OpenPDM Integrate

OpenPDM INTEGRATE networks your systems and makes it possible to implement the "digital thread" in your company. It makes no difference whether the systems involve different technical disciplines, departments or locations. OpenPDM ensures that your information is always available in the systems, consistent and up to date.

OpenPDM INTEGRATE links your systems and makes complete information available for managers in the different planning disciplines, consistent and up to date. The information is always synchronised exactly when it has reached a relevant and consistent state for others who are involved. That means information in the digital thread can be used and further processed early on so planning and decisions are available sooner.

OpenPDM works completely independently and asynchronously in the background. Together with us, you define the time or the event for which data synchronisation will take place. An automated process ensues that the information is exchanged reliably. Of course, it is also possible to initiate ad hoc synchronisations manually in addition. If the information flows in both directions, bidirectional mapping makes it possible to represent the data consistently on both sides.

What does an OpenPDM Integration architecture look like?

The simplest architecture for connecting two systems consists of two OpenPDM connectors, the Workflow Engine OpenPDM PROCESS and the OpenPDM mapping service. The Workflow Engine controls the flow of data during integration. The mapping service ensures that the information is mapped from the source system to the target system with no loss. OpenPDM connectors read and write all objects, attributes, relations and files in the connected systems. Of course, you can export and import complete product structures or requirement structures independently.

Each project has different requirements and every customer has their own special logic for dealing with PLM data. The PROSTEP integration platform OpenPDM takes this into account and offers the greatest possible flexibility. OpenPDM services all speak REST protocol and are graphically modelled via BPMN 2.0 (Business Process Modelling Notation). With OpenPDM Monitoring, each process instance can be considered individually, while the information is clearly arranged in the web browser display.

The OpenPDM Connector Service is responsible in the integration scenario for reading and writing information in the connected systems. OpenPDM standard connectors are available for many of the IT systems involved in the digital thread, but other systems can also be connected easily using the OpenPDM Connector Template.

Each connector uses the official interface of the respective system to communicate with the connected IT system. This ensures that the requirements of the system for rights, roles and customising are observed automatically. An OpenPDM connector never accesses the database of a system directly.

How are different system information items mapped?

OpenPDM uses its own generic data format internally. Using this data format makes it possible to map all data structures. To map the special data scheme of the connected systems, OpenPDM makes the mapping service available.

The mapping service is able to process two different types of mapping: XSLT-based mapping and Java-based mapping. Depending on the application scenario, or also the preferences of the system support specialists, either of these types of mapping can be chosen or they can be combined with each other. There are no limits on how the PLM information can be mapped.