2. Teamcenter Basics

2.1. topics overview

This training document deals with the elementary basics in Teamcenter.

The main focuses have been set as follows:

• User Interface
• The most important Teamcenter applications
• Organization
• Items & Revisions
• Data types
• Relations

2.2. user interface

2.2.1 Rich client interface

2.2.2 Application Perspectives

Within the user interface of the Teamcenter Rich Client, the application functionality is provided by perspectives and views. Some applications use perspectives and views to rearrange the functionality. Other applications use a single perspective and views to display information.

2.2.2.1 Procedure

You can open an application perspective using the following methods:

• Click the application button in the navigation pane.

• Select the perspective from the Window menu → Open Perspective

• Select an object from the navigation view and then select an application from the Send To context menu option.

• Double-click an object in the navigation view to open the perspective associated with that object type.

For example, to open My Teamcenter in Rich Client, click My Teamcenter in the Navigation pane.

To switch between different application perspectives, the following methods can be used:

• Use the Back button on the toolbar or select an open application from the drop down menu or press Ctrl+Shift+F8 to display the previously open application.

• Use the Forward button on the toolbar or select an open application from the drop down menu or press Ctrl+F8 to display the previously opened application.

• Hold Ctrl+F8 to display the Perspectives menu, then release the F8 key. Select the perspective to display using the mouse button or arrow keys.

To save the active perspective you have configured, you can proceed as follows:

• Select Window → Save Perspective As
• Enter a new name for the perspective.
• Click OK.

To reset a perspective to its default state, select Window → Reset Perspective. This restores all default views of the current perspective to their original positions.

2.2.3 View "Overview"

The Overview view allows you to view properties for a selected item and edit attributes such as name or description for supported items for which you have appropriate permissions.

Configuration and content of the View Overview vary depending on the information display configured for the selected object type.

A view can contain several tab pages.

2.2.3.1 Overview

The “Overview “ tab displays all editable metadata of an item revision. The highlighted metadata are mandatory attributes and must be filled in before release after “ER “ [Engineering Release].

2.2.3.2 Customer Properties

Customer-specific information is managed in the Customer Properties tab.

2.2.3.3 Title Block

In the Title Block tab, you can enter the information required for the drawing frame.

2.2.3.4 EPLAN Properties

In the EPLAN Properties tab, all metadata is filled via EPLAN integration.

2.2.4 View "Details"

The Details view is a tabular display of the properties of the child elements (datasets, BOM view change status, status, SAP Transferform…) of the object currently selected in the component view.

2.2.5 Impact Analysis View

The Impact Analysis view responds to the current selection in the active component view and graphically displays the relationship to the objects where it is used or referenced, and displays it in one layer, all layers, or just the main layer.

2.2.6 View "Viewer"

The content of the Viewer view depends on the selected object type in the current component or detail view. For example, if you select an Office dataset or an added link, it will be displayed in the “Viewer” view.

2.2.7 View "JT Preview"

If a revision or a selected node has a JT dataset associated with it, it is displayed in the JT Preview view.

2.2.8 View "Process history"

The Process History view displays the workflow or schedule management process of the business object selected in My Teamcenter on the Home page or in the My Worklist or Search Results views.

2.3. the most important Teamcenter applications

2.3.1 My Teamcenter

The application perspective “My Teamcenter” is the workspace for using and managing product information (articles, documents, parts lists, specifications, requirements…).

This is the starting point for many standard functions such as

• Search and find PDM data
• Create and modify PDM objects
• Check-in / check-out of objects
• Managing my tasks
• Starting and monitoring processes / workflows
• Executing queries

2.3.2 Structure Manager

The Structure Manager allows you to create general product structures (BOM = Bill of Material) that can be configured to display the product structure at a specific time or for a specific unit, such as

• The valid component structure of an assembly
• A specific approved manufacturing design of the product
• The current design structure in product development
• The product structure that was valid on a certain date
• A specific variant of a product

2.3.2.1 User Interface

2.3.3 Visualization tools

2.3.3.1 Viewer

The content of the Viewer view depends on the selected object type in the current component or detail view.

The following types of datasets can be displayed in the Viewer view:

• Microsoft Office datasets
• Web links
• TIFF
• Meta data of different datasets, which were not visualized
• …

2.3.3.2 JT Viewer

If a JT dataset is assigned to an Engineering Item Revision, it is displayed in the JT Preview view.

