Attribute Driven Item Naming
Typical Company Profile: Small and large organizations with complex part numbering requirements
For any customer that has a requirement to capture additional information related to a design as part of a unique identifier, Enterprise Item Number (EIN) is the recommended solution. The EIN is the primary Part/Item numbering solution in 3DEXPERIENCE. The EIN offers much greater scope for configuration over the Content Naming rule. For example, an EIN can be configured to contain attributes that include different counters linked to individual values.
An EIN can be assigned to parts and assemblies; this can be done in SOLIDWORKS via the File -> New command, then selecting a template from the Create New on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform category,
Note: The Enterprise Item Number field in the New Part/Assembly dialogue box can be defined as mandatory. Users must then assign an EIN beofre a new file can be created and saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. For more information please refer to the Tips and Recommended Practice section of the guide.Or by using the Set Enterprise Item Number command on the MySession Tools toolbar,
For non SOLIDWORKS users an EIN can be assigned using the Engineering Release app (requires either the SOLIDWORKS PLM Standard or the Product Release Engineer Role) in a web dashboard.
Once an EIN value has been assigned to a part or assembly, it can be viewed via the ENOVIA Properties dialogue, and by adding the EIN column to the SOLIDWORKS MySession task pane, and web apps (for example Bookmarks Editor and Product Explorer).
Attribute Driven Naming Example
The following example explains how to configure a simple Enterprise Item Number (EIN) based on a formula that combines a single Physical Product attribute value, plus a counter.
Enterprise item Number Setup
- A Physical Product attribute “Part Type ID” has been defined that contains 4 authorised values “None, AN, PN, TN”. The default value of the attribute is “None”. This value will auto populate for each Physical Product if the owner does not select one of the genuine part type values AN, PN, or TN.
2. Only one EIN can be set for each 3DEXPERIENCE platform. The EIN is configured by a platform administrator in the Engineering Definition section of the Collaborative Spaces Configuration Center.
3. Enterprise Item Number : Admin Configuration enables an administrator to determine the method used to generate the EIN, for example by Formula, Business Logic Script, none (manual input). Formula is the method that offers the ability to incorporate attribute values into the EIN and will be selected for this example.
Note: Business Logic script is a method that can be used pull information from various sources in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to automatically generate an EIN, including attribute information. Business logic will require knowledge of the associated scripting language and access to the data setup application. To learn more about the Data Setup application and Business Logic please refer to the 3DEXPERIENCE Configuration and Customization section of the online user guide here, or contact your SOLIDWORKS value added reseller.4. Enterprise Item Number : Formula Configuration provides the ability to construct the EIN formula based on a series of fields for example counter, text, and Physical Product attributes.
5. New fields are added to the EIN using the + icon. In this example the first field will be the Part Type ID Physical Product attribute.
6. When the Attribute type is selected the user is presented with a list of available Physical Product Attributes.
7. When an attribute is selected an additional option titled Create a New Counter for Each Value is available. Selecting this option will maintain an individual counter for each attribute value.
8. After the attribute field two more fields are added one as text “-“ and the other the counter to complete the EIN formula. At any time the platform administrator can add, edit or remove fields using the + icon and the icons in the Actions column.
When the formula definition is complete it can be deployed to all users by selecting the “Apply” button in the bottom left of the Formula Configuration page.
Assigning an Enterprise Item Number to a Component in SOLIDWORKS
With the EIN deployed SOLIDWORKS users can set the EIN for parts and assemblies using the Set Enterprise Item Number command on the MySession toolbar.
In the EIN dialogue the user must first select the components. The + icon will display the configured EIN formula. In this example the part type id attributes have already been set for each part therefore the resulting EINs are previewed with their respective attribute values
Selecting the Set button will apply the EIN to the selected components.
Tips and Recommended Practice
Enterprise Item Number and SOLIDWORKS Drawings
For quick and easy identification its common engineering practice to display the item number of a component on its associated drawing. The Enterprise Item Number attribute value can be added to a SOLIDWORKS drawing using the link to property option which is available for a range of annotation types e.g. Note, Balloon, Parts List etc.
When SOLIDWORKS is connected to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform the Enterprise Item Number revision and lifecycle PLM properties are automatically made available to the user in the SOLIDWORKS properties dialogue of each part and assembly. When added to the Configuration Properties the EIN property will automatically populate with the resulting value when the EIN is assigned to the component.
The EIN property of the component can then be displayed on a drawing in a range of annotation types.
Combining Auto-naming with Enterprise Item Number
An EIN can only be assigned to a part or assembly after it has been saved to 3DEXPERIENCE and the resulting Physical Product has been created. Some organizations will not want to, or need to assign item numbers until a design reaches a certain level of maturity. However, most companies will still want to ensure that each file being saved to 3DEXPERIENCE has a unique Title. Therefore, in this scenario automatic naming can be used to generate unique Titles for each file when they are saved to 3DEXPERIENCE for the first time. The EIN for each Physical Product could is then assigned later when the design reaches a chosen level of maturity, for example prior to being released into production.
Enforcing That Users Always Assign an EIN When Creating a New Part and Assembly
For companies who want to ensure that a unique item number is always assigned to each new part and assembly before being saved to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform for the first time, the 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides the ability to make an EIN mandatory at the point for creation.
When the Enterprise Item Number Admin Creation option Make Enterprise Item Number assignment mandatory at creation is enabled, a user must assign an EIN before being able to create the part or assembly. The option is set by the platform administrator, individual users will not be able to change the setting at a local app level.
The Enterprise Item Number tab on both the New Part and Assembly dialogue will be highlighted with a red circle/white cross icon. This icon signifies that an EIN is mandatory. The Create button will remain greyed out until an EIN is assigned.
Displaying the Enterprise Item Number as the Primary Identifier for a Physical Product
In a situation where the Enterprise Item will serve as the primary identifier for a part or assembly, the EIN can be configured to be automatically copied to the Physical Product Title. This synchronization ensures high visibility of the EIN across the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, specifically within SOLIDWORKS design workflows.
Utilizing the Title field for EIN eliminates the requirement for manual column customization in individual web apps. This specific behaviour is controlled by Copy Enterprise Item Number to Title of a Product option, located in the Enterprise Item Number Admin Configuration. The option is set by the platform administrator, individual users will not be able to change the setting at a local app level.
The option Copy Enterprise Item Number to Title of a Product is located in the Enterprise Item Number Admin Configuration.
When this admin option is enabled, the EIN will overwrite any pre-existing value in the Title field.
Tip: To avoid SOLIDWORKS users accidently overwriting the EIN in the Title field, it is recommended that editing of the Title in SOLIDWORKS is disabled. The admin option to disable the editing of a Physical Product Title option is located in SOLIDWORK settings in the Collaborative Spaces Configuration Center.
If a company decides not to utilize the Title field to display the EIN, for greater clarity, a SOLIDWORKS user can choose to switch their SOLIDWORKS Feature Manager display to show the EIN.
To learn more about the setup and configuration of Enterprise Item Number please refer to the following section in the online documentation here.
