Microsoft Excel is the industry standard for spreadsheets. It’s a wide range of functionality, user-friendliness and customizability make it the “go-to” tool for data authoring and visualization. Agile PLM, on the other hand, is a comprehensive PLM Solution with rich concepts and requires training to get familiarized. The biggest challenge that Agile users face is carrying out mass operations like updates and creating objects. It is only natural to marry Agile PLM with Microsoft Excel so that business flows can be executed in PLM excel integration using the household environment of Excel.
Users can carry out mass operations of Agile PLM data without ever having to log in to Agile. Imagine updating hundreds of objects in Agile manually: opening each object one by one and setting values; not at all practical. In this case, a user will turn to utilities or custom tools to update specific data. Why not use one tool, built into Excel, which can update any kind of object? The same hundreds of objects can be modified at the same time by using the drag-and-drop feature of Excel. This saves precious time.
Industries that use Agile PLM mostly use Excel for consolidating data in any case. This tool automates that process, as Agile Administrators can create specific searches and pull all of the desired data right into Excel. Even if there is no intention to update data later, they can still use Excel’s data analysis features from the pulled information and later create reports in Excel.
Authoring Agile Data using Saved Searches
- Configure a saved search in PLM excel integration and pull all the data in that search directly into Excel
- Make mass modifications in the pulled saved search data and export all the modifications directly into Agile
- If Items are being updated and the modifications require a Change to be created, then the user is shown a Change Configuration screen where they can pull pending changes, create new changes, or search for existing changes
- Refresh saved searches so that the spreadsheet is populated with the latest data
Updating BOM, AML, and ASL
- Provide a single item number or a comma-separated list of item numbers to pull the cumulative BOM, AML or ASL data
- If the AML or BOM table update requires a Change to be created, then the user is shown a Change Configuration screen where they can pull pending changes, create new changes, or search for existing changes
- Make mass modifications to the pulled data and update all modifications directly to Agile
- Modifications across different saved searches and AML, BOM, and ASL sheets can be completed through a single Change by using the “Update All” feature
Creation Wizard
- Generate a template sheet of any base class, main class or subclass
- Fill the template sheet with the desired information
- Create data right from Excel
- Support of Auto-numbers
- Triggers creation events in Agile unlike OOTB import
Miscellaneous Features
- Attributes that are List type are shown in Excel with dropdown values from Agile. Users can directly select the appropriate value from within Excel
- In case list values are added or removed, users can “Refresh List” to reflect those changes in the spreadsheet
- Accidental modifications can be reverted using the “Undo Change” feature
- Provide your Agile PLM credentials only once and save them. No need to provide them with subsequent usage
- The help button directs the user to the UPK Guide