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Data Lifecycle Management (DLM): Our recommendation for CAD data

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Data lifecycle management, or DLM for short, describes the entire data management process from creation to data use to deletion. A DLM strategy enables improved data use and management of your data.

In this article, you will learn why you, as a company that uses CAD for project planning on a daily basis, should implement lifecycle management, what you need to consider and which tools are available for this.

The most important things in brief

  • DLM optimizes the use and management of CAD data, reduces storage costs and increases productivity.
  • A DLM strategy ensures that current and correct data is always used, minimizes errors and improves the quality of decisions.
  • DLM facilitates planning and risk minimization in CAD projects through precise and duplicate-free data management.
  • DLM ensures compliance with data protection and compliance requirements through automated data management and deletion.
  • DLM software for CAD data: CME BElink2ELO seamlessly integrates MicroStation CAD data into the ELO document management system, improves efficiency and facilitates collaboration in large projects.
  • Corporate Montage offers comprehensive advice and solutions for holistic data lifecycle management, including CAD engineering and data quality management, to increase technical and economic effectiveness.

Definition of data lifecycle management

Data lifecycle management, abbreviated to DLM, includes the strategies, methods and applications for making information, documents and data available from their creation, through their processing and use, to their deletion, as automated as possible and in accordance with their value and use, to all relevant interested parties and users, to access them and to store them in a way that is audit-proof for the long term.

We optimize your data lifecycle management

We, Corporate Montage Europe GmbH, advise, design, plan, implement solutions and provide training on the subject of data lifecycle management.

It is our personal concern to manage your company-relevant data and processes holistically throughout the entire life cycle.

Together with you, we ensure quality-assured and audit-proof data as well as efficient and transparent processes. Whether CAD data, documents or emails – we offer you the right solution, tried and tested and to the point.

We focus in particular on the following interrelated topics:

  • CAD engineering
  • CAD data quality management (standards management)
  • Document, data and process management including the associated interfaces and further systems such as BIM, GIS, CAFM etc.

Our goal is to specifically increase the technical and economic effectiveness and efficiency of CAD engineering, standards management and document, data and process management in your company. We take a holistic view of the interaction between people, company-wide requirements, processes and software and can thus ensure successful implementation and sustainable use in your company.

Now back to the topic. In the following, we want to delve deeper into the topic of data lifecycle management.

Data Life Cycle Management Schaubild

Phases in Data Lifecycle Management

Lifecycle management covers the entire lifecycle of your data volumes through six main phases, from data creation to final deletion. These phases are based on the individual project and the guidelines and authorities of the industry.

DLM should not be confused with information lifecycle management.

ILM refers to the management of data parts of your files, while data lifecycle management administers all data at the file level. The latter is therefore an all-encompassing approach for all of your company’s data.

In general, the data management process can be divided into the following categories:

  1. Creation
  2. Data storage
  3. Data usage
  4. Data management
  5. Archiving
  6. Data deletion

Creation

In the initial phase of the data lifecycle, the data is provided and recorded. This can be done manually or by automating a recording system.

For example, an engineer could specify the coordinates and dimensions for a foundation in bridge construction in a CAD program.

Data storage

After the data has been recorded, it is filed and saved in a DMS or ECM system such as ELO. Clouds, an HSM, internal servers or other storage media are generally suitable for data backup. The choice depends on several factors, such as security, costs and the volume of data.

Data usage

The data is used by the various project teams for planning, research and decision-making. The aim is to provide quick access to all important and current data for each user.

Data management

To ensure that only current data is used for planning, outdated data must be removed. In administration, you can also specify the access rights of individual project teams and make it easier to analyze your data for important decisions through an organized data pool.

Archiving

Outdated but still essential data is removed from the active data pool and archived. Archiving allows data optimization of current information and retention of older data for business and historical processes. If necessary, the data can be restored after archiving.

Data deletion

Data that must be deleted for data protection reasons, data security and retention guidelines or is no longer of use to the company can be disposed of according to the respective guidelines of all instances involved in the project or a company.

To ensure that your data is efficiently usable and securely stored in the information lifecycle from its creation to its final disposal, a data lifecycle management tool is essential for managing your resources.

Data Lifecycle Management Kreislauf Schaubild

Advantages of DLM during the data lifecycle

As a company, there is hardly any way around digitizing data and the importance of lifecycle management of your data is becoming more important every day. In order to make huge amounts of data available and secure, while still working in accordance with the guidelines in your industry, an adequate management solution is required.

This can be used in the form of information management for any organization and at the same time brings great advantages:

Cost efficiency through data lifecycle management

Data processes in a company can run more efficiently with the help of DLM. The intelligent data collection, use and storage of resources leads to optimized utilization of storage media, while at the same time reducing storage space and thus leading to cost savings in the long term.

The optimized management of data sets and data volumes increases the reduction in workload and, in turn, increases the productivity and business processes of all employees.

