Regular data supply and partner data management in the cloud

Transcription

1 Strategies for controlling the flood of development data: Regular data supply and partner data management in the cloud Ralf Luithardt (SSC-Services GmbH), Dr. Anna Wasmer (PDTec AG) Globalisation and the resulting need for developing new products and models with everincreasing variety for different markets within an ever shorter time, requires novel, dynamic models of cooperation and the ability to quickly engage project-related partnerships and terminate again, if necessary. Besides an efficient process organization, particular challenges consist of requiring a permanent matching of data between the customers or partners and the own suppliers, as well as the management of the specific metadata and structures, varying from customer to customer. Initial situation Which supplier, development service provider, manufacturer or even OEM does not recognize this: a new development project with a new partner starts and the IT infrastructure shall be able to interpret the supplied data of the partner as soon as possible, managing them in a structured manner and providing them version-controlled to the development or construction engineers for their work. In order to handle the enormous amount of recurrently exchanged data efficiently, often as initial supply with later delta supply, the PDM-based administration of the customer and partner data is just as indispensable as a high performance data exchange system. Apart from human resources, this requires also IT resources, which are not always available in good time and to the necessary extent. This can be remedied by effectively combinable IT components for data exchange and data management, in combination with innovative solution architectures on the basis of modern cloud-based approaches. From data exchange in the cloud to partner data management in the cloud Data exchange is the basis for a smooth cooperation of the development partners. This is characterized by increasing complexity, steadily growing volume, high security demands and an ever greater number of players. With the emergence of modern web technologies, classic data exchange systems have been constantly further developed towards data exchange portals, which can be operated within the own infrastructure or by external service providers in the cloud. In conventional systems the data exchange service ends for the recipient with the provision of the received data packages. These have to

2 be unpacked, interpreted and allocated to the right projects and project structures and configurations within a complex, often manual and error-prone process. Even if automated processes for data transfer are available, they can normally not be used across different projects, due to customer and partner specific data contents, structures and formats, where applicable. The integration of the usually already existing and established data exchange portals in the cloud, with respective components for automated partner data preparation, interpretation and management, provides a useful alternative, especially for companies with limited human and mechanical IT resources. Such All-in-one solution on the basis of a cloud platform supports the internal collaboration, as well as the collaboration with different customers and partners on the basis of always up to date, partner-specific correctly interpreted (user and meta) data, without causing costs for the installation, administration and operation of software and hardware components.» handling of different component status and automatic notification of the developers, as soon as new versions are available, e.g. from the partner,» support for matching different states for determining varieties, e.g. for repeated provision of environmental geometry through the partner,» identification of relevant scopes within the overall data flood (neighbor search),» tracing of actions performed (e.g. changes) and filed version sequences, as well as» securing the data safety, for both, data transmission by using respective transfer protocols (HTTPS), and data storage. Essential requirements that have to be met by such All-in-one solution are:» minimization of the starting time for new projects,» easy control of the flood of received data from different partners,» possibly automated interpretation of project specific characteristics concerning content and structure of the data supply while retaining customer specific PDM meta data,» management of projects and project teams with selective authorization control for project contents, Page 2

3 The cloud-based solution The modular solution SWAN Collaboration Cloud, presented in the following, offers three essential features, with the solution components SWAN, SWaX and Collaboration Portal, for the project cooperation with customers and partners: data exchange, data transformation and data management (Figure 1). Figure 1: Structure of SWAN CollaborationCloud SWAN is a long-term proven platform for the secure and reliable exchange of CAD and development data, which can be adjusted individually to the needs of the customer. It supports all forms of automated exchange via OFTP1/OFTP2, as well as the connection of partners through a web portal. Special exchange solutions can be realized due to the high adaptability. SWAN provides a user interface for the creation of transfer jobs and for collecting the data, which is easy to learn. All partner data can be searched quickly in a central database, as well as detailed information about all exchange events. Sent and received data can be archived, so that they can be used for providing evidence even after years, e. g. for product liability. A detailed authorization concept for users and projects and configurable approval workflows facilitate the use within a dynamic project environment in complex process landscapes. With the extension SWaX, received data can be automated delivered to subsequent systems, here to Collaboration Portal, through an easy configurable interface in consideration of partner specific particularities. Collaboration Portal (figure 2) is a webbased platform for managing all relevant product data structures and documents for the project processing and cooperation, as well as for the project related interpretation and structured filing of all information from and for the customer or partner. The filing of this information is made project-related, except for generally applicable information, such as e.g Page 3

