Problem with central catalog in Creo Schematics

[MG_10170125]

Hello,

In Schematics, several persons can edit the central catalog (this is useful), but the problem is that a person can overwrite the current version with an old outdated version.

How to make it so that it is impossible, having an outdated version, to make a new version out of it? To first update to the current one, edit it and then make a new version of it.

Like in Windchill with CAD-documents: .prt and .asm.

[BillF]

Best practice is to have a minimal number of people (that KNOW what they are doing) who can write to the central catalog.  In our case, only one person (with a backup) is the "librarian".  We enforce this by having the catalog on a network drive that is read only to most people.  
Any user can create items for the library but has to give them to the librarian to add them to the library.

With only a few exceptions, the standard users are not given a password protected design.  They cannot edit already designed items in the library.  For that, they have to go to the librarian.  This prevents someone from changing an item for a particular design that does not match the official one.

[MG_10170125]

Thanks for your answer! But we work in PDM (Creo Parametric + Windchill) with design engeneers and it convenient. The software does not allow to make errors with file versions.

We do want several people to be able to edit the catalog, not one librarian.

[BillF]

Keeping the librarians to a minimum will not affect working with Parametric and Windchill.  We do that.  

If you want to allow the engineers to create new components for their design, they can still do that and pass them on to the library team to update the library.

That way, the library team (I never said ONE librarian) can adjust the new components to follow whatever rules you have for appearance and check that the data is correct. 

Don't expect a group of engineers (or designers) who are pushed for time to be consistent or follow the rules (yes, I am one but with a methods and standards background).  

When we were starting our implementation, we had a consultant that fended off the desire of some people who wanted an open library with some horror stories of what she had seen happen.  We had already seen it happen with our previous software having random ideas for similar items that ended up looking quite different and some that actually were very incorrect because the designer was too lazy to create a SPDT switch and replaced it with two SPST switches.
It also really helps to have someone trained to create the data files that are critical to making Schematics work well.

With a small group of trained gate keepers to the library, you will have a much higher quality of the components.  Allow people to create new items but make them hand them off to be approved and added, just like the process with mechanical parts undergoing revision control scrutiny. 

If you work on making really good items for the library in the first place, you will not need to change things very often.  The few times that it is needed, the person requesting the change can do a mark up, just like people do with mechanical parts.

Until the library (aka catalog) is kept in Windchill with revision control, anyone with write permission to the library location can destroy the integrity of the library or even accidently put in something that locks it up with errors (we have seen that even with knowledgeable people).  Moving the library to Windchill has been on the wish list for a long time and with some changes in PTCs attitude towards Schematics, looks like it may show up in the next couple major revisions.

If you really want people to be allowed to randomly change the items in the library, expect a lot more headaches in the future.

[MG_10170125]

Thank you very much! 

To avoid random changes in the library, I wanted the software to control the revisions.
If the software does not do this in the current version, then we will somehow negotiate between engineers.

[BillF]

Moving the library to Windchill has been requested/promised for a long time while PTC was not updating Schematics.
They appear to have changed their mind and have put out a road map for the next couple revisions.  I expect that more things will happen.

Now the pitch to joining the Technical Committee (TC).  That is the best way to communicate with others and to ask questions about the products.
It has a chat meeting once a month to discuss issues.

There is also the PTC User conference in October.  The Routed Systems group tends to be open forums to discuss issues and ask question about how to do things.