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Application Interface
An interface from an external application that provides access to the functional capabilities and database of the cPDm solution.
The interface is usually built from a library of call routines (APIs) that may be embedded within other applications or programs
to call cPDm functions and/or to access or update the managed database.
API
Application Programming Interfaces to allow other programmers access
to data, features, and functions of the application providing
the API library. They are typically used to develop interfaces,
integration's and to extend the capabilities of the base
application.
Approval
The process by which a reviewer or releaser indicates approval
of changes to a document or controlled data, a package of documents,
the creation of a new document or controlled data, for a proposed
change.
Approval Notification
Messages
sent to inform users that an item or package has been approved.
Archive
Historical
or inactive product definition information that has been removed
from the environment and stored on tape, optical disk, or other
media for safekeeping and future use. References to the archived
data and files are maintained within the cPDm solution.
Authorization
The
level of functionality and access to cPDm-managed information
granted to users. Access authorizations include read, write,
update, copy, and view. Examples of functional authorization
include the ability to add users, review or release items,
or launch an application.
Baseline
A
collection of approved design information about a configuration.
The current configuration is acknowledged to be the approved
baseline plus approved changes.
Benchmarking
The
comparison of an internal process or practice to one that is
acknowledged to represent "best industry practice" for the
purpose of determining how the existing process or practice
can and should be improved.
Bill
of Material (BOM)
A
structured list of the parts, sub-assemblies, assemblies, and
raw materials that define a product. Normally created and maintained
within the Product Structure Management function, it defines
the type, number, quantity, and relationships of parts, assemblies,
materials, documents and other product definition information.
Business
Rules
The
policies and procedures of an enterprise. In cPDm solutions,
business rules are used to define the relationships among entities,
object methods (actions that can be executed on entities),
milestones, and work processes. They specify the constraints
imposed by business on data relationships and actions. Examples
include: released data cannot be modified, only engineering
managers can approve mechanical designs, only program-approved
standard parts can be used within products.
CALS
Continuous
Acquisition and Life-cycle Support (CALS) is a DOD (US Department
of Defense) digital data transfer protocol. CALS is intended
to provide standard mechanisms for the delivery of digital
data and enabling concurrent engineering for DOD-sponsored
developments and procurements. The CALS initiative has endorsed
IGES and STEP as formats for digital data. CALS includes standards
for electronic data interchange, electronic technical documentation,
and guidelines for process improvement.
Change
A
modification to an approved or released part, component, configuration,
document or other product definition information. Changes cause
version or revision levels of affected items to be updated.
Change Control
The
process and procedures that manage how changes are proposed,
reviewed, and approved and incorporated into a product and
its associated data items. Change control is a part of an overall
configuration management methodology and uses review and release
processes to enforce compliance with company change policies.
Check-In
The
process of placing or returning a new or modified product information
under control within a cPDm solution. If a revision is being
created, this procedure usually initiates a review/approval
process under control of the cPDm solution.
Check-Out
The
process of accessing managed product definition information
under controlled procedures. Access may be for viewing, reference,
for use in another application or task, or for making a change
to the information. The cPDm solution prevents multiple, simultaneous
change activities to ensure product information integrity.
Classification
The assignment of attributes and other defining meta-data to manage
objects and information maintained by a cPDm solution. The
meta-data may include definitions of classification tables
or hierarchies that define relationships between various classes
of objects. These meta-data are used for finding data items
with similar characteristics. Classification is also used to
create and maintain standard part and information libraries.
See Part Classification and Group Technology.
Client
Can be used to refer to both the hardware and software used in
a client-server architecture where the server provides clients
with data and information on a demand bases. Typically the
trend is to adopt non-proprietary Web browser software on the
client hardware to access cPDm data and services.
Collaboration
Technologies
These
are the set of technologies that support groups of user in
working together. A number of different types of collaboration
are available. Asynchronous refers to work that is carried
out in a way similar to the exchange of e-mail messages. Synchronous
collaboration occurs when users interact with each other in
real-time. Many technologies support collaboration and include
Web, audio and video conferencing, co-viewing, co-modeling
and visualization.
Concurrent Engineering
Concurrent
Engineering (CE) is a management/operational approach which
improves product design, production, operation, and maintenance
by developing environments in which personnel from all disciplines
(design, marketing, production engineering, process planning,
and support) work together and share data throughout all phases
of the product lifecycle.
Configuration Management
Configuration
Management (CM) is the process of defining and controlling
a product, its structure, associated documentation and other
data. CM includes maintaining revision control and history
information about all changes to a document, parts, assemblies
and all other related data.
Data
Translation
Translation
of cPDm data from one format to another via converters such
as IGES or supplier- and user-supplied translators.
Data
Transport
The
action of moving PDM-managed information to meet the needs
of distributed environments. Information may be either moved
or copied. Unlike data translation, data transport maintains
a consistent data format.