4 design guidelines, CAD start models or method documentation. For the traceability and transparency of different states (e.g. component states), the structuring and versioning is made individually within the project. Figure 2: Collaboration Portal The configurable import/export framework includes substantial logic components for data interpretation and processing of native (CAD) data structures and also meta data formats with referenced models. Predefined modules allow the out-of-the-box interpretation of common OEM data representations. The control of the data processing and exchange logic used for the import, as well as the selection of the used formats (STEP AP214/242, PLM Services, PLMXML, individual formats, etc.), is made through customer or project specific exchange profiles. As a result, the most extensive regular data supplies can be automatically effected, including the handling of delta scopes and according to project-specific rules. Newly imported data are marked accordingly and displayed to the developer s working environment. With Collaboration Portal, the customer gets a lean basic PDM system for managing its own meta and user data and the ones of its customers and partners, preconfigured and optimized for the enterprise-wide creation process of the CAD data. Also in scenarios where an own PDM system is already available in-house, Collaboration Portal can be used in a meaningful way as frontend for matching the partner data, managing e.g. partner-specific information and environmental geometries, Page 4

5 which often should or could not be taken over one-to-one into the internal system. In addition to the standard components, further modules e.g. for CAD data conversion or CAD data reduction can be flexibly integrated into SWAN Collaboration Cloud if needed. For each CAD file of a send job, a data analysis is performed, a protocol generated and the conversion is executed into a defined target format. Therefore, it is not necessary to purchase and administrate own translator hardware including licenses. Therefore, SWAN Collaboration Cloud provides the customer with a flexible solution for data exchange and management, adapted to the project specific requirements. Without investment into infrastructure or know-how it is possible to quickly react to changing demands. A qualified support assists the customer in questions and monitors the smooth operation of the processes. The connection of new exchange partners and the user administration are also executed by the support, discharging the customer. according to the rules specified between OEM and suppliers. Afterwards, the prepared data are imported into the PDM hub, also through an automated process. The used import logic is selected on the basis of the known project and partner information and controls both, the CAD-sided preparation and renaming of the transmitted models, if necessary, and the mode of analysis and allocation of the transmitted meta information. After the import, the interested users automatically receive a notification about newly received version states. The engineer has access to the system and its data through the Collaboration Portal clients (browser or CAD integration client). Extensive research and editing features support the effective work in the team and ensure transparency and traceability of the achieved results. Procedure of a supply process on the example of import The CAD data are summarized, packed and transmitted to the SWAN Collaboration Cloud by the OEM or the sending partner from its PDM system. After the initial supply, only delta scopes are often sent daily for large vehicle models. The data receipt is confirmed and protocolled by SWAN Collaboration Cloud and can be researched by the customer in SWAN at any time. Immediately after the receipt, the data are prepared for the import to Collaboration Portal through an automatic SWaX process, Page 5

6 Maximum security Especially when outsourcing sensitive data into the cloud, the question of the security of the used solution and the protection of loss and misuse arises. All platform components are realized under the highest security standards:» Encrypted data transmissions (HTTPS, OFTP2,OFTP1 via ENX)» Encrypted storage of user data in Collaboration Portal, depending on the required security level» Selective control of data access via access control lists» Safety against manipulation through storing respective hash values on the documents» Multi-stage authentication with the possibility of connecting own authentication mechanisms, e.g. through chip card» Support of different single sign-on mechanisms Furthermore, the modular conception gives the customer the flexibility to operate single components of SWAN Collaboration Cloud (Data storage separated by meta and user data, data transformation and data exchange) in-house, i.e. on the Intranet or in an own DMZ (figure 2), according to individual security demands. Especially sensitive CAD data can be stored in low-maintenance file vaults, which have been designed specifically for the cloud support. If desired, the file vaults can also be stored on the Intranet of the customer, while respecting the own security standards. Although, in this case, only meta data are managed on the cloud platform, the user and authorization administration for the entire data pool is being reliably controlled, including CAD models and remaining documents, effectively supporting the connected development teams. Conclusion and Outlook The necessity for ever faster connecting an ever-increasing number of customers and project partners, combined with the wish for stronger protection of the own system infrastructures, calls for new approaches and solutions of collaboration, which go beyond the classic data exchange and the partly used data exchange portals for provisioning data packages. Ever-changing project teams must quickly achieve success; however, the necessary adjustments of existing processes and systems can often not be realized fast enough with the available, normally limited resources, if ever. The presented solution SWAN Collaboration Cloud provides an all-round service for regular data supply and data management for both, customer and partner data and own data, if desired Page 6

7 Figure 3: Flexibility through modularity In the course of this, preconfigured modules are available for some leading OEMs for customer specific data interpretation, which are ready to use out-of-the-box for new projects. If the customer opts for the operation in the cloud, it will reduce the effort for installation, administration and operation of the required software and hardware components to a minimum; however, the sensitive user data are stored securely in the low-maintenance file vaults, on the own Intranet, if desired. The presented solution has been implemented successfully at a service provider with connection to an automotive OEM according to figure 3 scenario 1. After a one month startup phase, which was also due to harmonizing the content of the different vehicle structures, the automatic regular data supply is in operation with several complete vehicles. Contact Dr. Anna Wasmer PDTec AG Mail: wasmer@pdtec.de Ralf Luithardt SSC-Services GmbH Mail: r.luithardt@ssc-services.de Page 7