| Agile Product Lifecycle Management Getting Started Guide Release 9.3.3 E39288-03 |
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| Agile Product Lifecycle Management Getting Started Guide Release 9.3.3 E39288-03 |
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This chapter provides an overview of Agile PLM main features and documentation.
This manual is an introduction to Agile Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and its main features across the user solutions of the Agile PLM suite. Agile PLM is a comprehensive suite of enterprise business applications, and the information in this guide is both a starting point for learning Agile and also a "return-to" reference manual.
Chapters 2-6 provide information about the two primary client applications and introduce basic terms, concepts, and features that are used in Agile PLM. Chapters 7-11 cover features and functionality in Agile PLM 9.3.x.x that all users will work with sooner or later.
Every new Agile user needs to have a good grasp of the material in either Chapters 2, 4, and 5, if primarily using Web Client, or Chapters 3, 4, and 6, if primarily using Java Client. Some solutions are accessed only through Web Client. Your Agile administrator has likely set up your Agile account with a "preferred client."
Chapter 2, "Navigating in Agile Web Client" – Web Client user interface is fully described
Chapter 3, "Navigating in Agile Java Client" – Java Client user interface is fully described
Chapter 4, "Concepts and Terms in Agile PLM Solutions" – the basics in Agile PLM are surveyed
Chapter 5, "Working with Business Objects in Web Client" – creating objects, printing, sending, relationships, subscriptions
Chapter 6, "Working with Business Objects in Java Client" – creating objects, printing, sending, relationships, subscriptions
You can change many of your user settings to help you manage your Agile user experience. A complete list of the settings in your user object is found in "User Properties Defined."
The material in Chapters 7-13, within each chapter, tends to run from elementary to advanced. You will likely need to learn some things about reports, searches, workflows, and attachments in Agile early on; however, not everything in these chapters has to be—or can be—mastered at once. For example, you could learn how to work with attachments (Chapter 10) but find that you do not have to work with file folders (Chapter 11).
Chapter 7, "Working with Agile Reports" – using and customizing the many ready-to-use reports in Agile PLM
Chapter 8, "Finding Agile Data with Searches" – locating data and information in the Agile database
Chapter 9, "Routing Objects with Workflows" – routing business objects for approval and to gather other kinds of information
Chapter 10, "Working with Attachments" – Agile business objects can "carry" additional data as attachments
Chapter 11, "Working with File Folders" – more advanced capabilities with the Agile objects that hold attachment files and URLs
Chapter 12, "Working with Design Objects" – Design objects are an additional type of File Folder object, intended for use with CAD models.
Chapter 13, "Working with Thumbnails" – Thumbnails are small bitmap images or icons which represent attached files or URLs
The Agile end-user guides all assume that you have learned the basic information presented in this guide. For instance, although each PLM solution may have its own default workflows, saved searches, and predefined reports, the basic information in this manual precedes the more specific information in the various user guides.
The Agile PLM suite of solutions covers five primary areas of product lifecycle management:
Agile Product Collaboration (PC) – Management and collaboration of product record information throughout the product lifecycle, across internal organizations and the extended supply chain. Accessed through Web Client and Java Client.
Agile Product Governance & Compliance (PG&C) – Management and tracking of all substances and materials contained by any item or manufacturer part, allowing companies to meet substance restrictions and reporting requirements, design recyclable products, minimize compliance costs, and eliminate noncompliance on future products. Accessed through Web Client.
Agile Product Portfolio Management (PPM, formerly Program Execution) – Integration of program and product information, streamlining business processes across the product lifecycle and across a portfolio of programs. Accessed through Web Client.
Agile Product Quality Management (PQM, formerly Product Service & Improvement) – Integration of customer, product, quality, and regulatory information with a closed-loop corrective action system. Accessed through Web Client and Java Client.
Agile Product Cost Management (PCM) – Management of product costs across the product lifecycle and synchronization of product cost data and processes. Accessed through Web Client.
Agile Recipe & Material Workspace (RMW) – Management of biotechnological and pharmaceutical products, and also improvement of business productivity, visibility, scientific outcomes, and proactive compliance during the product development lifecycle. Accessed through Web Client.
