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Windchill Workgroup Manager Components
With Windchill Workgroup Manager, you can manage CAD objects and other project data in Windchill. Once an object is stored in Windchill, it is managed as a Windchill object.
This section provides an introduction to the most commonly used Windchill objects and CAD data management concepts. More information on specific objects and data management functions is available in the Windchill sections of the Windchill Help Center. Topics covered include:
• PDM Actions Accessible from CAD Authoring Applications
• Windchill Workgroup Manager Navigators
• Server Management Utility
• Application Management Utility
• Event Management Utility
Let’s begin with a glossary of Windchill Workgroup Manager terminology.
Glossary of Terms
Term
Definition
active workspace
Workspace selected on the server for PDM operations.
BOM (Bill of Materials)
A list of all the parts and their quantities required to build the product or assembly. In Windchill, a BOM is a report that you can generate from a product structure, typically using effectivity as a criterion.
CAD application
Software program that allows electrical and mechanical designers prepare models, drawings, specifications, parts lists, and other design-related elements.
CAD document
A revision-controlled, life cycle-managed Windchill object that contains CAD data.
check in
Placing an object in a secure location on the server. Once the object is checked into Windchill, other people can see the changes and check out the object.
check out
Reserves the object in the commonspace to make it modifiable only by the user who performed the checkout.
check out and download
Reserves the object in the commonspace to make it modifiable only by the user who performed the checkout. As a result of this action, the object is also downloaded to your active workspace.
commonspace
The shared area on the Windchill server containing objects that you and other users (who have the appropriate access privileges) can check out. A commonspace may contain products, projects, or libraries.
configuration specification
Filters that are used to determine the part versions to display for each node in a product structure.
context
The location where an object such as a part or document is stored in the database. In Windchill PDMLink, a context can be represented by a product or libraries. In Windchill ProjectLink, the context is a project. When both solutions are installed, all three contexts are available.
download
An action that copies data from the server to your workspace.
dynamic document
A dynamic document is a revision-controlled, life cycle-managed object that contains information in an application format, such as an illustration created in Creo Illustrate or Windchill Arbortext IsoDraw.
Dynamic documents have the following capabilities:
• They capture the application files and related files to a supported output format.
• They can be related to other dynamic documents to allow representation of the complexities that exist among the constituent parts of a document.
• They can have metadata and attributes.
effectivity
The planned date, lot, or serial number at which old part versions are replaced with new part versions in production.
family
Refers to a member of a family of similar CAD models. See also instance.
Favorites navigator
A panel in the Windchill Workgroup Manager client that allows you to browse and manage a list of favorite links.
Folder navigator
A panel in the Windchill Workgroup Manager client that allows you to browse and navigate servers and workspaces, and manage CAD documents.
generic
A model that is used as a basis for creating variations (instances of the generic) that belong to the same family of objects.
History navigator
A panel in the Windchill Workgroup Manager client that allows you to see your browsing history.
initially selected
Objects selected before initiating an action
inseparable
An assembly component that cannot be disassembled. For example, an assembly in which two components are welded together.
instance (or family table instance)
A variation of the generic model that belongs to the family of objects.
iteration
Incremental changes to an object (for example, a part or document) within the same revision. A new iteration is created each time the object is checked in. For example, when an object is checked in for the second time, its iteration changes from A.1 to A.2. "A" indicates the revision, and "2" indicates the new iteration.
modeled attribute
Modeled attributes have an associated field in the Java class of the business object’s type, a column in the type’s database table, and are always represented in a Rational Rose model. Modeled attributes are a subset of hard attributes and are defined by PTC during Windchill development. Additionally, modeled attributes can be created by customizing Windchill.
parameter (or CAD parameter)
A CAD parameter that is unique to a CAD application and can be defined by a CAD application user or by a CAD administrator at a site. A CAD parameter is similar to an attribute. Note: In some CAD applications, parameters are referred to as properties.
part
A Windchill business object with an identification number, representing a physical component or assembly in a manufactured product. This should not be confused with a CAD part (model file) created by a CAD application.
primary active workspace
A workspace on a primary server designated by you as a default workspace for PDM operations.
revise
An action that creates a new revision of an object that represents a significant design change. For example, after a major design change, an object may be revised from A.3 to B.1. The revision creates a new branch (in this example, "B") that will be used for subsequent iterations of the design.
Search navigator
A panel in the Windchill Workgroup Manager client that allows you to conduct and save searches of CAD documents in Windchill.
separable
Refers to CAD parts that can be disassembled once assembled. For example, two components that are bolted together.
subtype
A business object that uses its parent type’s Java class and database table. Some subtypes are defined by PTC during Windchill development and are included as part of your Windchill solution installation. However, most subtypes are created and defined by the site or organization administrator using the Type and Attribute Management window.
system attribute
The required attributes that are provided in Windchill for managing CAD files. When a CAD object is managed by Windchill, a set of required system attributes is pushed from Windchill in the CAD object, and is stored with the CAD object. System attributes represent Windchill modeled attributes in the CAD tool.
update
Updates the object data in your workspace with the data from your Windchill server. For example, when working with a downloaded (and not checked out) object in your workspace, that object can become outdated if it has changed in the commonspace. Additionally, Update is also used to ensure that the data in your workspace conforms with the configuration specification of the workspace.
upload
Transfers data to a workspace on the server. Upload does not check in the data to the server, and cannot be accessed by other users.
workspace cache
A local repository for objects (content, attributes, system information, checked in or checked out) contained in a specific workspace.
workspace local directory
An extension of the workspace cache on your hard drive that stores CAD data managed by Windchill.