Setup: Collections

Collections define how your company works: its people, partner organizations, part number formats, change workflows, and other information.

PDXpert includes pre-populated collections that should simplify your configuration tasks. Most collection members have default values that provide a good starting point for your own procedures. However, given the enormous range of possible PLM options, you will need to ensure that each collection has members appropriate for your own organization, and that each collection member accurately reflects your requirements.

Read the set-up information here and on the following topic pages. When you're done, you'll be prepared to discuss your plans with your colleagues and then review, modify or make new collection members.

New company, simple configuration §

If you are starting a new system at a start-up company, and don't have to worry about legacy data or conform to a particular procedure, you can simply start using PDXpert exactly as it is installed. All of the design decisions have been made, and the system will let your company grow for many years with little additional thought.

However, there are a few areas that you'll need to review and update:

• If your company regularly works with foreign Currencies and Languages, you'll want to make sure the appropriate members of these collections are active. After setting the default currency, update the exchange rates from the Tools menu.
• You must add all PDXpert users into the Persons collection, and add their log-in account credentials.
• The default configuration has been set with a minimal set of Groups and their reviewers, and these are used in the predefined Change Forms members. If your change approval procedure requires participation by more people, you'll add new groups, their authorized reviewers, and the change forms they review.
• The Organizations collection should include your suppliers, regulatory agencies and other partners.
• By default, the most common metric and U.S. Units of Measure are active. If you don't use these units, you may wish to make them inactive.

Of course, even if you are starting a new system, you can extensively modify the existing collection members (as well as add new members) as given in the accompanying help topics.

Tailoring PDXpert to an existing procedure §

If, like most companies, you have existing documents and parts, and have to conform to an existing data management procedure, PDXpert's collections will require editing or new members.

1. Review the PDXpert collections, read about their functions, and get a "big picture" feel for how the collections are used by documents, parts and changes.
2. Understand and, where necessary, clarify just how your change procedure works.
3. Map the functions you require to the available collections.
4. Test your complete procedure end to end with a small number of documents, parts and changes. Tweak as necessary.

Match values between software systems §

Whether it's employee names, supplier organizations or units of measure, data exchanged between systems must be recognized across those systems. Successful import/export often fails for small differences: the unit each in one system, while another system expects to see EA. Be sure you know what data will be exchanged, and then ensure that the transferred values are the same.

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