Solidworks EPDM Upgrade

It is the time of year when new versions of SolidWorks products get released. All of us want to upgrade to the latest versions to take advantage of the new features and performance benefits. With the release of SolidWorks Enterprise PDM Version 2012, we have seen increased volume of support issues related to the upgrade. Please review the following to ensure the upgrade process does not cause delays, problems and lost man hours.

1. Test Environment – Setup a test environment and run through a standard scenario. Create new files, workflows, revision bump etc. Even though resources and time will be needed to set up a test environment, the transition to the new version will be less painful. Remember, once you upgrade the systems, there is no going back. If any issues pop up during the test, you have the time to work through the problem. When the systems go live and you encounter an issue that could have been discovered in test, productivity will suffer.

2. Documentation – Please refer to the Enterprise DVD for excellent documentation related to the upgrade process. Installation Guide.pdf can be accessed from SupportGuidesGB folder. This PDF has a section called “Upgrading Enterprise PDM” that explains the upgrade process in detail.

3. Server Backup – Ensure you have a complete backup of the Enterprise PDM system before starting the upgrade process. Backup should include the File vault Database, Enterprise PDM Master Database, Archive server settings etc. Please refer to the “Backing Up and Restoring File Vault” section in Installation guide.pdf for more details.

4. Client backup – If a user had Enterprise PDM checked-out to his/her local view, these files need to be checked back in before the upgrade. The upgrade process may affect the existing local view so any data checked out could be lost.

5. Client upgrades – Do not upgrade SolidWorks clients to version 2012 first – Enterprise PDM server and clients have to match versions and service packs.  So, the server will have to be upgraded first and then the clients.

7.License – New license keys are required for version (not service pack) upgrades. The license keys can be accessed from the SolidWorks web site under customer assets section.  Please make sure to allow for at least one business day when accessing new codes. This can take some time. In some cases, the codes need to be generated by SolidWorks.

To contact us with questions or for other information, visit www.inflow-tech.com