CDD to PLM transition
Before end of 2024, the PLM will completely replace CDD and will become the official platform for verifying all Design data.
Depending on the state of your CAD data:
Control process already started, but not finished in CDD
You need to ensure that signatures are completed for any CDD drawings you want to validate. If this is not done, signatures applied in CDD will be lost.
If you want to validate the design afterwards, the verification workflow will need to be restarted, and signatures re-applied in the PLM via the Design Verification Workflow. This can be done after either manually launching the 'Ready for Check in PLM' feature in SmarTeam or after moving your data onto the PLM upon request to PLM Support.
The standard 'Ready for Check' will no longer be available in SmarTeam.
The up-to-date list of drawings that are undergoing a Control Process in CDD is available at this link.
After verification in PLM, any subsequent changes to the design data will still be performed in SmarTeam, except for the data that has already been moved onto the PLM.
Verification process has yet to start in SmarTeam
The standard 'Ready for Check' will no longer be available and you will only be able to use the 'Ready for Check in PLM' feature to initiate a Design Verification Workflow in the PLM to verify your design.
Please find more information at:
Verification process already started in the PLM
You are already on the new system. You are not affected by the phase-out of CDD.
After verification in PLM, any subsequent changes to the design data will still be performed in SmarTeam, except for the data that has already been moved onto the PLM.
To get started with the PLM, please check out our e-learning modules:
- Search & Navigation in the CERN PLM
- Workflow & Votes in the CERN PLM
- Design Verification Workflow preparation in the CERN PLM
The complete training catalogue is available at this link.
Also see the CDD to PLM informative session presentation and recording here.
Do not hesitate to contact us at plm.support@cern.ch in case of questions / doubts.
Below is a group of How-to's that are related to the topic of 'Ready for Check in PLM' in the SmarTeam to PLM transition category. Click on their links to find more information on these topics.
- What is the "Ready For Check in PLM" SmarTeam command ?
- How to get access to the "Ready For Check in PLM" SmarTeam command?
- What requirement must be met to use Ready For Check in PLM?
- How to launch a Ready For Check in PLM on a SmarTeam Document?
- How does the state of CAD Documents migrated via Ready For Check in PLM change after performing a Design Verification Workflow ?
- How to deal with objects in "Ready for Check (RFC)" or "Checked" state when running a "RFC in PLM"?
- How to reset/abandon a Ready For Check in PLM?
- How does the concept of “Responsibility” relate to the Ready for Check-in PLM SmarTeam feature?
- How to find drawings I am responsible for and that are in Checked lifecycle state?
Below is a group of How-to's that are related to the topic of 'Creating Workflows' in the CDD to PLM transition category. Click on their links to find more information on these topics.
General:
- What are the prerequisites for creating a Design Verification Workflow?
- How to create and launch the Design Verification Workflow?
- How to define the set of data that needs to be approved by the Design Verification Workflow?
- How can I run the Design Verification workflow Preconditions Report ?
- How to define the assignees of the Design Verification workflow control activities ?
- How to define the list of Additional Reviewers on a given Part ?
- How to define the Approval Group responsible for the old CDD Control 3 / Approval Process ?
- What are the Control Rules allowed for validating data with the Design Verification workflow ?
- How can I discard / abandon an active Design Verification Workflow ?
- How to reassign the Design Verification Workflow activities?
Drawing Workflows:
- How to validate a Drawing in the PLM Platform ?
- How to replace a Drawing with another one ?
- What are the prerequisites to perform an Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow ?
- How to create and launch the Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow ?
RFC in PLM:
- How to get access to the "Ready For Check in PLM" SmarTeam command?
- What requirement must be met to use Ready For Check in PLM?
- How to launch a Ready For Check in PLM on a SmarTeam Document?
- How does the state of CAD Documents migrated via Ready For Check in PLM change after performing a Design Verification Workflow ?
- How to deal with objects in "Ready for Check (RFC)" or "Checked" state when running a "RFC in PLM"?
- How to reset/abandon a Ready For Check in PLM?
- How does the concept of “Responsibility” relate to the Ready for Check-in PLM SmarTeam feature?
Below is a group of How-to's that are related to the topic of 'Reviewing Workflows' in the CDD to PLM transition category. Click on their links to find more information on these topics.
- How can I control the Design Verification workflow activities I am responsible for ?
- How to perform the CDD Control 1 in the PLM?
- How to perform the CDD Control 2 in the PLM?
- How can I be informed I have been assigned to a Design Verification Workflow activity ?
