Working with the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange Application

 


What is the use of the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange Application?

This product delivers a solution for supplier integration that enables you to exchange CATIA design stored in a VPDM. The methodology used is based on the "Extract/Reconcile" paradigm where CATIA data are extracted from a VPDM as CATIA file documents and re-integrated, after the supplier completed the design and after a reconciliation process (using the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application).


What is the use of the container?

These containers enable you to save applicative data. Note that it is available for ENOVIAVPM  only.


What is an instance compared to a Part?

The Part is the instance reference. For example, you might want to use a wheel (which is a Part). You might want to use 4 instances of this Part to design a car.


What is the use of the VPDM view?

The VPDM view is used to display the assembly stored in the VPDM. Note that this view is available only after performing a query on the root product in the Objects to reconcile tree.


What is the difference between the Objects to reconcile tree and the Compare view?

The Objects to reconcile tree shows the objects loaded in the CATIA session that you want to reconcile whereas the Compare view shows a simulation of the reconciliation depending on the rules set for each object to reconcile.


When reconciling objects, shall I load all documents in the CATIA session?

Yes. Note that the design mode must be activated. If all documents to be reconciled are not loaded in the CATIA session, the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application will load them.

 


Is it possible to reconcile all types of documents?

No, only the following document types are supported:

  • CATPart
  • CATDrawing
  • CATProduct
  • CATAnalysis
  • CATAnalysisComputation
  • CATAnalysisResult
  • CATIA V4 models 
  • CATMaterial documents stored in publication exposed mode.
  • Catalog documents stored in publication exposed mode.
  • CATShape
  • Cdma models

 


When mapping data, how can the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application determine that the objects are identical?

You perform a query that checks that the part numbers of the object loaded in the CATIA session and the ones stored in the VPDM are identical. You can also use the Characteristics tab to check if the publications contained in both documents are identical or not.


Is it possible to use wildcards in queries?

In ENOVIA V5 VPM, you may use the * wildcard.


Is it possible to version an object using the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application?

Yes. To do so:

  • Create a new version in the VPDM.
  • Open the document in CATIA and launch the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application.
  • Map the object to reconcile with the new version of the object.
  • Select the Overwrite reconciliation rule.

 

Note that the methodology described above applies to ENOVIAVPM  only. For ENOVIA V5 VPM, you can choose to version the Part when saving the Reconciliation result in ENOVIA.

 


Is it necessary to set a reconciliation rule for each instance to be reconciled?

No, the reconciliation applies at the reference level. So if you perform a query on an instance, it will propagate to the identical instances and any rule set on one instance will propagate to others also.


What is the use of the Apply button?

The Apply button, when pressed, enables you to take the reconciliation rules into account and to apply to the products and the documents the necessary information to prepare the save operation in the PDM System. Note  that after clicking Apply, these documents lose their "File based" origins and thus can no more be manipulated as file documents.

 


What is the difference between the Instance view and the Part&Documents view?

These views are 2 different product representations.

  • The Instance view provides you with a representation of the assembly using its instances (like in CATIA).
  • The Part&Documents view shows the documents and the references contained in the assembly (like in ENOVIAVPM ).

Is data saved in the VPDM when I click the Apply button?

No. The Apply button "prepares" the CATIA session for your reconciliation choice to be taken into account when saving the session to the PDM.

For example, if you chose the Reload from VPDM option for a CATPart, the CATPart file loaded in the CATIA session will be replaced by the one stored in the VPDM when clicking the Apply button.


I cannot display the VPDM View in the 3D Viewer. What can I do?

Make sure that the Work with the cache system option is on (by default, the cache is not activated).
Otherwise, select the Tools -> Options command, click Infrastructure -> Product Structure to the left of the dialog box and check the option.
Do not forget to restart your session after turning on the cache. Activating this option sets the visualization mode as the work mode.


When should I use the Launch reconciliation from File->Desk and when should I use the Launch reconciliation from available workbenches?

It depends on what you want to reconcile. If you want to reconcile a whole product structure, use the Launch Reconciliation icon from the workbench. If you want to choose the document (sub-assembly, part...), use the File->Desk command.


Can I work in Visualization mode?

No, you can't. The Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application is compatible with the Design mode only. If you work in Visualization mode, the following error message is displayed:


Is it possible to reconcile a sub-assembly using the Reconciliation application and VPM Navigator?

No, you cannot because you always need to reconcile the top part with a product root in ENOVIA V5 VPM. One way could be to create a dedicated product for the exchange in which you instantiated the sub-assembly stand alone.


Is it possible to use the Supplier Chain Engineering Exchange application with a configured product?

No, it is not supported.