User access design

Last update 2023-03-20

PDXpert PLM software's user editing access model automatically calculates access based on the intersection of item release state, system rules, and user permissions. This topic describes the access design that was introduced with PDXpert 16.0.

User access dimensions

Item attributes & states

Data on an item (part, document, change form) may be created, edited, deleted, added to or removed from a list, or otherwise modified. These actions are controlled by the data element's purpose (identity like part/document Owner and Number); whether it's an item-level attribute that's common across all iterations (e.g., Notes) or per iteration (e.g., Release description); the current release state (pending, released, canceled); and whether it's listed on a change form and, if so, that change form's workflow state, like Originated, Released, etc. Item attributes are grouped into Product Team bundles; item attributes share the same access within each bundle.

User permissions

Separately, each user has a full-function or read-only user account and an assigned Role with explicit permissions to view and create items, analyze other users' work, and administer the system.

A user's assigned role allows part/document viewing by release state (released, optionally pending and canceled). Allowed change form viewing is released, optionally unreleased. Setting a role to allow item Create new automatically sets viewing in all states, and allows editing access to a user's own, and possibly other users', items.

Users who can create items get permissions as a part or document Trustee or as a change form's Originator; manage a change workflow as an Analyst; update and complete tasks assigned by other users; have limited access as a Product Team member in the Product Families collection; and approve changes as a reviewing group member. Some of these permissions interact across items and change forms: a trustee may or may not edit their part when it's on a Submitted change; a product team member has the aggregated permissions of all product families listed on the part, and all items listed on the change form's Affected list.

System settings

Finally, there are system rules that show/hide fields like References lists; allow/block user actions on BOMs; and limit or expand access to files and tasks as a change form is processed. SImilarly, item type collection settings show Files, Materials, Sources and BOMs; allow or block class relationships on Affected lists; and show, hide, or lock selected controls.

Access maps for editing§

Theses edit access rules require a user to have (1) a full-function user account with (2) a role that has enabled Create new permission for documents, parts, and/or change forms.

Part and document edit access§

To interpret the content, see Definitions below.

Trustee data field: Item	PT bundle	Create	Submit	Review	Quit	Execute	Pattern
Class, Type	General	none	none	none	none	none	LOC
Owner, Number, Default UOM[7]	General	TAO[1]	TAO[1,5]	O	O	O	FREditor
Trustee, Product families	General	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	TAO	PPEditor
Description (Name/Title)	General	TAO[2]	TAO[2,5]	O[2]	O[2]	TAO[2]	FRNEditor
Custom attributes	Custom	TAO[3]	TAO[3,5]	O[3]	O[3]	TAO[3]	FRCEditor
Materials/mass[7]	Materials	TAO[4]	TAO[4,5]	O[4]	O[4]	TAO[4]	FRMEditor
Attributes & Notes tabs	Attributes	TAO	TAO	TAO	TAO	TAO	ATEditor
Part Make/Buy[7]	Attributes	TAO[6]	TAO[6]	TAO[6]	TAO[6]	TAO[6]	ATEditor
Item files & links (add/edit/delete)	Item Files	TAO	TAO	TAO	TAO	TAO	ATEditor
Trustee data field: Iteration (revision)
Aux Persons 1 & 2	Iteration	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	TAO	PPEditor
Revision, Lifecycle, ...	Iteration	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	O	PREditor
Revision files (add/delete/edit)	Revision Files	TAO	TAO[5]	none	none	none	IREditor
References Markup (add/delete, Row)	References	TAO	TAO[5]	none	none	none	IREditor
References Markup Notes (edit)	References	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	TAO	PPEditor
Tasks (add/edit/delete)	Tasks	TAO	TAO	TAO	TAO	O	UTEditor
Tasks Status, Notes (edit)	Tasks	TAOS	TAOS	TAOS	TAOS	O	UTWorker
BOM Markup[7] (add/delete/edit)	BOM	TAO	TAO[5]	none	none	none	IREditor
BOM Markup Notes[7] (edit)	BOM	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	TAO	PPEditor
Sources Markup[7] (add/delete)	Sources	TAO	TAO[5]	none	none	none	IREditor
Sources Markup Rank, Notes[7] (edit)	Sources	TAO	TAO[5]	O	O	TAO	PPEditor

Notes§

1. Trustee, allowed product team members, analysts, and administrators (with Administrator Override enabled) can edit before first release; administrators (with Administrator Override enabled) can edit after first release.

2. Trustee, allowed product team members, analysts, and administrators (with Administrator Override enabled) can edit before first release, or with Role that allows Edit after first release: Item description.

3. Trustee, allowed product team members, analysts, and administrators (with Administrator Override enabled) can edit before first release, or with Role that allows Edit after first release: Custom attributes.

4. Trustee, allowed product team members, analysts, and administrators (with Administrator Override enabled) can edit before first release, or with Role that allows Edit after first release: Mass and materials.

5. Trustee and allowed product team members with Role that allows Change forms: Submitted items can be edited.

6. Trustee, allowed product team members, or analysts can edit when Part Types collection member doesn't lock Make/Buy default value. Administrator using override can edit only after temporarily unlocking field on part type template.

