Automating wind chill data validation: ensuring migrations are verified securely, documented and reproducible

Wind chill data validation: Why manual checks do not scale

Reliably validating wind chill migrations – without the need for manual checks

SF VALIDATE checks CAD data, metadata and drawings fully automatically and provides a comprehensive Excel report with a geometric comparison. This completely eliminates the need for time-consuming manual checks by design engineers.

Migrating from Pro/INTRALINK 3.x to Windchill is a business-critical step. Such a project typically involves several test migrations and one production migration – each phase requires full verification that CAD data, metadata and drawings have been transferred correctly.

Up to now, this has meant that design engineers have had to manually load drawings into Creo, compare metadata interactively and document discrepancies by hand. This process is time-consuming, resource-intensive and, when multiple migration runs are required, hardly scalable.

Automation

Metadata, geometry and bills of materials are checked fully automatically – without the need for manual checks by a design engineer.

Reproducibility

Each migration stage produces results with an identical structure that are comparable – and can be verified at any time.

Transparency

Deviations are highlighted in colour in the Excel report and documented with the geometric delta as a percentage.

Time saved

The manual checking work carried out by design engineers is eliminated entirely and replaced by automated reports.

Wind chill data validation using SF VALIDATE

Drawings as the key validation object

SF VALIDATE uses drawings as validation objects, as these reference all relevant object types: parts, assemblies, configurations and metadata. For each drawing checked, VALIDATE automatically compares the metadata of all referenced objects and performs a geometric image comparison between the source and target systems.

For assembly drawings, the bill of materials and configuration are also checked. Any discrepancies are highlighted in colour in the report; in the case of geometric differences, a PDF is automatically generated showing the deviating elements with redlining.

What SF VALIDATE checks automatically

SF VALIDATE covers all relevant test categories for a Windchill migration:

Metadata for all objects referenced in the drawing
Geometric image comparison between the source and target systems
Bill of materials and configuration for assembly drawings
Percentage deviation for geometric differences
Timing log for comparing system performance

All results – detailed reports, drawings, PDF redlining – are linked in the summary report and can be viewed directly. The report is therefore the key document for migration verification.

Easy set-up and configuration

SF universalWORKER is based on the Windchill Java API and therefore integrates deeply into the existing PLM infrastructure. The server and queue run as Java processes with low system requirements. The architecture ensures that Windchill performance is not affected by resource-intensive processing tasks.

Supported Windchill versions

SF VALIDATE is available for the latest versions of Windchill supported by PTC. Compatibility is checked with each new version.

Windchill Content Processing with universalWORKER

Analysis

We assess your migration environment and define the validation objects and configuration.

Validation

SF VALIDATE automatically checks all drawings, metadata and geometries and generates the report.

Analysis

We support the roll-out, testing and ongoing operations right through to stable production deployment.

Enquiry & advice

Describe your migration project – our experts will show you how SF VALIDATE can automate your data validation.

General enquiries about SF VALIDATE

What is SF VALIDATE and what is it used for?

SF VALIDATE is a tool for automatic data validation during Pro/INTRALINK-to-Windchill migrations and Creo updates. It checks metadata, geometry and bills of materials fully automatically and documents the results in an Excel report featuring a geometric drawing comparison.

How does wind chill data validation work with SF VALIDATE?

Once installed, the objects to be checked are defined by revision and version. VALIDATE then automatically compares metadata, geometry and bills of materials between the source and target systems and generates a comprehensive results report.

Which objects are checked during the Windchill migration validation?

SF VALIDATE uses drawings as validation objects. It checks the metadata of all referenced objects, the geometry via image comparison, and the bill of materials and configuration for assembly drawings.

How are discrepancies between the source and target systems documented?

Deviations are highlighted in colour in the Excel report. In the case of geometric differences, a PDF of the relevant drawing is generated with redlining, and a percentage deviation value is specified.

How often does validation need to be carried out during a migration?

SF VALIDATE is designed to be run multiple times – after each test migration and after the production migration. As all runs are reproducible, the results can be directly compared with one another.

Can SF VALIDATE also validate Creo and Windchill updates?

Yes – SF VALIDATE not only supports Pro/INTRALINK migrations, but also validation following Windchill and Creo updates. This ensures that no data has been altered following an update.

Which versions of Windchill are supported?

SF VALIDATE is available for the latest versions of Windchill supported by PTC. Compatibility is checked with each new version.

How time-consuming is it to set up SF VALIDATE?

It requires very little effort: once installed, all you need to do is define the validation objects and carry out the configuration. SF experts will assist with the set-up and the first validation run.