- How to retrieve the list of all workflows activities that I have been assigned to ?
- How to delegate a Design Verification Workflow activity ?
- How does the state of CAD Documents migrated via Ready For Check in PLM change after performing a Design Verification Workflow ?
Below is a group of How-to's that are related to the topic of 'Terminology and Basics' in the CDD to PLM transition category. Click on their links to find more information on these topics.
- How to access the PLM training?
- What is the concept of the Design Verification Workflow?
- What is the "Ready For Check in PLM" SmarTeam command ?
- What is the concept of the Assign Drawing(s) Label workflow?
- How does the concept of “Responsibility” relate to the Ready for Check-in PLM SmarTeam feature?
- What are the Control Rules allowed for validating data with the Design Verification workflow ?
- What is the difference between the regular Titleblock stamp and the Mini stamp?
- How is the position of the mini stamp defined?
Below are the remaining How-to's that are not present in other subgroups in the CDD to PLM transition category. Click on their links to find more information on these topics.
Before working in the PLM please follow the available training material depending on your usage and requirements. The trainings can be found here.
Here is how to proceed to easily retrieve all drawings you are responsible for and that are pending for the CDD second control signature (whose lifecycle state is currently “Checked”):
- Run a SmarTeam Query by clicking on the command “Find by attributes”:
- Then fill the following properties in the SmarTeam query menu:
- Select the document type to be queried -> CATIA Drawing
- Specify that the document must have a CERN Drawing Reference by stipulating that the value of the “CDD Number” field must not be empty -> To do so, enter > in this field.
- Select the Life Cycle state -> “Checked”
- Specify the name of the responsible for the documents to be retrieved -> Click on the button located at the right of the “Responsible” field and browse for your name.
- (Optional step) If needed you can select additional properties to be displayed in the result grid by clicking on the “Attributes…” button.
- Click on the “Run” button to proceed with the query.
- All drawings with a CDD Reference, under your responsibility and currently in “Checked” lifecycle state will be listed in the result grid:
- You can then contact the project leaders that have the appropriate rights to proceed with the signature control 2 on these drawings.
Regular Titleblock stamp:
Case 1: you are working at CERN with an official CAD tool and a PLM Connector (ex: BricsCAD, CATIA etc…).
Thus, you must generate an official CERN Titleblock on your Drawing prior to validating it. Then when a Design Verification Workflow is launched and the Drawing is Approved, this Titleblock will be stamped:
- The banner “Draft for discussion, not valid for execution” will be removed,
- The name of the person(s) who approved the drawing will be added, as well as the date of approval.
- The label defined in the Workflow (ex: For Execution, or For Tender…) will replace the default “Not Valid For Execution”.
Regular CERN Titleblock before validation.
Regular CERN Titleblock after validation.
Mini Stamp:
Case 2: you are not using a PLM Connector, does not matter if you are working at CERN or outside CERN, and you are uploading a native file only.
Examples:
- you are working at CERN with a CAD tool for which there is no connector, therefore no Titleblock Editor, but the format is supported by the PLM,
- you are working at CERN with a CAD tool for which there is a connector, but you chose to not use it,
- you are working in a sub-contractor design office with AutoCAD or BricsCAD, not on the CERN site, thus you do not have access to the CERN connectors, but you have access to the CERN PLM via the web interface,
- you are working at CERN and you receive some drawings as PDF or as DWG from another institute, a contractor etc… that you must upload in the PLM as native file,
For all these cases, it is not possible to have a CERN Titleblock on these drawings, first either because the Titleblock Editor is not available, or because there might be already a Titleblock from another company.
As a result, the regular stamping described in case 1 cannot be done.
Instead, the system will put in place a mini-stamp, which position is customizable, and that will contain the most relevant information (name of the persons who controlled the drawing, date, Label, Reference…).
Mini stamp.
Case 3: you manually upload a viewable file in addition of the native file.
In such a case, does not matter if the native file is connector managed or not, or what the native file type is, the viewable file will always be used for the stamping, with the mini stamp.
Example:
- you are working at CERN with AutoCAD or BricsCAD, and you are working with a multi-sheet drawing.
This feature is not supported by the CERN Multicad connector. But you can save the Native file (*.dwg) via the CERN connector and upload the multi-sheet drawing as a viewable file previously exported as a pdf.
Note: This is not possible for CATIA Drawings.
Native File and Viewable File properties on a CAD Document Profile Card.
- You are working with an authoring tool not supported by the PLM, you upload the native files in a zip file, then, you can upload a pdf as a viewable file.
