This article will guide you through the process of creating a sandbox vault from a production vault, enabling testing, development, and troubleshooting.
Any changes or troubleshooting should be done in a SOLIDWORKS PDM Sandbox Vault. Testing any modifications in a Sandbox vault can help you avoid issues with your production vault. I strongly recommend testing any modifications or troubleshooting steps in your Sandbox vault before implementing them in your production vault.
Creating a Sandbox Vault “shell” via the “Create new vault…” wizard
Setting up a Sandbox vault is a straightforward process. To build the Empty Sandbox Vault, right-click on the server in SolidWorks PDM Administration and select Create new vault…
This will start the “Create New Vault” wizard. Once the initial dialog shows, please follow these steps.
Step 1
Click “Next >”
Step 2
Select either a Professional or Standard vault. You must select the option that matches the vault you are trying to create a sandbox for. Then click “Next >”.
Step 3
Enter a name & description for your Sandbox vault. Then click “Next >”.
Step 4
Select the Archive folder where the new file vault will be created. Then click “Next >”.
Step 5
Type in or select the correct database server from the pull-down menu. The database name can be changed at this point; however, the name provided will typically be the best option. Then click “Next >”.
Step 6
You will now be prompted to provide a license server for this vault using the “Add…” button. If you already have one set up, it will pre-populate with that server information. Then click “Next >”.
Step 7
Select the Language and date format that match the vault for which you are creating the sandbox. Then click “Next >”.
Step 8
Enter a new admin password just for this vault or select the checkbox (recommended) next to “Use the default ‘admin’ password for this archive server”. Then click “Next >”.
Step 9
For the vault configuration, select the “Empty” predefined configuration. This will provide a “shell” that will be populated with the settings from the production vault. Then click “Next >”.
Step 10
The next dialog will display a summary of the vault to be created, allowing you to review it. If everything appears as expected, click “Finish”.
Step 11
Once the vault is created, you will see a final confirmation dialog. Then click “Close”.
Export the Production Vault Configuration
After the Sandbox vault has been created, an export file must be created from the nodes in the production vault. Right-click on the production vault and choose "Export" in the administration tool.
Save the Export as a .CEX file.
Name the vault appropriately, then click “Save”.
Create a Vault View of the Sandbox Vault
To import files used in the Production Vault settings (Templates, JPEGs on datacards, etc.), we need to create a Vault View before importing the CEX that we just created into our Sandbox. You may need to manually clean out a few settings or items if you don't do this, because it won't copy these files over correctly. Once the vault view has been created, log in, select the Sandbox vault view, and then exit and reopen the administration tool.
Importing the Production Vault Settings into the Sandbox Vault
Once the local view is created and logged back into the sandbox vault via the administration tool. Right-click on the newly created Sandbox Vault in the administration tool and select “Import…”. You will be prompted to select the .CEX file.
Select the .CEX file created previously and click “Open”.
A dialog prompting to replace the “Admin” object may show, click on “Yes to All”.
Upon completion, the following dialog will show.
Congratulations! You can now design, troubleshoot, and test the different nodes and elements of your vault (such as cards, workflows, templates, etc.) using the SOLIDWORKS PDM Sandbox vault. You can export an item and import it into your production vault after you have finished creating and testing it completely. It is also possible to export specific nodes and items from the production vault to the Sandbox vault for development or debugging. It is also possible to drag and drop nodes and items between vaults.