Data
Vault and Document Management
The
process of controlling design data. Components of data vaulting
include secure database and file server areas, check-in/check-out
functions, release level maintenance, access security, and
promotion authorization.
Design Variant
Used
in the product structure to indicate a coordinated set of alternatives
in the design which produce a different product, for example,
a 4-cylinder auto versus a 6-cylinder auto. Design variants
represent sets of variations which evolve in versions consistent
with the rest of the product.
Digital
Mock-up
Extensions
to 3D modeling capabilities that enable complete products to
be built in electronic form. The mockups can be used to check
for problems such as interference and clashes between components.
Using digital mockups reduces the cost of development, as physical
material models do not need to be built.
Document
Management
The
processes, procedures and tools that focus on the creation,
maintenance and management of documents. Comprehensive applications
are available that provide authoring, scanning, structuring,
rendering and printing of documents. The adoption of the Web
has seen the introduction of a number of new tools for developing
and publishing documents over the Internet.
Effectivity
An
indicator in a product structure which specifies the versions
at which a component part is used. These indicators generally
specify a range of either dates, serial numbers, or build lots.
Effectivity indicators are typically considered as 'conditions'
on the parent-child relationships in a standard product structure.
Engineering
Change Notices (ECNs) and Engineering Change Orders (ECOs)
Formal
documents notifying selected persons of proposed, pending,
or accomplished changes. In a cPDm-managed environment, ECNs
may be distributed by electronic mail or using a distribution
process in a lifecycle.
Enterprise
The
collective parts of a company related by a common interest
in a product or group of products. An enterprise may also logically
include a network of contractors or suppliers involved in creating
or supporting the common product. cPDm systems are often applied
across an enterprise to help manage the supply chain.
Event
The
start or completion of an activity that the cPDm system tracks.
Normally used to initiate a trigger when an event occurs to
cause a message or an action to be executed.
Extranet
A
company owned network with the capabilities of the Internet
but constrained only to those the company includes in its Extranet
network.
Framework
A
framework is an extensible structure for describing a set of
concepts, methods, technologies, and cultural changes necessary
for a complete product design and manufacturing process. Framework
products are most prevalent in the area of Electrical and Electronic
design. Frameworks provide a mechanism that guides users through
a proper order of steps, applications, and data conversions
via a common interface to the process being followed.
Group
Technology (GT)
See Part Classification.
HTML
Hypertext
Markup Language defines syntax for describing documents. It
separates the document into presentation, structure and content
and allows sections of text to be compiled up into the target
document.
Image
Management
The
management and control of raster images (generated by image
scanning and raster conversions of electronic data created
in other formats), vector data (from CAD and illustration systems),
and multi-media data (audio and video images).
Independent
PDM System
PDM
systems which are available as independent products distinct
from any other application. These systems may be integrated
with any number of other applications (such as CAD/CAM & ERP),
but they may be purchased and installed independently of other
applications. These systems contrast with bundled PDM systems.
Instance
This
term is used differently in product design systems, in PDM
product structure functions, and in image management systems.
As used in product design, an instance is a reference to a
geometric object that allows the same geometry to be located
at several places in a geometric model assembly without actually
copying the geometry. When the original geometry is modified
the modifications automatically appear at every instance location.
Similarly, in product structures, an instance is a reference
to a Part. It allows the same Part to be used in several assemblies
without copying all part information into the assembly. In
image management, an instance is an occurrence of an image
in some format. An image management system may maintain multiple
instances of the same image in distributed locations to improve
access performance.
Item
Master
Item
master is similar to Part Master except that this set of data
describes an item (file) managed by the PDM system, not a part.
Intranet
A
network that is only available within the domain of a company. It
does not allow external users or agents to access its contents.
Internet
Also
known as the World Wide Web (WWW), it is the combined network
or computers connected across the world using data communications
hardware and software protocols.
Lifecycle
The
description of the distinct phases through which each product
passes during its product life. This includes phases such as
requirements definition, concept design, production, operation,
maintenance, etc.
Local
Data Manager
These
are software modules normally provided by CAD vendors to managed
and control access to CAD files and data structures. The trend
is to integrate local data managers into Enterprise scoped
cPDm systems, as they tend to offer good management capabilities
for proprietary CAD data models and file dependencies.
Management
Data
Information
required for proper planning and control of product development.
Examples include scheduling and audit history information.
Meta-Data
Information
about the data controlled by the cPDm system. For example,
drawing number is an attribute within the meta-data, which
uniquely identifies a drawing. This definition differs from
that used by information systems professionals as a definition
of a database's underlying schema.
Materials
Requirements Planning (MRP); Manufacturing Resources Planning
(MRP II)
A
methodology and system used to plan and manage manufacturing
operations. The BOM for products released to manufacturing
is a key part of the MRP system's database. Manufacturing Resource
Planning (MRP II) extends the principles of MRP by addressing
the management of resources rather than just materials.
Motif
Motif
is a product of the Open Systems Software Foundation (OSF).
