Archiving projects

[Chad-Smith]

How does one go about archiving projects onto a physical media? And then at a later date, restore it back onto Constructware if there is additional work or details which need to be accessed?

[jeffmarsh]

The specific functionality that you outline is not available in Constructware.  Another option which might be an option is to request a Snapshot from Constructware support, (800) 892-0449, for a particular project(s).  Snapshot is a read-only archive of select project documentation that can be provided for Constructware clients on an appropriate removable medium. 

The primary uses of Snapshot are:

1. to have an archive of project data for legal issues and
2. to provide someone with permanent access to data after their user account is no longer available.

When a client purchases a project Snapshot, they specify the following:

1. project for which they would like the data
2. Constructware user name upon which the data access should be based.

This will provide only those documents to which that user had access to when using the Constructware application.  In this way, a Snapshot produced for an owner would contain different information than one produced for a specialty contractor.

An example: If an owner is using a General Contractor’s Constructware site, they will have access to specific projects and select documents within those projects (they may have access to all RFIs, but only correspondences that are distributed to them).  After the project is completed, the GC may want to use the owner’s license for a different owner on a different project and would therefore inactivate the first owner and create a new user for the next owner).  This would mean the first owner would no longer have access to their project documents.  This is where a Snapshot will provide permanent access to those documents.  If the Snapshot is requested for the owner’s user account, then only those documents they had access to during the project would be included on the Snapshot.  This mimics the permission access as in the Constructware product.

A Snapshot will only show the project data as it was at the time the Snapshot was produced.  It is important to understand that this is project data as opposed to project documents.  This means that any documents created in Constructware that utilized a client’s document templates will be rendered on the Snapshot using Constructware system templates. 

All project documents are stored on the Snapshot in .xml format with the exception of documents that were uploaded to Constructware (like those in the Documents module).  These will be present on the Snapshot in their native file types.

What Snapshot is NOT:

Snapshot is not an application.  It is a self-running CD or DVD that is independent of the Constructware application.  The data contained within the Snapshot is static such that no edits can be made.   Snapshot is not intended to provide access to any maintenance type of data – logos, document templates, lookup tables, reports, etc.  It is project document data only – however, this will include embedded logos, lookup values and company/contact data as it is associated to the project document.

Thanks,

[Chad-Smith]

Thanks Jeff, a very informative reply.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Snapshot links had been ordered/extracted/ downloaded for our projects archiving, but this approach is shown the data did not appear similar to the construct of Autodesk Constructware - please see below Print-Screens. Considering the project data volume, It is concerning to deal with numeric folders/files with .xml format as final project data transfer- please advise on how this issue can be addressed.