Data Sentinel 3.6

High quality data management and control software
Price: Call
Contact Us. Free Trial Version Available

      1.   Overview
               Description
               Customers
               Performance
      2.   Quick Facts
      3.   Login Form
      4.   User Interface
      5.   Tool Box
               Browser Tab
               Properties Tab
               Calendar Tab
               Liscensing Tab
               Instant Messaging
      6.   Image Viewer
      7.   User Data Window
               Add Data
               Check-In Data
               Update Data
               Revise Properties
      8.   Project Data Window
               Check-Out Data
               Lock/Unlock Data
               Release Data
               Delete Data
               Project Browser Tab
               Data Tab
               Transfer Tab
               Diagnostics Tab
      9.   Document History
      10. Document Revisions
      11. Document Versions
      12. Search/Filter Tools
      13. Administrative Panel
               Create Document Properties
               Create Signature Roles
               Manage Permissions
               Manage Users and User Groups
               Create Projects, Groups, Folders
      14. Permissions
      15. Users and User Groups
      16. Reports
      17. Requirements

Customers: Who are Data Sentinel’s customers? Engineering offices at companies like GKN Aerospace. Really, any business that has data that must be managed and controlled will find Data Sentinel useful. Current customers are using Data Sentinel to manage all levels of projects. Even large projects currently using advanced Product Data Management (PDM) systems such as ENOVIA are currently using Data Sentinel to control large amounts of program data. Still other projects are being managed and controlled entirely by Data Sentinel. Who can afford Data Sentinel? Data Sentinel is vastly less expensive than other data management systems on the market today, making it affordable even to the smallest of companies.

Performance: Data Sentinel is a stable, reliable, and proven software program. Currently, Data Sentinel is successfully being used to manage and control design data, stress data, tooling data, process and standards data, communications data, customer and vendor data, as well as many other types of documents and files.

All users must enter a valid Windows Username, Password and Domain in order to log onto Data Sentinel. This ensures that only those with valid company accounts can access files managed by Data Sentinel and allows Data Sentinel to verify the users identity. Once the user successfully logs in, Data Sentinels internal permissions control user and group access to all data.

The Data Sentinel User Interface consists of two primary areas, a user data window on the left and a project data window on the right, separated by a slider bar. In addition to these two areas there is a third, the toolbox, which slides open when in use and slides closed when not in use in order to maximize the viewing area. Each area has its own toolbar and its own set of buttons. All files have color coded icons to help visually identify a file’s status.

 Click to view enlarged image

The toolbox is shown here in its open state on the right. There are four tabs in the Toolbox: the Browser tab, Properties tab, Calendar tab, and License tab. Each of these tabs is described in more detail below.

Browser Tab: This tab brings up a windows browser in the Toolbox. You can create folders, copy and paste files, and delete and rename folders, much in the same way as with Windows Explorer. For security purposes, the user is not allowed to browse outside the project level folder and is only able to modify files and folders that reside within his or her personal home folder.

Properties Tab: This tab brings up the properties page in the Toolbox, allowing the user to customize colors and fonts in Data Sentinel. All user settings are automatically saved by default when the user logs out including the last viewed project and folder.

Calendar Tab: This tab brings up a calendar in the Toolbox

Administration Panel Button: This button brings up the Administration panel and can only be accessed by those users that are given Data Sentinel Admin status. This is where projects, sub-groups and folders can be added or deleted. All permissions within Data Sentinel are also managed from this panel.

License Tab: This tab brings up the License utility and shows the number of licenses allowed and currently available. It also shows the users currently logged onto Data Sentinel, and if necessary allows users with Administration status to end other user sessions as well as to lock down all Data Sentinel licenses. Locking the licenses will prevent any further modifications to the database or file system allowing those with the proper privileges to perform maintenance.

 Click to view enlarged image

In addition to including Capture View, Data Sentinel also has an automatic image viewer that activates when image files are selected. These images can be dragged anywhere on the screen. Display options for these images include a transparency setting, a size setting, a “save as” setting, and an “always on top” setting. Images can also be detached from Data Sentinel’s window and dragged anywhere on the users Desktop.

Data Sentinel uses the concept of a user “Home” folder to manage and control how data is added to the database or how it is checked-out of the database. This is the only folder in the project to which the user has “modify” rights. Only files in this folder can be added or checked-in to the database and when files are checked-out of the database, this is the folder they are placed into. The user has copy, paste, rename, and delete rights to everything in his or her “Home” folder. Individual files can also be “detached” from Data Sentinel as a separate icon. This icon can then be placed anywhere on the users Desktop. There is also a full set of context menus available to the user as well as CATIA functions.