Said otherwise, as soon as a viewable file is manually uploaded, this viewable file will be used for the stamping, and in that case, a mini stamp will be applied.
In the case that the Drawing was CERN Connector managed, and even if there is a CERN Titleblock generated with the CERN Titleblock editor, this Titleblock will not be used for the stamping, and the mini stamp only will be filled after the validation.
In such a case, it is normal that the banner “Draft for discussion, not valid for execution” remains visible on the bottom right corner.
The position of the mini stamp is defined via the “Design Office” property, that sets a specific position for the mini stamp for each drawing format (A0, A1…).
As a result, this property becomes mandatory and must be filled for any Drawing that is not Connector managed or for which there is a viewable file uploaded.
To see the position that will be applied, from the CAD Document profile go to the Detailed information tab and locate the Design Office property in the Titleblock info & 2D information block.
Click on the link to open the Design Office Profile Card, then check the positions in the relationship grid at the bottom.
The origins are the bottom left corner of the drawing and the bottom left corner of the mini stamp. The units are millimetres.
For instance, in the picture below, we can see that the position of the bottom left corner of the mini stamp for a A4 drawing that is using the EN-EL Design Office property, will be at 30mm of the left edge of the sheet, and at 252mm of the bottom edge.
To reset/abandon a "Ready For Check in PLM" command, you need to:
Access the object in your CS Dashboard select More Life Cycle "Reset (abandon) Ready For Check in PLM".
As a consequence:
- the selected CAD Document will be reset to the "Preliminary" state in SmarTeam, and can be edited again.
- The corresponding CAD Document in the PLM will transition to "In Preparation" and baselined (frozen).
The transition from "Ready For Check" or "Checked" to "Ready For Check in PLM" is not allowed.
When executing the "Ready For Check in PLM" command on CAD documents that are either in the "RFC" or "Checked" state, or contain dependencies in those states, the report will display:
"Current workflow state (Ready for Check/Checked) is not valid for this workflow transition"
To proceed, you need to:
- Either reject them: you can then check them out and in again to create a new minor version.
- Or wait for the second control to be performed, so that the CAD Documents transition to "Released".
It is not possible to validate a single CAD Document in the PLM platform.
The Design Verification Workflow acts on the Part and collects all the CAD Documents and Documents attached to the Part, plus its BOM.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
In case the Design Verification Workflow is successfully completed, the state of the objects collected by the Workflow evolves to:
- Approved in the PLM and EDMS.
- Released in SmarTeam.
The signatures performed in the PLM will be available in CDD as well.
In case one control activity is rejected, the state of the objects collected by the Workflow transitions back to:
- In Preparation in the PLM and EDMS
- Preliminary in SmarTeam
The CAD Documents can be worked on again in SmarTeam and the Ready For Check in PLM command can be re-launched on their new version.
The "Replace By" command can be accessed directly from the profile cards of the following object types:
- Parts
- CAD Documents
- Documents
The command is accessible from the "More" menu 
.
Please note that the name of this command adapts according to the object from which this command is accessed from. Below shows the "Replace CAD" functionality, available from the CAD Document profile card:
This action opens a popup window from which you will be able to search for the object that replaces the "original" one:
As a result:
- The lifecycle state of the "original" object transitions to "Replaced".
- The Profile Card of the "original" object displays information about the object that replaces it, including a direct link to this replacement Profile Card.
For more information, and explanation of the propagation of this tool, please see the following documentation.
There are few basic pre-requirements that must be fulfilled for being able to perform an Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow.
CAD Documents set as Root Objects must:
- Be of type "Drawing".
- Be in "Approved" or "Released" lifecycle state.
- Have a Design Code assigned through the parent Part.
Additionally, the initiator of the workflow must hold the "Equipment Owner" role in all the Design Codes set on the Root Objects.
Complete documentation: Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow FAQ
The Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow can be created from CAD Documents of type Drawing:
Once the Change Item profile card appears, fill in its Description and choose the Drawing Label you need to apply:
You can change the Label of multiple Drawings with the same Change Item.
To do that, you simply need to add the Drawings by accessing the "Root Objects" tab from Workflow profile card, and selecting the highlighted icon:
You can then launch the Workflow by using the following icon from its Profile Card header:
Complete documentation: Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow FAQ
The Assign Drawing(s) Label workflow is used to change the Label of one or multiple Drawings. This workflow only operates on CAD Documents of type “Drawing”.
As soon as the workflow is launched, this triggers the archiving of the Drawing, taking into account the up-to-date Label, and the generation of the viewable file.
