UDLP-GSD contracted with IDEAL to implement a browser-based, platform independent interface to provide company-wide access to CAD drawings and scanned legacy drawings. The contract required making use of the design, configuration management, database and networking tools UDLP-GSD already had in place. These included: (1) a high-speed WAN, linking facilities located in Pennsylvania, California and South Carolina; (2) Oracle-based Optegra Electronic Document Vaults; and, (3) CAD systems, including Pro/E, ComputerVision, Unigraphics Solutions and AutoCAD. A year prior to contract award, UDLP-GSD had begun using an IDEAL PC-based aperture card scanner and ScanDEX software to archive their aperture cards into an ODBC compliant database.
The requirements of the project were: (1) build and maintain an active database of document links and attribute information, such as document number, sheet number, revision, release date, group, vendor and customer information; (2) web-enable the database as a search engine to display the links with tabular results of attribute information; and, (3) add a web viewr along with a shopping cart feature for batch printing to local network printers and centralized high-speed KIP production plotters. It was critical to UDLP-GSD operations that the new process be implemented without interrupting workflow.
Contract Work, Scope, and Deliverables
IDEAL delivered the web interface, worked out a solution to access the existing documents residing in multiple platforms, and enabled batch printing of user sets. Security was addressed through the operating system and IntraNETIX group restriction policies. IDEAL customized the configuration and provided additional development to deliver more features. IDEAL developed software to search the UDLP-GSD network file servers and document vaults for released drawings, index the links into the database and IDEAL developed a custom interface to retrieve documents out of the vault envirnoment, thereby providing automated updating within the WAN. IDEAL provided training for the UDLP-GSD employees. Approximately 400 employees use the system to access documents using their web browsers, even at the factory floor.
Experience Summary
- Project Management
- Systems Analysis
- Software Development and Customization
- Programming
- Scanning
- Indexing
- Training