What is the average capacity that Workgroup PDM can handle overall:
1) Max # of files: a) per vault; b) per Project?
2) Max file size: a) per vault; b) per individual file to be checked in?
What is the average capacity that Workgroup PDM can handle overall:
1) Max # of files: a) per vault; b) per Project?
2) Max file size: a) per vault; b) per individual file to be checked in?
The last I checked our Workgroup PDM vault size was in 2010. It was at 131gb with 420,626 files and 127,108 folders.
Not sure if that large or not. We have only had a few minor problems. Nothing to worry about.
I'm having IT check the size again for me.
I've always wondered when will it get too big.
I've considered creating 2 vaults because we have 2 groups using SW that rarly share files. We create molds and products in one groups and the machines that create the products in the other group. There are a few parts parts that get shared between the 2 groups but most of the time the part is copied and "reference" is tossed in the file name indicating that it's a copy of the original part.
We do not use alot of revision control when it comes to the SW file. We do note every revision on the drawing but do not typically let the vault make copies when checked in. It's up to the engineer if they want to make a copy for back up. We have another drawing (tiff) publishing system as a record.
PDM is import for us even though we do not use PDM revision control.
We have 35-40 engineers in our vault. With so many people sharing files it's important to know who has ownership of the file and that the files are not getting changed accidently. Knowing that there is only 1 copy of the part reguardless of the folder it's in is critical to our operation. You will need to make sure users are following a file name standard. (Filename = Part Number)
Out vault size
2010 131gb 420,626 files 127,108 folders
2013 173gb 607,005 files 189,825 folders
Beth, you are not going to find actual specs like those, but from other PDMW posts you will start to see issues as you approach the 100gig mark. We have two vaults, and as Steve says, it is not recommended. The reason we have two is due to company purchase, and it was easier to make their vault a read only and bring files over as we update them.
You will see recommendations in the help, look for best practices. Start off by asking your VAR these questions, and have them help you set it up.
Remember too that PDMW is a flat file system, not a database system like SQL, so use the right tool for the job. If you want the whole company to access these files outside of SW users, you may want to look at a PLM package like EPDM.
As far as PDMW goes, I feel it's the best solution for Data management of SolidWorks file for small groups (depending on the size of your files, it can support alot more users, we have about 20 users that can check-in files, but many more read only users.
Good point John about company access and read only people accessing files.
We mostly have engineers with SW accessing files. But I've split up the folders and control read/write for differetn engineering groups.
We do have 3 NC programmers that use PDM explorer with read only.
I would not want to open up the vault to everyone that needs to see drawings. Again we have a tiff file database for that.
Hi John (and Tom) - Thank you for the input.
Our VAR was commenting that over 100GB per vault, and 1000 files per project was maxing out. They proposed that we split some Projects to another server, such as those that are no longer active. Also, suggested EPDM, which is SQL.
We do have a large # of users (75). But of that, only about 15 write to the vault.
We also have another vault for a subsidiary company that I will eventually need to merge in.
1) We're at: 274GB 635,483 Files, and 199,420 Folders (individual files as large as 1.4GB)
2) They are apx: 300GB 366,983 Files, and 100,000 Folders (individual files as large as 2GB)
I’m liking this approach to “subsidiary company” vault becoming read-only and bringing data into primary vault as changes are made to source files.
Doing my research before we dive into EPDM if that isn't nece$$ary.
Beth,
I seem to recall some folks on the forum saying that WPDM slows down substantially as you get large numbers of files in a folder. As I recall, large meant more than 1000 or, possibly, 2000 files. You should search in the forum to see if my memories are correct or not.
Jerry S.
Beth / Jerry,
SW Help, Search on "workgroup best practices", look under Maximizing Performance heading. The numbers you refer to are outlined there.
Daen
Beth,
We have tens of thousands of individual files in our Vault. Last time I checked, it was over 13Gig large I think. It's huge. As far as I know, there is no limit to number of files per vault or project nor is there any limit to file size.
There may be limits to this based on the limit of the number of sub-folders that Windows can handle. I don't know.
That being said, I'll give you a few things to think about:
Remember that all file names in any single Vault MUST be unique.
I don't know why anyone would want to have more than one Vault. That sounds like a logistical nightmare.
The Vault is really intended to be used for files that will most likely require revision control. It's not really meant to be a repository for "one-time use" files even though it can be. It's up to you really, but there's not much sense filling it with a bunch of files that will never be used again (source: we have this problem).