When browsing folders in the Toolbox, this window will also display the contents of the folders being browsed.

Both User and Project Windows have a full set of context menus allowing you to quickly access Data Sentinel commands and features. All CATIA functions and some Administration functions are accessed through context menus.

Check-In Button: This button causes the selected files to be moved to the project data in-work folder. The control of the file is returned to Data Sentinel allowing other users to check it out if needed. The user must be the current owner of the file in order to check in the file. If someone else currently has the file checked out, or the file does not yet exist in the database, then the check-in process will end and the user will be notified.

Update Button: This button updates the file system and database with the selected file or files without checking it back in. The file remains checked out in the users name. Dark blue lock icons next to the files indicate that the file in the users folder has the same date as the one in the project folder. A light blue lock icon indicates that the file in the user folder has a more recent date that the one in the project folder, giving the user a visual cue to update the file.

Add Button: This button is how data gets added to the database for the first time. You can add one file at a time, or batch add all them at once. If a file being added current exists in the in-work database, then the process will fail. If the file being added currently exists in the release database, then the file will be added and the revision level automatically incremented. All added files have an initial status of in-work and are automatically checked out to the user that added them. If CATIA files are being added, then Data Sentinel can be configured to automatically add custom properties to the property page of the CATIA file. These custom properties can be anything, release status, release date, Intellectual Property note. Data Sentinel can also be configured to check that the model is using the correct version of CATIA before adding it to the database.

Revise Button: This button allows the user to revise the database description and revision level of the selected file.

Return Button: This button will return control of the selected files to Data Sentinel without updating the file.

Select, Copy and Paste Buttons: The user can select, copy and paste files within Data Sentinel, to Data Sentinel from windows explorer, or from Data Sentinel to windows explorer.

Delete Button: This button will permanently delete the selected files from the users home folder.

Reload Button: This button will reload or refresh both the user window and the project window in Data Sentinel.

Columns Button: This button allows the user to hide or show database columns. Column visibility is saved in the user settings file and will be remembered next time Data Sentinel launches.

Report Button: This button will generate custom reports using the data from the selected files.

The Project Data Window represents all the data stored in the database files. Files listed here can only be modified by first checking them out to the users home folder. The Project Data Window also has a full set of context menu controls similar to the User Data Window.

Files deleted from the project window are automatically put in a back up folder. This back up folder can be managed using the Administration context menu. In addition to managing back up data, the Administration menu also allows you to Archive files, un-release files, and reset a files control from a specific user back to Data Sentinel.

The Project Data Window Toolbar controls all functions in this window, including navigation between projects and groups. All files and databases are stored and organized using only three navigateable drop downs. These three levels (Project, Group, and Folder) provide enough organizational flexibility to accommodate projects both small and large.

Projects can also be searched and navigated using the project browser shown in the open position below on the far right.

Both User and Project Windows have a full set of context menus allowing you to quickly access Data Sentinel commands and features. All CATIA functions and some Administration functions are accessed through context menus.

Check-Out Button: This button copies the selected files to the users “Home” folder, and updates the database to show the user as the owner. This prevents all other users from checking the file out and modifying it.

Unlock and Lock Button: The lock button changes the status of the selected files from an in-work status to a locked status. When a file is locked it cannot be checked out or modified. All locked files can be visually identified by the red lock icon. The unlock button changes the status of the selected files to an in-work status from a locked status.

Release Button: This button is used to release files by changing their status and physically moving the file to a release folder. Once released, a file can no longer be modified. If a file already exists in the database with the same file name and revision level, then the release process will fail. Those users with Administration rights can archive released files as well as un-release files. By default, files can only be un-released if done so within 1 day of it being released. This default period of one day can be changed to any value, including hours and minutes. If CATIA files are being released, then Data Sentinel can be configured to automatically add custom properties to the property page of the CATIA file. These custom properties can be anything, release status, release date, Intellectual Property note. Data Sentinel can also be configured to check that the model is using the correct version of CATIA before releasing it to the database.

Delete Button: This button will delete the selected files from the project data in-work folder. You cannot delete files that are in a locked or released status. All files that are deleted from the project windows in-work folder are automatically backed up and stored before deleting.

Project Browser Tab: This tab allows you to browse just the project folders. Access to the project folders can be either through the drop downs on the main toolbar, or through this browser.

