CAD Manager's Newsletter (#417)

Why Data Management Still Matters

In a modern CAD environment, procedures for organizing and preserving your company's data sets are more important than ever.

Back in the early days of personal computers and networks, it became obvious that letting users store CAD files wherever they wanted to — with no rules or procedures — resulted in chaos. Users saved over others' work, revisions were lost, files were inadvertently deleted — you name it and it happened. As a result, it became clear that a data management strategy would be required, and very soon a plethora of computer tools became available to manage CAD files.

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Fast-forward to today, and we find ourselves in an environment where CAD files can be on computers, phones, cloud servers, tablets, etc., yet data management is left largely to chance.

In this edition of the CAD Manager's Newsletter, we'll explore some strategies that will allow you to better secure your data based on the new infrastructures we all have to support in our CAD environments. Along the way, I'll also make some recommendations for action items you can use with your IT and senior management to help them understand why data management for CAD is something the CAD manager should be involved in. Here goes.

Starting at the Beginning

No matter what type of company you work in, all CAD managers must deal with these basic truths:

Of course, the data you manage is mission-critical, and losing all that data would mean massive amounts of rework and financial loss, right? Simply put, if you don't have a data management strategy in today's digital CAD environment, your company has a serious data loss liability. As a CAD manager, it may not be in your job description to create a data management strategy, but doesn't it seem reasonable to spend some time thinking about it?

Recommendation No. 1: Make sure your company understands the risks of not having a solid data management plan for your CAD and other design files. Communicate that danger to users and management alike, so everyone is on alert. Should the worst ever happen, at least you'll be on record as having sounded the alarm.Read more »
 

Tools and Resources

Autodesk University Sessions Available Online
Selected sessions from Autodesk University 2018, being held through November 15 in Las Vegas, Nevada, are available via livestream and on-demand recordings. The sessions are free to any interested parties, whether or not they are registered attendees of Autodesk University.
 

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What's New at Cadalyst.com

AutoCAD Video Tips: Take Control of Your AutoCAD Options!
The AutoCAD Options command controls so many different important elements of AutoCAD — and it can be accessed in a variety of ways (with slightly varying results). Join AutoCAD tipster Lynn Allen as she shows you the many methods for accessing Options, as well as how to control the specific tab it opens to with the +Options command. Watch the video »

Drones Help Small Team Tackle Big Campus Digitization Project
Skand's application of Bentley Systems reality capture technology provides RMIT University with a new view of its building facades and roofs. Read more »

Backed by a New Big Brother, Bricsys Eyes a Bigger Piece of the Pie
Bricsys's pursuit of DWG-based CAD users will get a boost from an acquisition by Hexagon. Read more »