Your Guide to Buying SOLIDWORKS PDM

 Which Solution is Right for You?

Choosing the right solution depends on your team’s size and what functionality you need to support your business processes. Luckily, GoEngineer offers a wide array of options that can be customized for any team and the expertise to guide you through your decision. Whether you are looking for simple revision control for your team, process automation, or robust project management functionality, we have a solution for you.  

Here is an overview of the capabilities of each solution to help you choose the right package:

Pros and Cons of Each Data Management Tool

As with everything, there are positives and negatives regarding each data management solution. Let's break it down.

Which License Type(s) Does Your Company Need?

 Both SOLIDWORKS PDM and Manage have three levels of license types to accommodate users with different roles. An example would be people who need access to your data but should not have full permissions or capabilities. This prevents users who just need to view data from unnecessarily occupying a license that your designers need, and therefore avoiding additional licensing costs.

Note: The 3DEXPERIENCE Platform uses a different licensing model, which you can read about here.

Do You Need Additional Collaboration Capabilities? Or Want to Limit On-premise IT Infrastructure?

If your entire team does not work together in a single location, collaboration and management of data and projects can become a challenge with traditional solutions. In these cases, customers often find that adding a Cloud solution can improve efficiency.

Cloud services available to enhance your SOLIDWORKS data management tools include:

Contact Your SOLIDWORKS Reseller

While SOLIDWORKS CAD licenses are not required to use SOLIDWORKS PDM, in many cases, SOLIDWORKS PDM and Manage are used as add-ins with a SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD license. SOLIDWORKS CAD and other add-in licenses are purchased through your certified reseller. 

How Much Do SOLIDWORKS Data Management Solutions Cost?

 Costs of Data Management solutions vary greatly based on the type of license, the size of your team, as well as your company's needs. As a starting point, a SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional CAD Editor License starts at $2,742 with 2 years of annual subscriptions required at the outset . Annual subscription service on that license is $746 and covers technical support, upgrades, and much more. 

How Do I Install SOLIDWORKS PDM and Manage?

Implementing a data management solution is rarely as simple as flipping a switch. With any data management software, there are considerations related to implementation. When you are looking to implement SOLIDWORKS PDM, SOLIDWORKS Manage, or a 3DEXPERIENCE solution, GoEngineer is here to help.

Installation 

GoEngineer has a team of experts to ensure your system is installed correctly. This includes working with your IT to open ports and apply permissions. It also includes installing the prerequisites for the systems to work properly. In the case of SOLIDWORKS PDM, this means Microsoft SQL Server.

Configuration 

All of our SOLIDWORKS data management solutions offer some form of configurability. However, it's hard to know exactly what you're going to need in the future. That's why GoEngineer's team of experts will meet with you before implementation in a configuration workshop. This will help us better determine which features need to be configured and which ones aren't mission-critical.

We use our own best practices as a guide, built on the experience of thousands of implementations. If you aren't sure of your exact needs, we're here to guide you and get you up and running as quickly as possible. 

Once the important steps are laid out, our team will configure your environment so you can jump in and start using the tool in earnest on day 1. 

Training 

The final step in the implementation process involves training for both users and administrators. Our training courses are offered  online with a live instructor or in person. We highly encourage administrators to take training either before or early on in the implementation. This allows them to speak the language of PDM during the implementation and to learn more about the system as it's being set up.

After the environment is configured, we then conduct user training sessions to train users on their newly implemented environment. This means learning on your workflow, with your data cards, and your files.

Regardless of the training package you choose, you can rest assured that you will have a knowledgeable administrator and confident users after your training.

Need to Dive Deeper Into PDM to Learn More?

Browse our recommended resources below to learn more about how adding a data management solution to your design process can increase your team’s productivity.

Still Have Questions About Buying Data Management Solutions?

Reach out to GoEngineer and a SOLIDWORKS data management expert will follow up with you.