Partable Release Notes v1.7

Release Notes – 10/13/2023

Introduction

These are the latest release notes for CDS Partable. 

Overview

This is version 1.7, the first generally available version of Partable that enable customer self-administartion for branding the Parts Locator User Interface and creating the Asset Database. This has new capabilities and bug fixes as noted below.

What's New 

• Workspaces to manage the lifecycle of the Asset Database

A Partable Workspace is a container where you create an instance of the Asset Database and configure the Parts Locator User Interface.

• • The Workspace maintains the Parts Locator configuration through a wizard to define available views, the branding and the Ecommerce integration.
  • The Asset Database is created through the uploading of ERP data and CAD data files. File versions are maintained to trace the history of a file.
  • A Workspaces can be cloned to create copies of the Asset Database to provide for different full enviornments to perform development, user acceptance and production.
  • Each Workspace can be connected to a different Ecommerce system.

• Branding the Parts Locator User Interface

Using a the Workspace configuration wizard, define the Visual Navigation views available, card, list, 2D and/or 3D views. Edit and upload the Partable Parts Locator stylesheet to add your own branding to the user experience.

• Using Workflow steps to create the Asset Database

The Partable Administrator User Interface provides Workflow to manage the step-by-step process to walk you through uploading the required ERP data, preparing the CAD assets, validating the uploaded data, publishing the data to the Asset Database, using Partable tools to test what the end user will experience through the Parts Locator Interface and finally integration to the Ecommerce system.

The Workflow steps are dynamically created based on the Workspace configuration to present only the steps required to complete the creation of adminstrator's configuration based Asset Database. The steps and sub-steps become a form on on-line documentation allowing the Partable Adminstrator to stay within the tool. Within a step, there are sub-steps which provide a description of the specific action to be completed, downloadable reference doucmentation or templates and a link to the tool to perform the action.

Action sub-steps change color to show completion when the adminstrator follows the link to the tool and executes the action.

Because sub-steps may be executed multiple times before the user is satisfied with the results, the user manually marks the step complete which moves the workflow to the next step.

• ERP Data Preparation

Partable expects ERP data to be uploaded through the Partable Administrator interface using Partable defined templates. The Partable Administrator works with the ERP system adminstrator to export data from the ERP system into Partable template formated templates. 

Upon upload Partable validates the format of the files uploaded to make sure they adhere to the defined templates. Uploaded files are versioned and have a state, checked-in or published to the Asset Database.

During the ERP Data Preparation workflow step, the Partable Administrator runs the Validate action sub-step to detect and inter-file data value mis-matches. A log can be downloaded to aide in correcting any validation errors or warnings.

After the Validation sub-step, the Publish sub-step is run to load the ERP data into the Asset Database.

• CAD Data Preparation

The ability to use CAD to aide the user to locate a spare part is the key customer benefit to adding on Partable to an Ecommerce system. The CAD data allows the user to visually explore views of their finished good to locate and add to the Ecommerce cart a spare part. Partable provides tools for both the preparation of 2D exploded view hotspot drawings and 3D model files.

For the 2D Parts Locator view, Partable provides an SVG Editor tool to create the hotspot drawings from the exploded view drawing image files. Additionally, Partable provides a tool to extract the exploded view drawing images from pdf parts manuals.

For the 3D Parts Locator view, Partable provides a tool perform mapping of the spare parts found in the sales BOM to parts in the 3D model file to enable the Parts Locator user to explode assemblies and hover to find the spare part number. Additionally, where the automated mapping is not successful for all parts, the 3D Mapping Editor tool enables the Partable Adminstrator to manually create mappings.

• Testing the Asset Database

The Partable BOM Viewer tool enables the Partable Administrator to use the Parts Locator User Interface to perform the same actions that the end user will perform to verify the integrity of the Asset Database. This includes:

• • serial number query
  • selecting an available view
  • visual exploration
  • part name or number filtering
  • selecting a part and display the Product Details Popup used to add the part to the Ecommerce cart

• Integration to the Ecommerce system

The Partable Administrator uses the Workspace configuration wizard enter the Ecommerce integration configuration parameter values, e.g, url, credentials and other required data. The Ecommerce integration enables Partable to both retrieve information about a part, e.g, price, availability, lead times, etc. and add a part to the Ecommerce cart.

Bug Fixes 

•  

Known Issues

• Using the Parts Locator User Interface in 3D view, the hover and highlight in 3D does not work if a finished good has more than one of a part that is in the sales BOM or has multiple assemblies that contain common parts.

Enhancements

• Self-administration and Parts Locator branding.

Coming Soon

• Reduced time for validation and publishing of the Asset Database.

• Background task progress reporting to improve insight into completion of long running tasks.