file management

[Scarecrow]

Hi fellow workers,
I am one of two solidworks users at my company, we also work in conjunction with two electronics techs. The four of us cannot decide on how to properly manage our files. We need help.

The current engineering process goes like this:
We come up with an idea, we prototytpe and create drawings. Then we refine and complete a design we are happy with. A rapid protoype is made.
At this point we have LOTS of SW files and non SW files. To make matters more confusing we send these files to china where the parts are made. The company in China renames our files to numbers and sends them back to us. It's very confusing!!!

My boss is sooo anal about deleting files and wants to keep everything (just in case). We currently use qwin to back up our files to a server.

What do you do to manage your engineering space? I think we need a system that is scaleable, easy to use, secure, and does not cost tens of thousands of dollars to implement.

Yours truly
Gerry Bolda

 

[Theophilus]

Do you have multiple people (at any one time or day) accessing and editing the same files?

I have a solution that works very well for managing files with single users. I like it because of its simplicity. This solution, however, would need to be modified for a multiple-user environment.

This is what I do:
Create a directory for all SW parts.

Inside this directory, create directories for various projects.

Inside each project directory, create a directory for the current date of your project. I recommend something like "040624", year, month, date, for easy chronological sorting. After the date, you can optionally add a descriptive label, but remember your project is defined by the directory in which this date (or rev) directory is couched.

Each time you anticipate a major revision to parts or assemblies, create a fresh directory with the current date. Open the master assembly (or assemblies) from your most recent revision (easy to find, since it's in the newest directory and named such by its date). Select File > Find References, and save all the parts/assemblies to your new directory. Close all open documents and reopen them in your new directory. You're now ready to edit your files.

Using this method, you strip away any old revisions of parts or assemblies that are no longer current, plus you keep a continual record of what you have done in the past. Note that no directories or parts are deleted.

One thing to note. When I'm working on a more complex part, I will give it a name, such as "widget". When I plan to do anything risky or major to the part, I save it as "widget 02", and on up the line until I'm finished messing with it. Make sure any assemblies using the part are open while you're building your part so the assembly will update (otherwise you may need to update your assembly manually to make sure you are using the most current file name for your newly-edited part).

So you get this string of parts that are continually updated. You get assemblies of nothing but the newest parts included. You have directories named according to their rev dates, and you strip away all former files, such as "widget, widget 01, widget 03" that were made along the way by using the Find References feature to jump into new directories.

One last thing. If you export to IGES or other formats, include such a folder within your date directory. So my current widget design will be exported as IGES files for the mold maker and deposited into the IGES directory inside my "040624" folder. After "IGES" add who the files are going to if you like. Save a copy of the native SW part file for each IGES file you make, just in case you ever need to go back and check on the features in the future to see what you really sent out. This goes for all rapid prototyping.

If you receive files from China (they probably use the numbers in the name to avoid file corruption--Chinese language cross-over problems in SW), add those to a sub-directory within your current rev directory or create a new dated directory to become your current rev directory and note "China" or something like that after the date. You decide which works best, probably depending on whether the parts have been changed significantly while in China.

Make back-ups to at least two CDs of all part files that begin to age. Document in a database which projects and date directories are on which data CD so you can find the archives quickly. Begin with "backup01" or "040624backup" or some such CD name and work your way up, per CD. Store one of the CDs off-site for added retrieval security. Double-check that your files are truly on your CD before deleting anything off your hard drive. Soon everything will be on DVDs, so you might want to start there now. Never buy cheesy discs and I never buy a disc that doesn't have its own slim disc case. I've got about 100 CDs of backed up data and almost 1000 entries in a database to easily find any file or revision I've ever created.

Modify per your needs and take into account multiple-user access to these parts. Minimize tribal knowledge required to find the current revision of anything. Never compromise your system.

"Do this and you will live."




Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[aamoroso]

I was involved in a very similar situation just a few years back, this was strictly in an R&D environment but it translated fairly well into production. Here is how we handled the problem.

1. Give your part numbers meaning. We used this format on our part numbers XXX-XXXX-XXX. The First three digits signified the company our project was for (Three digits in anticipation of dealing with hundreds of customers). The middle four digits signified the project (four digits in anticipation of doing thousands of projects with any given customer). The final three digits signified the type of part, we broke down numbers from 001-999 and used a scheme as such 001-150 were bearings and washers, 151-300 were fasteners and so on. The important thing is to determine what are typical projects and what are expectations. No matter how well you prepare this you will hit a snag eventually. We had a good idea of our expected clients, expected projects for individual clients and a pretty strong grip on the maximum parts being involved in any given project. The above formula works with and number of digits that suits your needs.

2. Managing files – In conjunction with the system above we stored our files in this manner. On a single server each Customer code became a directory. Each project code became a sub directory and in it were all of the part drawings and research papers and any other related documents. In some cases a sub folder for accounting, emails, even news articles relating to the project could all be found in one spot. Keep it neat, add a log file in top level of each directory where people can log what they save in the sub folders to make it easier to find things. We used Excel spreadsheets in each of the project folders listing any references or renamed files and their location in the subfolders. Anything somebody outside renames and returns can be listed in a log.

3. Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup - Backup – Backup! I fully respect your boss’ attitude on backing everything up just in case. If you ever have a bad whoopsy you will respect it too. We used to back up our server to a tape drive every night. Each night of the week was a different tape and each tape was stored in a separate location throughout our property, the owners house, one kept in a bank safe deposit, one went home with me and one in the office. Now you may not have to go that extreme but we worked in an extremely high proprietary environmnet so protecting our data could mean the companies future existence.

Customize your system to fullfill your needs, today and in the years to come. Ask yourself a few simple questions: If you are with the company 20 years will the system you choose now still be working for you then? If you are not with the company will the system be easy to learn for someone else?

 

[EdDanzer]

I would suggest you look at thread559-97795 ,
Thread559-45542 , thread559-61350 , and thread797-58837
There are a lot of different methods discussed in these threads. Maybe this will help you choose a method everyone can use.
Good luck!