It is based on IBM's Common User Access (CUA) guidelines as
were both Microsoft's Windows and OS/2 and defines a style
and look-and-feel for developing graphical users interfaces
to run on X-Windows platforms.
Object-Oriented
Database
Object
Oriented Data Base Management System (OODBMS) is a DBMS in
which data objects are encapsulated by classes that have pre-defined
characteristics. Objects added to the database automatically
acquire (inherit) the characteristics of their class. These
data are accessible through messages, which determine the behavior
of the object.
Option
See Design Variant.
Part Classification
Mechanisms
to classify parts and other elements of a product by their
function or by the processes used to manufacture them. Part
classification is used to find PDM-managed components to use
in a product design or PDM-managed processes to use in the
design of similar processes. Also called Group Technology.
Part
Master
A
set of data (information) about a part which serves as the
control definition of the part. This might include information
such as part number, date created, currently active revision
level, department responsible for design changes, etc. The
Part Master will have relationships to other information which
describes the part's use in assemblies, etc.
Project
A
project is the term used to collectively contain all activities
and data needed to design, develop, manufacture and deliver
a product to market.
Promotion
The
act of moving a piece of product information from one state
to another in a cPDm-managed approval process.
Promotion Level
Product
information can be assigned to Promotion Levels. These are
defined and named by the system administrator. Examples terms
used are preliminary release, prototype release, and production
release. Each promotion level has its own set of authorizations
for access and approval.
RDBMS
Relational
Data Base Management Systems (RDBMS) are database management
systems that maintain data records and indices in tables. The
row in the table relates to records of information and the
columns equate to the fields or attributes of the data record. Relationships
may be created and maintained across and among the data in
the tables.
Release
Action Notice
Messages
sent to people whose action is required as part of a release
process.
Release
Level
Synonym
for Promotion Level.
Review
A
process in which one or more persons check modified documents
or data to determine if the changes have been correctly performed.
Review
Action Notice
Messages
sent to people whose review is required for a defined release
procedure.
Revision
A
modification of any product data after that data has been released
for use.
Role
Describes
responsibilities associated with a specific job type examples
include project manager, designer, reviewer. In cPDm systems
a role is used to assign authorization and access restrictions.
Users are assigned to roles to inherit the authorizations and
access restrictions required to perform the assigned jobs.
Server
Normally
refers to hardware that supports server software, which provides
processing capabilities to deliver results to clients. Typically
a server will host the database systems and applications software
needed to provide features and functions to end users who access
the server via a client connected to a network.
SQL
Standard
Query Language - a language used to access and manipulate data
held by relational database management systems.
Standard
for the Exchange of Product (STEP)
A
proposed international standard (ISO 10303) to facilitate the
storage and exchange of all types of information related to
products. STEP defines formats of product data for all types
of products as well as for specific industry sectors.
Substitute
Part
A
part which is approved to be used in a specific design instead
of a preferred part, if, conditions warrant.
TCP/IP
TCP/IP
is a set of protocols developed to allow cooperating computers
to share resources across a network. It was developed by a
community of researchers centered around the ARPAnet.
Trigger
A
mechanism that detects some activity or change in a state of
an object in the cPDm system and as a result can initiate some
subsequent action.
Vault
The
cPDm system's computerized secure data storage area and databases.
Defined rules and processes control information stored in cPDm
vaults.
Version
Versions
of an object or product structure are used to distinguish between
the changes made to objects or structures as they evolve during
their lifecycle.
VRML
Virtual
Reality Modeling Language is a standard, which enables designers
to create interactive, animated 3D virtual worlds on the world-wide-web.
The virtual landscapes it creates can be distributed using
the Web where it can be displayed on a users screen for interactive
viewing.
WBS
The
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is used to plan and manage the
process of developing a product, producing a product, and supporting
it. A WBS is a mechanism for breaking work into smaller elements,
which can be used for assigning resources, budgets, schedules,
etc. generally related to some specific project. The
WBS provides a basis for controlling projects.
Windows
A
term associated with Microsoft's operating systems and also
to describe a way of graphically displaying and manipulating
data.
Workflow
and Process Management
The
interaction of people working with product data according to
the predefined business processes of an enterprise to achieve
corporate objectives. Repetitive workflows and processes can
be programmed as part of a cPDm system to route data and work
packages automatically, to control and monitor processes, and
to provide management reporting. A change control workflow
is common in most enterprises, but other workflows exist for
design release management, bid preparation, engineering reviews,
purchasing, problem tracking and resolution, and contracts
management. See also Change Control.
Workgroup
A
term used to define a collection of people who use the same
computing resources. In many cases this equates to the
organizational structure of a business.
Web
The
accepted term for the World Wide Web (WWW) operating across
the Internet.
X-Windows
Is
a device-independent, networked-based system that provides
windows-style graphical user interfaces.
XML
Extensible
Markup Language for documents containing structured information.
It is rapidly being adopted as a means of providing data exchange
between systems.
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