Complete documentation: Assign Drawing(s) Label Workflow FAQ
The "Ready for check in PLM" command is available to all SmarTeam users with lifecycle modification rights. if you require access to this please get in touch with the Support Team at: plm.support@cern.ch
The aim of Ready For Check in PLM is to validate SmarTeam data via the PLM, instead of CDD.
This command needs to be executed in SmarTeam and triggers the migration of the collected data to the PLM.
The Design Verification Workflow replaces the CDD control process and it is composed by:
- Design Documentation Check: replaces the CDD Control 1
- Part Design Approval: replaces the CDD Control 2
- Review by Approval Group: replaces the CDD Control 3 / Approval Process (mandatory for QAC A Control Rule, optional otherwise)
Complete documentation:
The user must be responsible for the documents in SmarTeam and the status of the documents in SmarTeam must be Checked In or Preliminary, with the last version.
Each document must be linked to a single Item in SmarTeam and incorporate the latest changes made to all its related documents.
The drawings must have a title block created with the current TitleBlock Editor tool and a CDD number.
All documents related to the document concerned must already be in one of the following states: In Work, Preliminary or Released.
Complete documentation: Ready for Check in PLM FAQ
To launch the Ready for Check in PLM command in SmarTeam, you have to be set as "Responsible" on all the CAD Documents (Master and non-Master) attached to the Item.
Moreover, you must also take “Responsibility” for the CAD Documents attached to the Items that compose the BOM.
In other words, you must be “Responsible” of all the CAD Documents collected by the Ready for Check in PLM command (dependencies that are not already "Ready for Check in PLM" or "Released".)
Complete documentation: Ready for Check in PLM FAQ
The Preconditions Report can be run by using the 
button from the Workflow Profile Card.
All preconditions have to be “PASSED” for being able to launch the Workflow.
In case a precondition check is “FAILED”, you will receive a specific error message for this precondition so that you can easily fix the problem.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
The Design Verification workflow activates the “Control Activities” on the basis of the Control Rule defined on the Design Code set on the Root Objects and on the Parts composing their BOM (as well as on the attached Documents).
The allowed Control Rules are:
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
Users holding the Contributor role on the Design Code set on the Root Objects of the Workflow can discard / abandon it when the workflow is still in "Active" state.
This implies that there is at least one control activity that must still be completed.
You can abandon the workflow by using the 
button → Discard Change Item
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
You can delegate the Design Verification Workflow activity you have been assign to, to another user holding the role required for its completion (Design Reviewer or Equipment Owner).
To do that, you need to access the "Workflow Activity Completion form" --> Select the "VOTE" button --> Delegate --> choose the new assignee
Then select the "COMPLETE" button to confirm.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
Once you access the Profile Card of the Workflow, either using the hyperlink from the notification e-mail, or with My InBasket or via the notification icon on the Dasboard, click on the "VOTE NOW" button (1) available in the "Signs Off" tab, then on "VOTE", and select "Approve" or "Reject" (2).
If you decide to reject, it is mandatory to add a comment.
Then confirm with the "COMPLETE" button (3).
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
As soon as the workflow is launched, the workflow assignees receive a notification email that contains:
• The reference of the workflow
• The name of the workflow activity the user is asked to vote on
• The direct link to the workflow Profile Card
• The link to the PLM “My InBasket” feature to access the list of all workflow tasks you are responsible for
The My InBasket feature is used to access the list of workflow tasks you are responsible for.
You can access this functionality from the Table of Content → Workflows → My InBasket
You can then access a each workflow Profile Card by clicking on the related hyperlink, in the "Work Item" column
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
You can define the additional reviewers in the "Additional Reviewers" tab of the Part:
Once the Part is collected by a Design Verification workflow, this will automatically assign them a control activity that must be validated to complete the workflow successfully.
Be careful!! In case you add a group as additional reviewer, an additional control activity will be assigned to each member of this group and the workflow will only be completed once every single user will have validated the control activity they have been assigned to.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow
In case the Control Rule defined on the Design Code set on the Root Object is “QAC A”, the “Review by Approval Group” workflow activity is mandatory, and the system automatically suggests you the Approval Group to use. However, you can decide to assign this workflow activity to another Approval Group defined in the PLM.
For selecting/changing the Approval Group, you need to access the “Approval Group” tab from the Design Verification workflow profile card and select the following icon: 
that appears after you have clicked in the field:
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
The workflow initiator has to select the people in charge of the “Design Documentation Check” and “Part Design Approval” activities from the “Reviewers” tab, available from the Design Verification workflow profile card.
