Configuring EPDM Dashboard in Office2PDM

EPDM Dashboard is a very interesting part of the Office2PDM package – it provides a quick look into the status of files in your SolidWorks Enterprise PDM vault.  Despite its obvious usefulness, configuring the tool requires a few pieces of information, and following a couple of simple steps.  Here are the basics of getting EPDM Dashboard for Office2PDM setup and running. Continue Reading

Searching Tip: Context

Are you ready to take your search capabilities to the next level?  If you’re like many professionals today, you’re inundated by information at work, and sifting your way through it can be challenging.  You probably already use Google, Bing, or some other search engine for the Internet.  And maybe you even use the search tools built into Microsoft Windows, built into your applications, or built into your smartphone.  But if you’re not using this tip on search context, give it a read and see how it can help you sift through that growing mountain of information you deal with every day.   Continue Reading

Inforbix Gets Started

For those of you familiar with the key players at Dassault, ENOVIA, and SmarTeam over the years, you probably know Oleg Shilovitsky.  Oleg is the former Chief Technology Officer for SmarTeam, and is one of the founders of a new product data applications company, Inforbix.  Simply put, Inforbix is in the early stages of developing novel technologies for use in the engineering and manufacturing software space.  Continue Reading

Intoducing PowerPivot

 Microsoft recently introduced a product called PowerPivot.  You may have heard about it under it’s code name Gemini.  The idea of PowerPivot is simple: allow Microsoft Excel users to quickly filter, analyze and display massive amounts of data and share their findings via SharePoint.  PowerPivot allows users to build analytic information by pulling data from various data sources throughout the company.  In Microsoft’s words PowerPivot is a “business intelligence application that enables business users to integrate many data sources, including Web data.”  Continue Reading

Calculations in SharePoint

You love them in Excel, in fact you can’t live without them.  You use formulas and calculations in Microsoft Excel to show real-time results as data changes.  As you begin to capture more data in SharePoint as a result of collaborating on projects, documents, or automated processes, you will probably want to have the same ability in SharePoint.  While you could export your SharePoint list and all of the column data to Microsoft Excel and manipulate it there, functionality inherent in the system makes it easy to perform calculations in SharePointContinue Reading

When Search Gets Personal

Most people have come to expect that search results change from one day to the next.  With millions of web pages being created annually, it is not surprising that search results would vary in this way.  But many people are surprised to learn that search results can differ from person to person also.  If you haven’t been using Google-related services (with a Google account) for some time, you may not be able to witness this yourself, but the effect is documented several places on the Web: Google tailors search results based on the company’s interpretation of your search history.  Continue Reading

Archiving ShareVis Forms

Although electronic workflow tools are great at automating and optimizing business processes, sometimes you just need a static copy of the finished workflow form.  In some cases, the static copy is for public distribution while the actual process lives in a more restricted area.  Fortunately, ShareVis makes creating a static copy of a workflow form a simple process, and one which you have some control over.  Continue Reading