All currently available product data management (PDM), product life cycle management (PLM), and SAP data management deployments are “BLIND” to the content in your CAD files. Currently available PDM, PLM and SAP deployments are powered by traditional database systems such as Oracle, db2, and Documentum, etc. Such traditional database systems are designed to handle text and numeric data with optimal precision. Therefore, they are well suited for managing credit card transactions, flight schedules, bank account information, and health records as well as many other similar applications.

For design and manufacturing applications PDM, PLM and SAP use traditional database technology augmented with a graphical user interface. Engineering content differs from that in non-engineering applications because it is geometry intensive.

Computer Aided Design files are a significant component of the engineering content. If your product line consists in its entirety of standard parts such as bolts, washers, springs, and even to some extent brackets, then you do not have a problem since these components can be adequately described in a parameterized form. For example, a bolt can be precisely defined by a limited set of configurable parameters such as its length, diameter, and number of threads per inch. If, however, you are not in the standard components business, then standard components represent at most 10% of the parts in your database. The other 90% of your data will most likely be much more complex designs.

iSEEK™ CADseek™ is the first data management system designed specifically for the engineering design content. iSEEK™ CADseek has an internal database component, but most importantly it has a unique mathematical algorithm which enables it to learn and understand geometry.