What’s New in SOLIDWORKS PDM 2026: Key Enhancements for Smarter Data Management

 

Introduction

SOLIDWORKS PDM 2026 introduces powerful enhancements that improve vault administration, security, usability, and upgrade efficiency. From workflow archiving and advanced folder navigation to stronger encryption and smarter file version upgrades, these updates help organizations manage product data more securely and efficiently across teams and locations.

NEW ENHANCEMENTS IN SOLIDWORKS PDM 2026

Archive Workflows:

Ø We can now archive workflows directly within the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration tool.

Ø This new capability allows administrators to manage and preserve obsolete or legacy workflows without deleting them from the vault database.

Ø Archiving helps maintain a streamlined environment while retaining access to workflow definitions for reference or auditing purposes.

Ø When a workflow is archived, it becomes read-only and is visually identified in the workflow list as “Archived.” Files associated with an archived workflow remain in their current state, but no further state transitions or rollbacks can be performed within that workflow.

Ø Administrators can restore an archived workflow if it needs to be reactivated for use or modification.

Ø Archiving or restoring workflows can only be performed by users with administrative permissions in the PDM vault.

Benefits:

·         Improved Vault Organization: Helps administrators maintain a clear and concise list of active workflows, reducing confusion when configuring or troubleshooting workflow states.

·               Enhanced Data Integrity: Ensures that files in archived workflows cannot be altered through transitions, protecting historical process data and maintaining traceability.

·         Optimized Administration: Simplifies long-term workflow management by allowing safe storage of outdated processes without losing configuration data.

Lower-Level Folder Access

Ø We can now navigate through the folder hierarchy more efficiently, even when folder access permissions are restricted.

Ø If we have Read file contents access to a lower-level folder, we can browse from higher-level folders down to that subfolder — even if we do not have Read file contents access on the parent folders.

Ø To enable this functionality, in the Administration tool, navigate to the Folder Permissions tab within the user or group Properties dialog, and select the option “May see folders to navigate to subfolder.”

Ø This setting allows users to view and expand the folder structure necessary to reach authorized subfolders, without exposing the contents of folders to which they do not have read access.

Ø This enhancement improves navigation and usability within large vault structures, particularly when users frequently access deeply nested project folders.

Benefits:

·         Improved Usability: Allows users to easily navigate to authorized folders without requiring read access to every parent folder in the path.

·         Streamlined Navigation: Reduces confusion and eliminates unnecessary permission changes for accessing nested folder structures.

·         Enhanced Security: Maintains data confidentiality by restricting file content visibility in folders where access is not granted.

File version upgrade tool:

The SOLIDWORKS PDM File Version Upgrade Tool includes the following new features to make our upgrade process faster and more efficient:

·         CSV File Support for Targeted Upgrades
We can now specify a CSV file under Search Files to Upgrade.
The CSV file should include two columns: Document ID and Folder ID.
This feature helps us focus on specific files to upgrade by listing them in the CSV, instead of manually clearing unwanted items later in the Search Results page.

·         New Version Selection Option:
Under Version Settings > Overwrite existing versions of files > Overwrite, we can now choose Latest version with revisions.
We can select either:

·        Latest version with revisions or

·        Version with a revision
This gives us more control over how file versions are upgraded.

With this option, we get the version that is attached to the latest revision. For example, if the following are the revisions and versions for a file, this option selects version 5 of the file to overwrite.

                                                                                              
                                                                                

Disabling Custom Triggers before Database Upgrade

The SOLIDWORKS PDM Database Upgrade process now allows us to disable custom triggers before starting the upgrade.

Custom triggers can slow down the database upgrade process, so disabling them helps make the upgrade faster and more efficient.

Named BOM and File Details in the Web2 Client

In the SOLIDWORKS PDM Web2 client, several tabs have been updated to provide better visibility and easier access to file information.

We can now:

·         View the Named BOM under BOM Types in the Bill of Materials tab for a file.

Click under either the Preview or Data Card tab to display detailed file information.

 Data Encryption Standard

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) used for data transfer between the archive server and the client has been upgraded from AES-128 to AES-256.

This enhancement strengthens data security and makes file transfers more secure.

Enhancements to the Convert Task Options

The SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration tool includes several enhancements to the Convert Task options for Parasolid, ACIS, and eDrawings  file formats.

The enhancements include:

·         Improved User Interface for eDrawings Format
The user interface for the eDrawings file format has been updated to align with the SOLIDWORKS Export System Options for better clarity and usability.
Existing options are now organized into sections, and the following new options have been added:

o    Save table features

o    Save file properties

·         Support for Higher File Format Versions

o    Parasolid: Up to version 35.1

o    ACIS: Up to version 33.0

New eDrawings Web HTML Option

A new eDrawings Web HTML (*.html) option is now available under Output file format.

The Advanced Conversion Options dialog box for this format is similar to the existing eDrawings options, with all settings unmodifiable except Enable measure.

·         Improved Control for PDF Conversion Tasks
We can now change the output path or file name in DraftSight to PDF and Office to PDF tasks using the Advanced Scripting Options.

Automatic Synchronization of Vault Views

SOLIDWORKS PDM now automatically synchronizes modified checked-out files to the archive server where the local view is connected.

This allows different users to work on the same files on different computers without immediately checking them into the PDM vault, by using Transfer Ownership.

For example:

If we check out a file and modify it on one computer, we can sign in on a second computer, transfer ownership of the file to the second computer, and continue  working on it.

·         Similarly, another user can take ownership of the file on the same or a different computer, and then view, modify, or check in the file.

To use this functionality, we need the following folder and state permissions:

·         Can transfer ownership of files checked out by current user

       ·         Can transfer ownership of files checked out by other users 

Conclusion

With SOLIDWORKS PDM 2026, data management becomes more organized, secure, and flexible. Features like workflow archiving, lower-level folder access, AES-256 encryption, enhanced conversion tasks, and automatic vault synchronization significantly reduce administrative complexity while improving collaboration and data integrity. These enhancements make PDM 2026 a robust solution for engineering teams seeking scalable, secure, and efficient product data management.

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