Workgroup Manager handles the organization of CAD workstations in local networks. It leads to synergies in medium and large planning and design offices. Workgroup Manager does not place any specific demands on the user – working at a network workstation is just as easy and simple as working at a normal standalone workstation. However, it has the following significant advantages: data can be used across the entire network and all the peripheral devices are available to all users. Access to data across the network is transparent.
Central project organization
The central administration of design and construction projects ensures that all the projects on all the computers can be accessed from every workstation. When creating a project with Workgroup Manager, you can define the computer where the project is to reside physically and which employees in the overall circle of users are to have access to the data in the project. This method ensures that the available hard disk capacity is used in an optimum manner and facilitates quick access to the data.
Office standards
Defining office standards facilitates the selection and office-wide use of parameters and provides for a uniform approach in planning and design tasks. Workgroup Manager facilitates the definition of an office standard that can be accessed directly by all the users in the network. Not only symbols, smart symbols and fonts but also standard details and more can be stored centrally in this office standard. When setting up new projects, it is also possible to deviate from these standards. This is particularly important when working together with partner offices.
Access rights and data protection
By assigning access rights to projects, Workgroup Manager lets you grant project access rights to specific users as well as the chance to change these rights later. A project can only be deleted or its project settings changed by the project owner or the system administrator. In addition to this system controlling access rights, further restrictions specifying how ”normal” users are allowed to access the office standard or office-specific settings can be configured The assignment of rights with Workgroup Manager is thus flexible and can be configured to meet requirements as they arise. Workgroup Manager ensures that the data being accessed by a user cannot be overwritten by another.
Data consistency
Workgroup Manager ensures that every project can be accessed from every computer for immediate processing. This means that the workstation best equipped for the relevant phase of a project can be used to edit the data. If requirements rise, additional computers can be integrated in the network at any time. These can also be integrated directly in the project structure and thus access the data in the entire network project pool. Workgroup Manager also facilitates concurrent editing without compromising security aspects. For example, when several users are working on the same project simultaneously, the data consistency is ensured so that the same data are available to all those involved. Duplicate data storage is avoided with Workgroup Manager. When a team is working on the same project, any number of users can be given ”read” access to symbols, drawing files and layouts. ”Write” access is exclusive. This ensures data consistency.
User profiles
With Workgroup Manager, every user has the chance to store materials and elements like working sketches, symbols and smart symbols in a specially designated ”private” area. Defaults like size of crosshairs or color settings are managed separately for each user. The assignment of data, i.e., the assignment of data to the projects or layouts that were edited last is also handled in a user-specific manner. Every user can log on at any workstation – the configuration and environment will be familiar to them regardless.
Network-wide use of resources
Using Workgroup Manager you can access peripheral devices like printers and backup drives straight from any workstation. This provides for optimum usage of peripheral devices.
Project attributes
A list of attributes like construction volume, location, specialist planners involved etc. can be assigned for every project. These attributes are included when exchanging data and when performing project backups. Separate logging of this project-specific data is thus not necessary.
Layout attributes, fileset attributes, drawing file attributes
These data can be assigned attributes for the display type (e.g., plan, section, elevation etc.) and a custom hierarchic code. Drawing files generated as the result of a section or hidden line image calculation are given a special attribute. As these data may not be modified after a layout has been approved and released, the owner or administrator can remove write permission from all project users. In addition, there are layout types for layouts (e.g., key plan, site plan etc.), a custom name and a layout index. And you can specify change notices and release notes in an index table.
Selection
While editing data with the admin tools, assembling the drawing files to be edited, selecting a layout, or assembling the layout, selection options based on the attributes described and other ”system-specific” values (e.g., owner, date of creation and so on) are available. The selection is made by using query conditions.
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