Designing with Modules
ENOVIA Synchronicity DesignSync Data Manager enables design teams to manage data at both the detailed file/ directory level, and at a “modular” level of abstraction. It is the ability to efficiently manage design data at both of these levels of abstraction which differentiates ENOVIA Synchronicity DesignSync Data Manager from other DDM systems. Design data contributed by individual teams can be seamlessly integrated into higher level designs.
At the heart of the architecture is the “module.” A module represents a single coherent and consistent collection of files and folders. While the revision history of individual files is maintained at the file level, a revision history of the context, or structure, in which the files exist is maintained at the “module” level. A module version is stored in a “manifest” which represents a “bill of materials.” The manifest for a module version stores a list of individual file versions along with the associated directory structure, and, if hierarchy is included, references to sub-modules. The revision history of a module records a complete genealogy, making it possible to resurrect the design as it existed at any previous point in time. Storage of module versions in a manifest also eliminates the need to tag individual files in order to manage and maintain consistent data configurations.
