Remote Document Management

[Anonymous]

I am not sure if I am looking for advice or sympathy, but…
The firm for which I work is implementing a corporate-wide Enterprise Asset Management system (EMPAC by Indus Int’l)– running remotely, accessed via a Citrix client session. As part-‘n-parcel of this is a document system called Curator (a ‘third’ party app “FYI” from Identitech – in cooperating Spicer viewing technology). It is the ‘Plan’ to store all documents remotely. The Document system will provide Checkin-Checkout functionality. Because this all happens remotely, checkin/checkout is to/from a remote “share” that can in turn be accessed from a ‘local’ PC, and thus AutoCAD.

“We” will no longer have control over drawing storage (i.e. file path names). The application, as it is running in a remote Citrix session will be Non-AutoCAD aware (AutoCAD being installed ‘locally’)

I fear corruption and/or lose of functionality within AutoCAD as it pertains to Xref pathing, Paths for Image insertions etc. Lost of the ability to mange ‘on-the-fly’ x-ref’s (as in in-place editing of the x-ref) and even more so as I review some of the AutoCAD 2004 features of Xopen and the Reference Manger. (Currently using A2K bye the way).

Guess the question is, Are others working in a similar disjoined/remote-isolated environment. If so, how do you manage? Is there a sound bussiness arugment to be made for ‘local storage/access’ of drawings?

Input appreciated, or at least shoulder to cry on ;(

Jim L
Nova Scotia, Canada

[Anonymous]

The best thing that you can do is make sure that
you have all the relevant dwg files named with the same prefix such as a project
number that is unique. That way, you should always be able to find the files,
even if someone ( not saying who) moves them around Document
system.

I don't think that xrefs will be of a particular
problem as long as you use saved paths.

Dave Alexander

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"longleyje" <
href="mailto:longleyje@bowater.com">longleyje@bowater.com> wrote in
message
href="news:f14a197.-1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb">news:f14a197.-1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...

I
am not sure if I am looking for advice or sympathy, but…
The firm for
which I work is implementing a corporate-wide Enterprise Asset Management
system (EMPAC by Indus Int’l)– running remotely, accessed via a Citrix client
session. As part-‘n-parcel of this is a document system called Curator (a
‘third’ party app “FYI” from Identitech – in cooperating Spicer viewing
technology). It is the ‘Plan’ to store all documents remotely. The Document
system will provide Checkin-Checkout functionality. Because this all happens
remotely, checkin/checkout is to/from a remote “share” that can in turn be
accessed from a ‘local’ PC, and thus AutoCAD.

“We” will no longer have control over drawing storage (i.e. file path
names). The application, as it is running in a remote Citrix session will be
Non-AutoCAD aware (AutoCAD being installed ‘locally’)

I fear corruption and/or lose of functionality within AutoCAD as it
pertains to Xref pathing, Paths for Image insertions etc. Lost of the ability
to mange ‘on-the-fly’ x-ref’s (as in in-place editing of the x-ref) and even
more so as I review some of the AutoCAD 2004 features of Xopen and the
Reference Manger. (Currently using A2K bye the way).

Guess the question is, Are others working in a similar
disjoined/remote-isolated environment. If so, how do you manage? Is there a
sound bussiness arugment to be made for ‘local storage/access’ of drawings?

Input appreciated, or at least shoulder to cry on ;(

Jim L
Nova Scotia, Canada

[Anonymous]

Dave, you'll have to forgive me if I seem a bit stupid on this matter, but.....
Do not (Some?) Document Management systems (as I believe this one does) virtually takes control of the document "filing it" deep in its own system - putting it's own wrapper so-to-speak around it. "It" controls the 'How and where' it is filed. After all, isn't that how a document management system ensure "It" is in controll of the document?
Currently, because "we" file the drawing in a Folder Structure "we" define (i.e. Windows folders we create) we CAN use relative paths to the appropritate Xref and/or image insert. Seems to me its going to be kinda-sorta-like 🙂 zipping a bunch of drawings (including associated X-refs) THEN double-clicking to open a dwg from the Zip file. Zip temporarily unzips thee drawing for AutoCAD - at this point AutoCAD is unaware of Xrefs as they are still 'in' the zip file

I missing something??? Perhaps I should add that this Document System is (it Seems) first and foremost for Office Documents as vs. a CAD-Specific system

Comments???

JimL

[Anonymous]

I don't know Jim.  You could be right. I don't
have any experience with document management systems, only with AutoCAD and
xrefs. If you open a drawing with xrefs, AutoCAD searches for the xref in a
specific order which has been mentioned before on the various groups. If the
xref has a path and AutoCAD cannot find that path, then it will look in the same
directory as the drawing that it loaded. It may be that you will have to change
your system to just keep all the drawings and xrefs in the same sub
directory.

Unfortunately, you will not know until you work
with the system. What you could do is keep the baks on the work stations and do
a final couple of saves to make sure the bak matches the drawing. Then, if for
some unknown (?) reason, something goes wrong, at least you have a back up that
you control.

Hope this helps.

Dave Alexander

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"longleyje" <
href="mailto:longleyje@bowater.com">longleyje@bowater.com> wrote in
message
href="news:f14a197.1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb">news:f14a197.1@WebX.maYIadrTaRb...

Dave,
you'll have to forgive me if I seem a bit stupid on this matter, but.....

Do not (Some?) Document Management systems (as I believe this one does)
virtually takes control of the document "filing it" deep in its own system -
putting it's own wrapper so-to-speak around it. "It" controls the 'How and
where' it is filed. After all, isn't that how a document management system
ensure "It" is in controll of the document?
Currently, because "we" file
the drawing in a Folder Structure "we" define (i.e. Windows folders we create)
we CAN use relative paths to the appropritate Xref and/or image insert. Seems
to me its going to be kinda-sorta-like 🙂 zipping a bunch of drawings
(including associated X-refs) THEN double-clicking to open a dwg from the Zip
file. Zip temporarily unzips thee drawing for AutoCAD - at this point AutoCAD
is unaware of Xrefs as they are still 'in' the zip file

I missing something??? Perhaps I should add that this Document System is
(it Seems) first and foremost for Office Documents as vs. a CAD-Specific
system

Comments???

JimL

[Anonymous]

Yes, they take control and bury the files deep within the system so you cannot goe around the EDM. You need to find out if there is a "Layered Index" that will support a part number field (or such), in order to support xref's/OLE MDT, Inventor, or any assembly link based solid modeling. Also very important is how you will get all your files back to a meaningfull filename if you ever switch manager programs.

Most newer programs will handle this, but there are still older ones that don't. I have been thruogh this all.