Data Tab: This tab allows the user to browse and enter data specific to a file. This tab has several sub tabs: 1. Properties. 2. Relations. 3. Notes. 4. Configuration. and 5. Signatures. Each sub tab allows you to browse and enter unique data on every file.

Transfer Tab: This tab allows the user to transfer files from the database to any folder the user currently has permissions to write to (i.e., Desktop, My Documents). The transfer target directories are stored in the user settings for easy access during future transfers. Transfers can be initiated using several methods: 1. All selected files. 2. All files with a modify date after the last transfer. 3. All files after a selected date.

Diagnostics Tab: This tab brings up the diagnostics utility which will provide basic help if the database and file system were ever to get out of sync with each other. Data Sentinel will automatically monitor and detect any out of sync errors and notify the users.

 Click to view enlarged image

The Document History Window tracks and logs all recordable events for a file, including revisions and all versions. Recordable events include check-in, update, add, release, release undo, and delete. Notes can be added to each entry in the History Window allowing the user to document what changes were made between version updates or revision changes.

This window will show all previous revisions to a file. Any of these revisions can be opened up and reviewed side by side with the current revision. The previous revision window only works with documents whose file names do not change from revision to revision.

This window will show all versions of a file. The number a versions that Data Sentinel can track and manage can be set anywhere between 0 and 100. All document versions listed in this window can be opened and reviewed side by side with the current version.

Data Sentinel has a search toolbar that allows for quick and easy searches of the database and provides a means of monitoring Data Sentinel’s progress. The search box can be used to quickly search any column in the database for the specified string in the search box. The filter buttons are similar to the search box. They also will quickly search any column in the database for the specified string. What makes the filter buttons unique is that the filter criteria for each button (i.e., the search string and the search column) are saved in the user settings file. This allows the user to save his or her most frequent searches. All the user needs to do is select the appropriate filter button. Filter buttons can be turned either on or off. The Configuration Filter (under development) will provide a quick and easy way to search for and filter specific configurations. The Data Replication Service button (under development) will provide a means to automatically replicate groups and projects to other sites or locations. There is also a help button that will allow the user to view a copy of this document.

You can also search any of the columns in the database simply by right clicking on the column you wish to search in the project data window. A small search toolbar will appear allowing you to enter your search string.

The Administration panel is where new projects, groups and folders are created as well as where access permissions for users and groups are set. When creating new projects, groups or folders, Data Sentinel will automatically add corresponding database files as well as automatically create new corresponding Window’s Folders for storing data. This panel can only be accessed by those users given administration status in Data Sentinel. There are several tabs that are described below.

 Click to view enlarged image

Start Tab: This tab is where you either create new projects or select current projects you wish to edit.

Permissions Tab: This tab is where you set the internal permission that allow or diallow users access to not just projects and folders, but also to functionality such as "Lock", "Delete", or "Release".

User/Group Tab: This tab is where you enter user ID's of all those who will be using Data Sentinel. Once entered here, the are easily accessed through pull downs on the Permission tab. You can also create user groups here and assign users to the created groups. This makes setting permissions much easier for large groups of users all at once.

Group Tab: This tab is where the group level folders for projects are created.

Folder Tab: This tab is where the folders for each group are created.

Document Properties Tab: This tab allows you to define custom properties to apply to each file. The user that can browse these values or enter new values for these properties using the Data Tab discussed earlier.

Signature Roles Tab: This tab allows you to define signature roles for a particular folder. Once defined, designated users can then go to the Data Tab discussed earlier and digitally sign a file using their predefined role.

All data access in Data Sentinel is controlled here on the Permissions screen of the Admin panel. The permissions shown here will control what toolbar buttons users can access. Permissions can be set either at the Project Level or the Group Level. Permissions set at the Project Level automatically flow down to all sub groups and folders. Permissions set at the Folder Level always override the Project Level Permissions. Permissions can be applied either by group or by individual. It is important to note that these permissions are not the operating system permissions, and are not directly applied to any window’s folders. These permissions are all internal to Data Sentinel.

This tab in the Administration panel allows you to add users and create user groups. Once a user group is created members can then be easily assigned using this screen. Users and user groups added here will be available in a drop down box on the permissions screen. Both can be added to projects and groups and then assigned permission access. Creating groups and then assigning users to those groups makes managing permissions easy a quick.

Custom reports can be generated using any of the data stored in Data Sentinel’s databases. Company logos, headers and footers can be added to reports as well as charts and tables. All reports can be saved as a PDF file or simply printed from the report window.

Requirements

Helpful Links:

      *What is a Data Management?