Callup your assembly or files into Inventor.
At the top of the model tree select the down arrow next to "Model"
Select "Vault"
Then you can RC on the top file and select checkin
Also make sure all of these files are in your vault working forlder before opening them up in Inventor.
Yes, they can be. When you check in files you can either check the box that says "Keep files checked out"
or you can check the one that says " Close files and delete working copy"
If you keep files checked ou then they will stay on your local drive. I assume this is what you are talking about.
I assume you realize that you'll need to log into the Vault application from within Inventor, correct?
Doing so in Inventor (and any other application you use with Vault like AutoCAD, MS Office docs, etc.)
Open the files in Inventor and store into Vault for the first time by doing the Check in command on the Vault menu in Inventor. Mind you, Vault will replicate the exact directory structure where the files resides on your local drive.
So if you have the part/assembly on the: C:\Vault\Projects directory, Vault will create and store that file in Vault with the very same structure. So the path in Vault would look something to the effect of: Project Explorer ($)\Vault\Projects.
Basically be sure you have your directory structure defined on your local drive prior to storing files in Vault.
But also note, by keeping the files checked out to you, only you can modify those files....everyone else is locked out of the files.
I'm not sure what you mean about leaving the data usable. Vault is nothing more than a depository with permission controls. Making copies to work with basically defeats the purpose.
And yes, you should always access and store the Inventor files into Vault from within the Inventor application. Inventor assemblies are link driven, doing these steps within Inventor prevents those links from being broken or corrupted, something you really, really don't want to have happen.
Like Jim said. If you call the files up in Inventor they keep the same integrity in the vault once checked in as they did
when you first got them. Except they are more secure and revision controlled.