Autodesk Vault for Data Management

INTRODUCTION:

In today’s competitive environment controlling your data has become even more important than ever before. Ensuring all participants in engineering and business work-flows have the correct information available helps reduce costly errors and avoid unnecessary rework. Procad (now Symetri) have spent the past 7 years working with Autodesk Vault and have identified some key areas of focus for anyone embarking on the “data management Journey”. The following gives a good starting point for your preliminary research.

Help maximise your company’s return on investment in design data by driving design re-use with the Autodesk Vault data management software. Vault software helps engineering workgroups to manage design, simulation and documentation processes. Save time organising models and files, manage change processes to avoid costly mistakes, and release and revise designs more efficiently.

All your design data and supporting files, specifications, data sheets, instructions, etc. can be managed in one location to provide easy access to all relevant users. A wide variety of file types can be managed including: AutoCAD, Inventor, Solidworks, ProE, MS Office, PDF as well as multiple other formats.

Benefits of Data Management

• Quick access to what you need, when you need it
• Property based searching
• Ability to save searches you use regularly
• Shortcuts to commonly used files and folders
• Search functions directly from within your CAD application

Data Standardisation

At the core of Vault Data Standard is standardisation including file names and directory structures.

Vault Data Standard can apply complex directory structure and naming standards that are specific to your business needs, with some simple configuration.

Users can capture relevant information about the designs directly within Vault or CAD Application.

They can enforce a standard user method including mandatory properties, file location, templates and more.

Fast Data Searching

Comprehensive search functionality in Vault enables fast and effective access to data, reducing time spent searching for digital information.  This includes removing a big productivity barrier that commonly hinders workgroups hunting for data. Using a range of methods, such as saved searches and shortcuts, to find and organize data, the Vault product line minimizes the time it takes to find information, so you can spend more time designing and less time hunting for data.

Easy Administration and Configuration

Deploy the Vault product family quickly to start enjoying the benefits of effective data management right away.  The Autodesk Vault family provides tools to manage your Vault server, to help you experience maximum uptime. Intuitive administrative tools make server management easier even for those with minimal IT knowledge.

Safeguard your designs with control over the who, where, and when of data access. Secure designs by folder or file—and restrict who can change the lifecycle state or access a file in a particular lifecycle state.

Central Location for Project Data

The Autodesk Vault family of data management software helps you keep track of all your digital design data. It securely stores and manages data in a central location, helping teams quickly create, share, and reuse digital prototyping information.  With multiuser functionality, your team can collaborate on projects without overwriting one another’s data. This collaboration helps users to better balance resources, speed projects to completion, and meet tight deadlines.

Revision Control

Revision control, also known as version control or source control, is the management of changes made over time. It permits many people to work on the same parts of a project without worrying that their changes will overwrite the work of anyone else.

Vault will enable you to keep control of revisions, from inside your design application. You can track changes and versions, helping to reduce manufacturing and design errors and speed cycle times.

So which Vault is right for you?

Regardless of what industry you are involved in, Vault can benefit your business.

Take a quick look through the below industry videos to see more.

1. Vault for Manufacturing

Manage your product data and engineering processes in a single central location

2. Vault for AEC

Access centralized project data and manage AEC processes in your native design environment

3. Vault for Infrastructure

Integrate AutoCAD civil 3Dsoftware to better manage infrastructure project data

In conclusion, we find Vault to be a very valuable tool for Data Management, easy to use and the standard version comes free with some of the Autodesk applications.