Question
Deleting again ....
While we are ranting about deleting I would like to bring up another
very frustating mishap in Windchill again.
Deleting objects!
I'm sorry and we've probably beaten this thing to death allready, but
I've got to get this of my chest.
Windchill has at least two rules which makes life for us admins
sometimes very, very frustrating.
1. If an object is used somewhere you can't delete it.
2. If an object has newer iterations you can't delete it.
Here is a use case which I actually had to go through today.
Somebody uploaded and promoted a part accidentally. So now he wants to
delete it again.
These are the steps we had to go through:
1. Find the part and delete it
Doesn't happen, it's used in a allready approved promotion
request
2. Find the promotion request and delete it
3. Find the part again and delete it
Doesn't happen, it's used in an assembly vA.0. The assembly must
not be deleted. Luckily the assembly was still in concept.
4. Checkout the assembly
5. Open it in ProE, Find the suppressed part, Remove it from the
assembly, and save it.
6. Chek the assembly back in creating vA.1 of the assembly
7. Find the part again and delete it
Doesn't happen, vA.0 of the assembly is still there.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could now just find the A.0 version of
the assembly and delete it?
But no, we're not allowed. So we'll use the infamous purge
workaround.
8. Move the assembly to the specially created Purge folder.
9. Run the specially created Purge job for this folder. vA.0 of the
assembly is now deleted.
10. Move the assembly back to it's original folder.
11. Find the part again and delete it
Finally succes.
I know there are workarounds like making the object hidden/unreadable or
renaming it, etc.
But that are workarounds for basic delete functionality.
This was still a simple case: just one part used in one assembly.
Imagine if it was used in much more assemblies ...
To me it is just unacceptable that we have to go through all these loops
to be able to clean our database.
If I want to delete it, and I have the rights to do so, then just let me
do it.Give me warnings about breaking the relationships and then get on
with it.
As soon as PTC has made the upcoming new enhancement process up and
running, I will personally start a campaign on making this functionality
a top 10 priority. But PTC, please spare us the trouble and just bake it
into WC10 while you still can.
By the way, we are not just bashing, we are trying to make this a better
tool for you.
Olaf Corten
CAD/PLM Manager, Besi Competence Center - Other Business Applications
Fico BV, Ratio 6, 6921 RW Duiven, The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 26 3196215
Fax: +31 26 3196200
Mobile: +31 644548554
www.fico.nl
very frustating mishap in Windchill again.
Deleting objects!
I'm sorry and we've probably beaten this thing to death allready, but
I've got to get this of my chest.
Windchill has at least two rules which makes life for us admins
sometimes very, very frustrating.
1. If an object is used somewhere you can't delete it.
2. If an object has newer iterations you can't delete it.
Here is a use case which I actually had to go through today.
Somebody uploaded and promoted a part accidentally. So now he wants to
delete it again.
These are the steps we had to go through:
1. Find the part and delete it
Doesn't happen, it's used in a allready approved promotion
request
2. Find the promotion request and delete it
3. Find the part again and delete it
Doesn't happen, it's used in an assembly vA.0. The assembly must
not be deleted. Luckily the assembly was still in concept.
4. Checkout the assembly
5. Open it in ProE, Find the suppressed part, Remove it from the
assembly, and save it.
6. Chek the assembly back in creating vA.1 of the assembly
7. Find the part again and delete it
Doesn't happen, vA.0 of the assembly is still there.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could now just find the A.0 version of
the assembly and delete it?
But no, we're not allowed. So we'll use the infamous purge
workaround.
8. Move the assembly to the specially created Purge folder.
9. Run the specially created Purge job for this folder. vA.0 of the
assembly is now deleted.
10. Move the assembly back to it's original folder.
11. Find the part again and delete it
Finally succes.
I know there are workarounds like making the object hidden/unreadable or
renaming it, etc.
But that are workarounds for basic delete functionality.
This was still a simple case: just one part used in one assembly.
Imagine if it was used in much more assemblies ...
To me it is just unacceptable that we have to go through all these loops
to be able to clean our database.
If I want to delete it, and I have the rights to do so, then just let me
do it.Give me warnings about breaking the relationships and then get on
with it.
As soon as PTC has made the upcoming new enhancement process up and
running, I will personally start a campaign on making this functionality
a top 10 priority. But PTC, please spare us the trouble and just bake it
into WC10 while you still can.
By the way, we are not just bashing, we are trying to make this a better
tool for you.
Olaf Corten
CAD/PLM Manager, Besi Competence Center - Other Business Applications
Fico BV, Ratio 6, 6921 RW Duiven, The Netherlands
Tel.: +31 26 3196215
Fax: +31 26 3196200
Mobile: +31 644548554
www.fico.nl