Design Documentation Check: to be assigned to users holding the “Design Reviewer” role.
Part Design Approval: to be assigned to users holding the “Equipment Owner” role.
For assigning the activity to a Reviewer you need to select the icon that appears after you have clicked in the field:
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
Root Objects represent the set of data you want to approve.
In case you created the Design Verification workflow from the Part profile card, this Part is automatically added as Root Object of the workflow.
It is possible to add multiple Root Objects to the workflow, so that you can approve different Parts with the same Change Item.
To do that, you simply need to access the "Root Objects" tab from the Design Verification workflow profile card, and select the following icon:
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
The CDD Control 2 corresponds to the Part Design Approval activity in the new PLM platform.
The assignee of this control activity receives a notification email containing the direct link to the workflow object.
Steps:
- Select the link contained in the email to access the workflow object
- Check the objects affected by the workflow in the Impact Tree
- Click on the Vote Now button to sign off the Control activity through the Activity Completion Form
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
The CDD Control 1 corresponds to the Design Documentation Check activity in the new PLM platform.
The assignee of this control activity receives a notification email containing the direct link to the workflow object.
Steps:
- Select the link contained in the email to access the workflow object
- Check the objects affected by the workflow in the Impact Tree
- Click on the Vote Now button to sign off the Control activity through the Activity Completion Form
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
- Open the CS Dashboard.
- Click on "More..." from the document you want to set, then on "Life Cycle" and "Set to Ready For Check in PLM". This command can be executed on any of the CAD Documents linked to the Item, and as a result, all the CAD Documents attached to the Item will transition to RFC in PLM (this differs from the regular RFC). Please contact the support if this command is not available for you.
If you want to know more about the criteria, please see the How To below:
What requirement must be met to use Ready For Check in PLM?
Complete documentation: Ready for Check in PLM FAQ
To download CAD files from Parts, Parts attached to Folders, Design Collections or Change Items at once, you need to:
- Access the Profile Card of the object you need to extract the files from
- Select the "Extract files" icon from the Profile Card header
- Choose the BOM Level and what type of CAD files you need
- Select the "Create .zip" button
When executing the "Extract Files" functionality, the selection of the Level applies on the Parts directly linked to the Folder or to the Change Item, or to the Part itself.
The action is now available from the Parts grid in the "More" menu.
This procedure allows the creation and download of a .zip file to your local machine, containing only converted and archived files. CAD native files remain in the PLM.
To print multiple Drawings from your local folder, please read this article.
To print multiple Drawings at once from your local folder in DFS, you need to:
1. Access data in your DFS folder and select all the Drawings you need to print
2. Right-Click and select the option "Open in PDF-XChange Editor"
3. Once PDF-XChange Editor is open, select "File" --> "Print All"
4. Before launching the plotting, make sure that:
- The plotter accepts the format of the Drawings you need to print out
- The highlighted properties are ticked/selected
There are few basic pre-requirements that must be fulfilled for being able to create a Design Verification Workflow:
- The Part must be in "In Preparation" lifecycle state.
- A Design Code must be assigned to the Part.
- The creator of the Workflow must hold the Contributor role in the Design Code set on the Part
You can create and launch a Design Verification by following the information contained in this article.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
Once the workflow is launched, the creator of the workflow can, in case of need, reassign the workflow activities (that are not yet completed) to another user. This one must have the role required by the activity (Design Reviewer or Equipment Owner) on all the Design Codes set on the objects collected by the workflow.
For reassigning a given workflow activity you need to access the Reviewers tab of the Change Item ➞ Right-click on the activity ➞ Reassign.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
You can create the Design Verification Workflow from the Part by clicking on the icon of the Workflow and then select Design Verification in the drop-down menu. Any already existing Design Verification workflows of the Part that are "In Preparation" will be proposed. Alternatively a new one can be created.
Once the Change Item profile card appears, select the Behaviour of the Workflow, fill in its Description and choose the Drawing Label.
Choose the Reviewer(s) who will perform the control(s), click on Done.
Launch the Precondition tests:
Then launch the Workflow:
The reviewers will receive a notification e-mail to invite them to perform the control.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ
The Design Verification workflow is used to approve the Design data. Since we are working in Part Centric mode, this workflow allows to approve the Part and all its content. In other words, it will not be possible to approve a single Drawing by using this workflow.
If you want to know more details about designing the Workflow, please follow the document below.
Complete documentation: Design Verification Workflow FAQ