL Server 2014)

The database can be hosted on SQL Server Standard or SQL Server Enterprise, however due to performance limitations SQL Express should not be used to host a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional vault database in a production environment.

NOTE:  Ensure that you have the proper licensing for the version of SQL that you use for PDM Professional (your Microsoft Software Provider can help you determine if you have all the licenses needed for SQL).

SOLIDWORKS PDM 2022 requires Microsoft ODBC drive 17.3 or later for SQL Server to be installed on the Database Server and the Clients.

How much Memory (RAM) is recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM 202?

16GB is recommended for Archive Servers.  For the Database server, a minimum of 32GB is recommended, however this should be increased if necessary.  For optimal performance, there should be at least enough RAM fully cache the database files into the memory, plus an additional 4GB for the Operating System and other services.

What storage options are recommended for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

For PDM Archive storage, a hard drive with fast I/O speeds should be used, ideally a Solid State Drive.  Remote disks, such as a UNC share, NAS or SAN are NOT recommended for storing PDM Archives as there are known performance issues with such environments.  Additionally, SAN and NAS devices are not officially supported by SOLIDWORKS.

For the Microsoft SQL Server, it is recommended that the Windows Server OS (with the SQL software installation), database files (.mdf) and log files (.ldf) should each be separated to individual RAID 1 arrays using high speed Solid State Drives.

What are the network considerations for SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

SOLIDWORKS PDM Client and Server components must be able to communicate on the following ports:

Client and Database Server:

• TCP 1433
• UDP 1434

Client and Archive Server:

• TCP 3030
• UDP 3030

Client and SolidNetWork License Server:

• TCP 25734
• UDP 25735

If a firewall is in place between the Client systems and the Servers, exceptions must be added for these ports.

NOTE:  These are the default ports used when the server components are installed however these can be changed through adjustments to the settings so always verify which ports your server components are using when creating any firewall exceptions.

As of the 2020 release, SOLIDWORKS PDM no longer utilizes Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.0, allowing it to be disabled if necessary.  However, all previous releases of SOLIDWORKS PDM (2019 and older) require TLS 1.0 to be enabled.

For remote, replicated sites, or cloud based server deployments, network latency between the clients and the Database Server must be less than 100 milliseconds (ms).  Latency above 100ms will lead to severe performance degradation, and above 200ms will result in timeout errors for most PDM functions.  Optimal client performance in a WAN environment will be achieved if the latency between the clients and the SQL Database Server is less than 50 milliseconds.

Which releases of SOLIDWORKS are compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

The PDM Professional 2022 Add In for SOLIDWORKS is tested and fully supported for use with SOLIDWORKS 2022, 2021 and 2020.  While combinations of PDM Professional 2022 and older versions of SOLIDWORKS such as 2019 or 2018 may work, please note that they are not officially tested by SOLIDWORKS Development and so they are not fully supported combinations.

A newer release of SOLIDWORKS is never supported with a previous release of PDM (for instance, SOLIDWORKS 2022 is not compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2021).

Starting with their 2019 releases, SOLIDWORKS Composer and SOLIDWORKS Inspection Standalone both include PDM Integration built into their menus.  Starting in 2020, SOLIDWORKS Visualize also includes this integration.

Integrations are available for SOLIDWORKS Electrical and SOLIDWORKS PCB through the installation of additional Integration packages.

Which releases of Microsoft Office are compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022?

Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019 are both compatible with SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022.  It is recommended to use a 64-bit version of Microsoft Office.  As of the Service Pack 0 release, compatibility with Microsoft Office 2021 has not yet been announced.

NOTE:  SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2020 SP5 was the last release compatible with Microsoft Office 2013.  SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2023 SP5 will be the last release compatible with Microsoft Office 2016 and 2019.

What if I am using an environment that is not supported by SOLIDWORKS?

If you choose to set up SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional in an unsupported or untested environment, keep in mind that while it may initially work, issues can potentially develop at any point in the future and it may be necessary to migrate to a supported environment.

If you are implementing SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional with the assistance of the Javelin PDM Services team,  we will assess your situation and advise you on the possible issues that may arise.

SOLIDWORKS PDM Services

Javelin’s team of Certified Experts provide a variety of SOLIDWORKS PDM Services including System Implementation, Health Check Optimization and Upgrades. Choose a PDM Service »

The post SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional 2022 System Recommendations appeared first on The Javelin Blog.