There are two key requirements to start a DriveWorks implementation, Understanding the function of both is essential:
A Group is required before any CAD data can be captured or Projects added.
A Project is required before any User Forms, Rules or Outputs are added.
A Group is a database that contains:
Typically only one Group is needed to hold all Projects that can be specified.
However it is also common (when the time is right) to copy a Group, and the required Projects, into a Production and Development environment.
Two types of Group can be created:
A Group can be created from the DriveWorks add-in in SOLIDWORKS or from DriveWorks Administrator, see New Group Wizard for more information.
An Individual group is appropriate for a single user environment and can be scaled up to a Shared group in future as more users connect.
The file extension for an Individual Group is .drivegroup
A Shared Group allows for multiple users and connections.
The information added to a Shared Group is hosted in a SQL Server database (has no standalone file type associated to it).
DriveWorks manages the connection to the database.
DriveWorks Pro Server must be installed to manage the Shared group.
Multiple users can contribute to adding the data contained within a Group.
This can be a DriveWorks Administrator adding or capturing data, or users creating Specifications from the Projects.
A DriveWorks Project is a collection of information needed to specify and generate the outputs for a product or process.
Multiple Projects can be added to a Group (Individual and Shared).
Projects can have a Parent and Child (multiple levels deep) relationship by making use of the Child Specification List control.
Project data typically contains all the information relating to:
The same project cannot be edited by more than one Administrator at once.
But a Project can be specified by as many users as required at the same time.
The file extension name is .driveprojx
A Project is created from DriveWorks Administrator, see New Project Wizard for more information.