For manufacturing companies that have been operating for many years, historical data migration is a major obstacle to PLM implementation. A large amount of existing drawings are often disorganized in format and version, with non-standard BOM data and many duplicate materials. If not handled properly, this will not only significantly increase the workload of implementation but also lead to a weak data foundation for the new system, resulting in numerous potential problems for future use.
Based on extensive project experience from Huazhao Software, a complete and smooth PLM historical data migration typically involves four core steps:
1. Data inventory and cleaning/duplicate removal
First, a comprehensive inventory of all existing drawings, BOM lists, and process documents of the enterprise is conducted to sort out the data formats, version status, and existing problems. Then, through a combination of tools and manual work, duplicate materials are cleaned up, erroneous data is corrected, and invalid documents are removed to solve the problem of "dirty, messy, and poor" historical data.
2. Standardization and Formatting Specifications
By combining enterprise business needs with PLM system rules, a unified data standard is established, including drawing naming conventions, material coding rules, BOM hierarchy standards, and document classification system. At the same time, CAD drawings of different formats and versions (compatible with mainstream software such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, CATIA, Creo, ZW3D, and GstarCAD) are standardized and adapted to the system's data entry requirements.
3. Batch import and associated validation
Through system interfaces and batch tools, the cleaned and organized drawings, BOMs, and process documents are imported into the PLM system in batches. At the same time, the association between parts and drawings and the BOM hierarchy structure are reconstructed. After the import is completed, a full verification is performed to ensure that the data is accurate, the association is correct, and it can be called normally.
4. Closing the historical data loop
After the data migration is completed, permission configuration, historical version marking, and query rule settings are completed simultaneously to ensure that employees can quickly retrieve and access historical data, achieving a smooth transition between the old and new work modes without the need for manual re-entry.
Data governance and historical migration are core features of Huazhao Software's services, which have helped many established manufacturing companies in the Yangtze River Delta region to smoothly transition their PLM system data, significantly reducing the time and manpower costs of their digital transformation.