Product Data Management (PDM)
Product Data Management (PDM) is the logical capability of capturing, organizing, controlling, and disseminating product-design data — primarily CAD files and their metadata — through their authoring lifecycle. PDM is the engineering-tier subset of PLM, focused on the parts, drawings, models, and revisions that designers create and that downstream consumers depend on.
What it covers
- CAD vault with check-in/check-out, references, and where-used.
- Revision and version control for parts, assemblies, and drawings.
- Workspace management for designer productivity and offline work.
- Item creation linking CAD files to part-master records.
- Lightweight viewing via JT, 3D PDF, or STEP for non-CAD users.
Relationships (see sidebar)
- Supports the CAD Design, Detailed Design, and Release Management processes.
- Implemented by PLM platforms (Siemens Teamcenter, PTC Windchill, Aras Innovator, Dassault 3DEXPERIENCE, SAP PLM, Oracle Agile), CAD-anchored vaults (Autodesk Vault, Autodesk Fusion Manage), and integrated CAD/PDM in Siemens NX, Dassault CATIA, SolidWorks, and PTC Creo.
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