Simple Drawing Database 2

[Beggar]

I work for a tiny company with few resources. That said, I'd like to develop a simple drawing control database that would track part numbers, rev levels, and related ECN's.

I've just started fiddling around with Access but was wondering if anybody's got a simple database that they could share.

Right now I'm so buried that it's hard to envision that I'll ever have the time to learn Access well enough to create a functional database.

There's no money to buy a PDM package, to hire an Access programmer, nor any other commercial solution.

 

[rollingrock]

I'm assuming that your mention of Microsoft Access means you have Excel also. If so, try Excel. You can even include hyperlinks to that you can access the drawings directly from the spreadsheet.

Of course, you'll have to manually keep the spreadsheet up to date, but if it is a tiny company this is possible with discipline.

-MC

 

[Beggar]

Thanks for the suggestion, rollingrock. Right now we are using an Excel workbook. One of the main reasons I'd like to change is that it can only be used by one person at a time whereas Access permits multiple users.

 

[Fizzhead]

Beggar:

You might look into Filemaker Pro! It's a lot simpler to use than Access and it should do all you are asking for with ease.

 

[CajunCAD]

Be careful allowing too many people the rights to enter/edit data. The more people allowed to do this the less secure/consistent your data will be (when everyone is responsible then no one is responsible).
I am currently using the Excel workbook method and I am the only person allowed to update the "Master" copy. Everyone else has "Read Only" rights. When they need to enter a new part number/description/revision/etc... they copy rows from the Master, paste them into another file, make their edits, and submit to me. I review to ensure accuracy/consistency and then copy/paste into the Master file.
I typically upload the Master to the network at the end of each day. In the event that I enter a considerable amount of information or critical information to several parties I will upload to the network upon completion.

 

[pipewelder1999]

MS Access is an ideal tool to do this with. It could be setup as a front end for all users to access files. Access has a field type for hyperlinks.

A basic structure would be a table with data related to the document and a child table of revision history. This could also provide a real time drawing log for anyone on the system. This is also an ideal method forgenerating drawing change notifications, deviation requests and field changes.

I am working on an application now for tracking documents and I came across this thread.

Storing drawing revision history in a spreadsheet is similar to making 3d images with a 2d cad program. You can do it, but its not really 3d. If you are still interested in an access solution, let me know and I can throw a demo together for you.

Gerald Austin
Iuka, Mississippi

http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com

 

[Beggar]

Pipewelder:

I am very interested in any Access demo that you cared to share. I continue to think about this but have never had the time to delve into Access enough to get started.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

--------------------
Bring back the HP-15

http://www.hp15c.org

--------------------

 

[pipewelder1999]

Here is a sample showing access used to track the revision status of field generated sketches and other documents. No data output is available in this app but it may give some ideas.

http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com/DwgTrackingDemo/drawing_tracking_example.htm

Have a nice day

Gerald Austin
Iuka, Mississippi

http://www.weldinginspectionsvcs.com

 

[Heckler]

Beggar,

I would stay away form developing a part number database in MS Access. We had such a database which had all the bugs that MS is known for not having multi-user access, trouble with rules, and the list goes on. We ended up getting a freeware version of SQL and wrote the program in VB6. It works great and the programmer has added a lot of functionality as need arose. I might be able to send you a copy.

Best Regards,

Heckler

"Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups" John Kenneth Galbraith

 

[imagitec]

You might want to consider the open source Knowledge Tree. You can try the online demo. It doesn't have specialized support for structured documents with external references like a SolidWorks or SolidEdge assembly. Files may be organized by folder, as on a hard drive, but it doesn't handle relational data such as BOMs. For example, a part may appear on several assemblies, but its file may only be stored in one place. Though you may create different folder trees for the different assemblies, the file can only show up in one.

Oasys is a free, commerical program. Oasys is CAD-aware, so it may be a better fit.

FIDAB PDM is an open source, CAD-aware system. The documentation is in Swedish, but the programmers speak and write English. The mailing list is the place to look for help.

Rob Campbell, PE
Finite Monkeys -

http://www.livejournal.com/users/robcampbell