Asset Datasheets Track Change by Colorizing Revisions Automatically

First, what are Datasheets?

Relative to this article they are Excel workbooks that are created to describe instruments, equipment, specialty items, and alike. They convey enough information to technically specify Equipment Assets and their roles. In many deployments, datasheets give birth to components that ultimately become operating assets.  Companies maintain them during asset life cycles.

Second, why SOCKETWorx Datasheets?

This article explains how to set up datasheet templates, assign them to Asset records, and issue revisions in bulk.

SOCKETWorx Datasheets mimic Excel workbook datasheets. Asset data transitions to SQL data models. From there, datasheet templates are assigned to asset tags giving birth to Asset records. After creation, they need to be populated, revised, issued, viewed, and downloaded and that is where SOCKETWorx steps in. From any HTML 5 web browser like Chrome or Edge SOCKETWorx users manage Asset datasheets.  

So, perhaps the question is why not?

Users access SOCKETWorx datasheets online.  Security Roles are established and assigned to users to control viewing, modifying, and exporting permissions across SQL or CAD Connectors.  Users can create work orders to capture data change or let the system do it automatically.  Work In Progress(WIP) datasheets constantly await the next revision issuance.  Once ready, Users can issue revisions one-by-one, or in bulk.  Regardless, revisions are automatically annotated so changes between them are easily identifiable.

All datasheet data, templates, and revisions reside within the cloud until users extract them by downloading one-by-one or in bulk.  Datasheets can be exported as Microsoft Excel (*.xlsx) or memorialized as Adobe PDF **.pdf)files.

How to get started?

Templates

Users create Datasheet Templates using the SOCKETWorx interface and almost always start out by using the 'Import Datasheet Template' option.

Since Excel files have been used to manage asset datasheets it usually makes sense to import them. Once imported, legacy formatting can be altered using the built-in tools.

Whether starting blank or imported templates users must manually associate datasheet cells with Static, System, and Table, fields. This is accomplished by using the field palette interface.  Click on the 'Show Field Selection' button to display the field processor.

Under each palette, users can search for fields to assign.  

SOCKETWorx Static, Revision, and Freeform system fields can be used to satisfy informational requirements.

ProTip: Set field names so they group in SOCKETWorx field lists.

Generally, datasheet information is grouped, so categories like Location, Identification, Process, Specification, Project Management, and Revision fields should be too.

Here are a few examples that will be found in OOTB DIAGRAMS projects.

ProTip: Freeform fields can be set up to provide multi-line entries like a Notes section.

Datasheets can consume hundreds of fields, so it is important to have a strategy and couple it with SOCKETWorx capabilities.

Create and Clone

There are several ways to create, manage, and move datasheets across connections and tables.

Datasheets can originate from the default system blank template or one that is imported from Excel files.

Add Templates by

1. clicking the "Add Datasheet Template" button from the top of the Datasheet Templates Setup screen
2. selecting the table to associate the template to. This should be the table that stores the data needed for the template
3. clicking the check box will add a new record to the Datasheet Template table
4. Editing Display Names
5. Launching the worksheet editor.

Clone and Copy Templates

Use the multi-select and these two buttons to repurpose datasheet templates.

Assign Templates

Navigate to Connections where datasheet templates have already been added for the data tables within.

In this use case, we are navigating to a DIAGRAMS SQL project with an Equipment data table.

Set Datasheet Revision Annotatation Background Color

Issue Revisions in Bulk

Select one or more rows and navigate to the Datasheet Issue processor.

Export Datasheets in Bulk

Selected datasheets are exported via compressed *.zip files as email attachments.  Copy associates with permissions to download.