2.3.3.3 Lifecycle Viewer

To visualize the structure of the product in the Structure Manager - the Teamcenter Lifecycle Visualization Viewer must be called via the right mouse button above the BOM View . You will find this in the selection of “Send to”.

You must then proceed as follows to visualize the product structure:

2.3.4 Workflow Viewer

The Workflow Viewer is used to visualize the workflow of the currently selected item. Here you can check which task the workflow is currently in.

2.3.5 Change Manager

Change management helps you track changes to a product throughout its entire life cycle. You can propose changes to a product and manage the entire cycle of review, approval, and implementation of the change.

Your company can ensure the quality of any change made to the product through a mechanism for problem identification, change authorization, coordination and planning, cost and benefit analysis and record keeping. You can structure the work to perform the following:

• Implement a change.
• Assess its impact on any managed business elements such as parts or documents.
• Notify lifecycle participants of proposed and approved changes.
• Track the progress and completion of work.
• Compare product configurations before and after the change.

2.3.5.1 User Interface

2.4. organization

2.4.1 Access Rights & Organization

• Persons
  Real existing persons in the company with first and last name. One person can have more than one user.
  ⇒Max Mustermann

• User (User)
  Is the identification of a user in the system. Users can belong to several groups.
  ⇒Max Dummy ⇒Administrator & User

• Groups
  Correspond to summaries of users.
  Group = Corresponds to a department or a project.
  Groups can also be structured hierarchically (according to the company organization).
  ⇒Administrator ⇒dba, project administrators,…

• Roles
  Activities of users in the organization (e.g. admin, employee, project manager, …) Different roles can be assigned to a user.
  A role corresponds to certain rights that the user has.

Groups and roles can be used for:

• To manage access rights (read, write, delete) per group and role
• Definition of control/approval instances (for workflows) based on groups and roles
• Organization of the data according to the group you have created.

2.5. Items & Revisions

2.5.1 Basic Items & Revisions

An item (element) in Teamcenter is a structure of a connected object. The basic structure of each item consists of the following objects:

2.5.2 Properties of an item

• Items are basic objects that are used to manage information
• They represent physical or conceptual entities that enable audits and information changes.
• Imagine an item as the top level, which contains all information about a specific object or product.
• The item ID is composed as follows - here in the example for the European MAG locations - X.0000.0000
• No two items may have the same item ID. An item ID is always unique!
• An item provides access to all the information needed to design a part, including all changes, together.
• When creating an item, Teamcenter also automatically creates an Item Master Form

2.5.3 Properties of an item Revision

• Item revisions manage the changes to an item and save the changes within the item.
• When you create an item, Teamcenter automatically creates the item revision.
• There must be at least one item revision for each item.
• Item revisions are the items that receive a release status
• Contains the SAP master form - here the link between the SAP material number and the item in Teamcenter is linked.
• Contains one or more datasets

2.6. Datasets

2.6.1 Dataset Objects

Files which are started from Teamcenter with non Teamcenter applications (e.g.: NX, Word, Excel, …) are managed by Teamcenter ⇒ Dataset Objects.

Here are some examples:

2.6.2 Importing a dataset

• You can insert datasets in Teamcenter under your item revisions.
• In case the datasets are not yet stored in Teamcenter, you can import the dataset.
• If you import the dataset under your Revision item, you must remember that the dataset is not found under the item but only under the Revision item.
• The revisions that are revised from this item revision also have the dataset reference in the item revisions.
• You can also create a completely new dataset directly in Teamcenter.

2.7. relations

2.6.1 Relation types

• Much information describes an item or is linked to the item, revision
• Teamcenter uses relations to define the relationship between data objects and items / revisions.
  Automatically defined relation types:

2.6.2 User defined relation types

(e.g. when copying / inserting objects into an item / revision)

• Specification Relation. Documents of an audit. Are checked and blocked during a release (e.g. 3D masters, drawings, NC programs, …)

• Requirement Relation
  Contain criteria that must be met by the design, but do not define how the design is to be executed. (e.g. specifications)

• Altreps
  (alternative representation) - Alternative description of the component (e.g. spring tensioned / not tensioned. As this is only a state description, it will not appear in parts lists parallel to the part.

• Manifestation Relations
  Relationship of documents with explanatory character only. These have no meaning in the sense of a relevant or legal product description (e.g. internal presentations, films, photos…)

• Reference Relation
  General, undefined relationships between data objects and items / revisions.
  (e.g.: field reports, technical articles, laboratory reports notes…)