For further information see Agile PLM Getting Started with Recipe & Material Workspace.
Agile administrators use Agile Java Client to set up and maintain settings for these solutions.
A few administrative settings can also be done in Web client.
The Agile Application Server, the foundation of the Agile suite, manages data stored in the Agile database. All Agile data is contained or organized in business objects that are set up by the administrator, and specified and used by the enterprise's Agile users. For instance, the administrator configures the Parts class of objects, and users create and deploy specific instances of the kinds of Parts made available to them. "Business objects" is a general term that implies objects created from the classes available to the enterprise, but other entities in Agile are also objects, such as workflows, searches, reports, and so forth.
The following figure shows relationships between the Agile functional components, the primary client applications used to manipulate the data (Agile Web Client and Java Client), and the Agile Application and Database Servers (the database where the data is stored).
Table 1-1 Agile PLM functional components
| Agile functional components | Client applications | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Administrative Settings |
Java Client Web Client |
Administrative settings are configured in both Java Client and Web Client. See Agile PLM Administrator Guide for details. |
|
Product Collaboration |
Web Client Java Client |
Web Client provides access to Agile PC functions. Java Client access to Agile PC is available only if the Agile administrator has assigned the appropriate roles and privileges. |
|
Product Quality Management |
Web Client Java Client |
Web Client provides access to Agile PQM functions. Java Client access to Agile PQM is available only if the Agile administrator has assigned the appropriate roles and privileges. |
|
Product Cost Management |
Web Client |
Agile PCM functions are accessed in Web Client. |
|
Product Portfolio Management |
Web Client |
Agile PPM functions are accessed in Web Client. |
|
Product Governance & Compliance |
Web Client |
Agile PG&C functions are accessed in Web Client. |
|
Recipe & Material Workplace |
Web Client |
Agile R&MW functions are accessed in Web Client. |
The user interface of Agile PLM Web Client has been updated and improved for Agile PLM 9.3.2.
Improved File Transfers - up to 16 GB file sizes are supported. In Web Client, new File Upload Selector, File Upload Manager, and web browser-based file download capabilities are introduced. The Advanced File Loader has been eliminated in Web Client. See "Getting Files in Web Client," and "Adding Attachment Files from your Local Disk or Network."
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Note: For Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), the upload file size limit is 2 GB. |
Revision-Specific Relationships: This is an optional feature. When Revision-Specific relationships are enabled, Item relationships can be specific to a selected specific revision, All revisions, or the Latest revision. See "Relationships and Dependencies Between Objects," and "What are Revision-Specific Relationships?."
For a complete list of Agile PLM 9.3.3 features and enhancements, refer to Agile Product Lifecycle Management Readme and What's New in Agile Product Lifecyle Management v.9.3.3 white paper.
The user interface of Agile PLM Web Client has been updated and improved for Agile PLM 9.3.2.
Form tabs (for example, Title Block or Cover Page) can be configured as a one-column displays or two-column displays by setting the Multicolumn Display system preference. Attribute sizes are set to Short, Medium, or Long to accommodate the two-column display.
The Navigator capability has been expanded to additional object tabs. Additionally, navigator capability has been expanded to additional object classes: Changes, PSR, QCR, Part Groups, Declarations, Specifications, and Sourcing Projects.
Descriptions in Recently Visited: The links in the Recently Visited list now display the object description in addition to the object number or name.
Descriptions in Bookmarks: Descriptions are included by default on new bookmarks.
Audit Screen Improvements: Errors and Warnings are links that, when clicked, take the user to the field, table, or object where the problem can be resolved.
The user interface of Agile PLM Web Client has been updated and improved for Agile PLM 9.3.1.
See Chapter 10, "Working with Attachments" and Chapter 12, "Working with Design Objects."
The user interface of Agile PLM Web Client has been updated and improved for Agile PLM 9.3.
See Chapter 2, "Navigating in Agile Web Client" and Chapter 5, "Working with Business Objects in Web Client."