Optimized use during the data lifecycle

While a clear strategy and data availability optimizes the productivity of a company, the development of products and services can be improved at the same time.

The data overview supports decision-makers and managers in making decisions. The implementation of data lifecycle management helps with the continuous expansion of products and creates competitive advantages.

Data integrity and quality improvement through DLM

Record management and cleaning of the data infrastructure allows the targeted provision of current company data and records. A well-thought-out storage strategy is the approach for better management of the amount of your data over the course of the life cycles.

Errors caused by using outdated data are minimized because only current and relevant resources are used for the respective work. This allows decision-makers to ensure that important business decisions are made on the basis of reliable information.

Updated data protection and security in the data lifecycle

Data management processes make it easier to integrate the current data protection regulations of the industry. The protection of business data against third parties and unauthorized access is subject to special data security and data availability. Data loss during the service life is minimized due to intelligent storage in the cloud and archive. The application of the respective guidelines of the entities involved in the project also increases trust in the company and consequently the brand reputation.

DLM for compliance requirements

With the help of data lifecycle management, a company ensures compliance with the often strict compliance requirements of an industry. Due to the strict guidelines and laws, especially with regard to confidential personal data, a data lifecycle management tool ensures that data is recorded and processed, stored and disposed of in accordance with the specifications. This also makes it possible to immediately identify which data must be disposed of or retained. The policy-based deletion obligations as well as the revocation of consent to the use of personal data and the associated deletion can be set as automation.

Reasons for implementing a DLM for CAD users

In the age of digitalization and the Internet of Things, it is not just the CAD planner himself who benefits from a data lifecycle management system, but the entire company. The steps of creating, storing, managing and disposing of CAD engineering data are crucial for clean CAD data management.

Improved time management

Instead of having employees sort, maintain and evaluate data again and again at great expense, a data management system can do this for you. Data lifecycle management enables the automated provision of the most current data for all parties involved, thereby facilitating collaboration between individual areas of a cooperation, while maintaining the data sets requires a minimum of time and duplicates are eliminated.

Planning optimization and risk minimization

Individual users can search specifically for the information they need. Effective data management minimizes the risk of outdated data being used for projects. At the same time, processes and versions can be traced retrospectively thanks to the archive and storage. In addition, the comparison of metadata and engineering data can be automated, for example, and the latter can be shown as a preview. This is essential in an age of large amounts of data, as different and changing organizations are often involved in project implementation.

Competitive advantages and better decisions

In a competitive industry, data-based decisions are of enormous advantage. The components of each area flow into the information lifecycle management, are analyzed there and, through the DLM process of the respective department, allow a decision-making process based on all information. Unstructured data would hinder the workflow and possibly lead to misinterpretations. The current data set therefore plays an important role in the continuous development and governance of a company.

Which data lifecycle management software is suitable for CAD data?

There are a variety of data management tools and programs that are specifically tailored to different industries and requirements.

If you work on infrastructure projects and CAD projects in general of a certain size, there is a good chance that you are already using Bentley Microstation as your CAD program.

In this case, CME BElink2ELO is an outstanding solution for managing the enormous mass of CAD engineering data and the entire associated data life cycle within ELO – one of the most successful DMS/ECM systems on the market.

Especially in the CAD area, CME BElink2ELO makes working with Bentley Worksets easier and helps you use your CAD files more efficiently. Functions such as document previews, displaying CAD references, integrating bidirectional stamp header data and quality controls are just some of the advantages this tool has to offer.

In addition to the wide range of useful functions, CME BElink2ELO particularly shines in terms of cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness, for example when previewing CAD data within the document management system (ELO).

In addition, collaboration in CAD projects can take place with the ELO team room, the project room for external service providers or integration into Microsoft Teams from a central, legally compliant ELO archive.

Overview of some of the advantages and core functionalities of CME BElink2ELO:

  • Quick display of the drawings, without the time-consuming, repeated opening of the CAD application directly in ELO
  • Direct access to the associated drawing models
  • Quick and direct switching between the 8 different views
  • Enlarging/reducing areas within the drawing
  • Free movement within the drawing
  • Reference scan, title block integration, and much more.

You can now request a free consultation with our experts to find out more about CME BElink2ELO and our extensive software solutions and services.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right DLM tool?

When making your choice, consider the individual requirements of your company. CME BElink2ELO is the perfect solution for companies in the field of infrastructure planning, architecture and engineering for the evaluation, integration and security of your CAD files. At the same time, you benefit from the tool’s extensive functions.

What challenges do I have to prepare for?

To ensure that your data is stored in a suitable data landscape in accordance with security and data protection guidelines, you should proceed step by step. A user-friendly tool will help you with a large part of your work.

Why does DLM help me comply with laws and regulations?

Data is stored, used, archived and deleted in a data lifecycle management system in accordance with the regulations. Functions such as automated anonymization can support you in this and prevent legal disputes.

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