7. Part attribute only; all other attributes are available on part or document.

Change form edit access§

To interpret the content, see Definitions below.

Originator data field	PT bundle	Originate	Submit	Route	Process	Quit	Release	Complete	Pattern
Class, Type	General	none	none	none	none	none	none	none	LOC
Number	General	TCO[8]	CO[8]	O	O	O	O	O	CNEditor
Description, Originator, ...	General	TCO	CO	O	O	O	O	O	PREditor
Analyst	General	TCAO[9]	CAO	CAO	CAO	O	CAO	O	ASEditor
Attributes & Notes tabs	Attributes	TCO	TCO	TCO	TCO	O	TCO	O	NCEditor
Custom	Custom	TCO	TCO	TCO	TCO	O	TCO	O	NCEditor
Affected (add/edit/delete)	Affected	TCO	CO	none	none	none	none	none	OSEditor
Affected disposition (edit)	Affected	TCO	TCO	TCO	TCO	O	TCSO	O	NCDEditor
Reviewer pre-Route	Reviewers	TCO	CO	none	none	none	none	none	OSEditor
Reviewer in Route	none	none	none	R	none	none	none	none	GREditor
Files (add/edit/delete)	Files	TCO	TCO	TCO[10]	TCO[10]	O	TCO[10]	O	CFEditor
Tasks (add/edit/delete)	Tasks	TCO	TCO	TCO[11]	TCO[11]	O	TCO[11]	O	UTEditor
Tasks Status/Note (edit)	Tasks	TCSO	TCSO	TCSO[11]	TCSO[11]	O	TCSO[11]	O	UTWorker
Related	Related	TCO	CO	CO	CO	O	CO	O	IPEditor
Observers	Observers	TCO	CO	CO	CO	O	CO	O	IPEditor

Notes§

8. Originator, allowed product team members, or analysts can edit when Change Forms collection member allows manually assigning Number value. Administrator using override can edit only after temporarily unlocking field on change form template.

9. Change form's named Analyst may not have a Role with Is an analyst permission but have permission to assign another analyst.

10. When allowed by Unlock change form Files system rule.

11. When allowed by Unlock change form Tasks system rule.

Definitions§

Column descriptions§

Trustee/Originator data field

Data that the part/document Trustee can manage; or, data that the change form Originator can manage.

PT bundle

A group of data fields (often shown on a single tab page) that a Product Team member is allowed to access.

Create

Access when the part or document is not listed on an executing change form, or is on a change form at Originated state.

Originate

Access when the change form is at Originated state.

Submit

Access when the part or document is listed on an executing change form at Submitted state.

Review

Access when the part or document is listed on an executing change form at Routed, Held, Stopped, or Accepted state.

Route

Access when the change form is at Routed state.

Process

Access when the change form is at Held, Stopped, or Accepted state.

Quit

Access when the item is affected by, or is, an executing change form at Canceled or Rejected state.

Execute

Access when the part or document is listed on an executing change form at Released or Completed state.

Release

Access when the change form is at Released state.

Complete

Access when the change form is at Completed state.

Pattern

A set of permissions described by the current attributes row. The same pattern may be used on more than one row.

User assignment§

A (Any analyst)

Any part or document analyst.

C (Change analyst)

Change form's named analyst.

O (Override)

Administrator using Tools menu's Adminstrator Override command.

R (Reviewer)

Any reviewer listed on the reviewing group's Persons list.

S (aSsignee)

User who is assigned the user-assigned or disposition task.

T (Trustee / originator)

Part or document: Trustee or a product team member where (a) the item shows the member's Product Family, and (b) the Product Team permission for the current bundle is marked. Change form: Originator or a product team member where (a) the item shows the member's Product Family, and (b) the Product Team permission for the current bundle is marked, and (c) the item is shown on the change form's Affected list.

Access pattern names§

ASEditor

Analyst setting editor

ATEditor

Any time editor

CFEditor

Change form Files editor

CNEditor

Change form Number editor

FREditor

First-release editor

FRNEditor

First-release Name editor

FRCEditor

First-release Custom attributes editor

FRMEditor

First-release Materials attributes editor

GREditor

Group reviewer editor

IPEditor

In-process editor

IREditor

Iteration relation editor

LOC

Locked on creating

NCEditor

Not concluded editor

NCDEditor

Not concluded dispositioning editor

OSEditor

Originated/Submitted editor

PPEditor

Pre/post editor

PREditor

Pre-review editor

UTEditor

User-assigned Task editor

UTWorker

User-assigned Task worker

Reference topics:§

• User roles & permissions

• System rule: Unlock change form Files …

• System rule: Unlock change form Tasks …

• System rule: References Tabs

• System rule: BOM duplicate rows, BOM units, BOM partners

• Change Forms collection, e.g., Show Files list, Affected list accepts parts, enabled Workflow paths

• Document Types collection, e.g., User cannot edit assigned number

• Part Types collection, e.g., Show BOM list, User cannot edit assigned number

• Product families collection

• Roles collection

• Administrator override tool

• User settings: Out of office agent

• User management tool

This application note was relevant to the PDXpert software release that was current at time of publication. Product changes since that time may affect its utility. We'd be happy to assist you in assessing the applicability of this note to your situation.