Data Management Capabilities > Exchanging Data Between Contexts > Managing Shared Objects > Synchronizing Shared Objects
Synchronizing Shared Objects
When an object is shared from PDM to a project, users can continue to modify it from the PDM environment. However, if the object is a part, CAD document, dynamic document, note, or requirements management object, then the project does not reflect the PDM updates. In this case, unless you update the shared object, the version you select when adding the object to the project remains the only version visible to project members.
A shared object is outdated when the out-of-sync indicator appears. To update the object, you must synchronize it.
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The out-of-sync status indicator appears next to outdated objects in the Project Status table.
To include these indicators in the Folder Contents table, you must select the Identify out-of-sync shared objects option when creating or editing the project.
There are two basic ways to update (or synchronize) a shared object:
Out-of-sync shared objects are automatically updated based on a schedule. Administrators can customize the schedule, and the automatic synchronization can occur only once a day.
The Rules for Updating Shared Objects apply to scheduled synchronization. Enabling scheduled synchronization does not affect the availability of the manual synchronization actions.
Use the Update Project, Update, and Update Selected Shares actions to perform manual synchronization.
Synchronize all shared objects at once. Only out-of-sync objects are included in the action.
Synchronize one or more objects at a time. Use this action if you need to update an object that is not considered out of sync with the sharing filter.
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This action is only available when the Identify out-of-sync shared objects preference is enabled for the project. To verify whether this is set, view the project Details page.
Synchronize an individual object. Use this action if you need to update an object that is not considered out of sync with the sharing filter.
Rules for Updating Shared Objects
• Sync exception objects are not eligible for the Update Project action or automatic synchronization.
• The sharing filter determines when an object is considered out-of-sync. Only out-of-sync objects are updated. When an object is updated, the sharing filter criteria is also used to determine which updated version to share.
• If the sharing filter does not include the Latest configuration specification, then it is possible for an object to be modified in PDM but not appear as out-of-sync. In this case, you must use the Update Selected Shares share action to edit the filter criteria and share the latest version.
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By default, all projects use the Latest configuration specification as the sharing filter. This is a basic filter that looks for the latest available version on an object.
To verify the sharing filter criteria, navigate to the project Details page and check the Sharing Filter field. If a filter name does not appear, then the default filter is being used. If a filter is listed, you can click the filter name to open a new window with details about the filter.
• To share new dependent or related objects as part of the synchronization operation, the user must have READ, DOWNLOAD, and CHANGE_PERMISSION permissions for the objects.
The following rules apply when using a sharing filter that includes the Latest configuration specification (this is the default filter):
• Documents
◦ Shared documents are automatically updated when the source document is iterated.
◦ The out-of-sync status indicator does not appear for shared documents, even when revised.
◦ You cannot update a shared document to the latest revision. You must share the latest revision in a separate action.
• Parts, EPM documents (CAD and dynamic documents), and shared objects that are added to the project baseline
◦ The out-of-sync status indicator appears when the current version of the source object is iterated.
◦ The out-of-sync status indicator does not appear when the source object is revised.
◦ When the source object is revised and you update the project, only the latest revision is shared. You cannot update to a specific iteration within a non-latest revision. For example, you cannot update from A.3 to A.4 if B.1 exists.
For a complete list of shared objects added to the project baseline, see PDM to Project Sharing. For more information about using a unique sharing filter, see Sharing Filters.
Preferences that Affect Shared Object Synchronization
The following preferences affect both manual and automatic synchronization operations. They are located under the Integral Operations category in the Preference Management utility:
Name
Sharing Folder
Default
Root level project folder
Visibility
Project, Organization, Site
Description
This preference sets the default location of any new dependents that are being shared as part of the synchronization operation.
• If the preference is set to a folder that does not exist in the project, then the default location is used instead (the root-level folder).
• The folder name is case-sensitive.
• This location can be changed when performing a manual synchronization operation.
Name
Update Project Collector
Visibility
User, Project, Organization, Site
Description
When you perform a manual synchronization, a window opens listing all eligible or selected objects. The list might include objects that are not currently shared. In this case, those objects are dependent on or associated to the updated versions of the out-of-sync shares.
This preference determines whether dependent and related objects are included in the synchronization operation by default. If performing a manual synchronization operation, you can choose whether to add or remove these objects.
You must have appropriate permissions to share new dependent or associated objects as part of the synchronization operation:
• READ
• DOWNLOAD
• CHANGE_PERMISSION
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This preference does not affect scheduled synchronization operations. The scheduled synchronization automatically includes any new dependents to which the synchronization user has access.
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