Let DriveWorks Live run your internal web applications

Internal web apps are great. They require no installation, and are easy to deploy on every computer regardless of operating system; the problem is (or at least you thought it was until you read this blog entry) that web applications require a web programmer to make them.

…unless you have DriveWorks Live.

Out of the box DriveWorks has many functions designed to read and write to your own custom databases. With DriveWorks Live you can create web forms to act as the user’s graphical interface to these databases. Since DriveWorks Live has the ability to host more than one project at the same time, you can let it host not only your design automation projects, but also your in house web applications. Here are a few quick ideas:

• Help Desk
  • This could involve two different DriveWorks projects. The first, for the users, would be an input form where users enter in their issue, priority, name, etc. This information is stored in a database. The second project is for the help desk personnel, it displays the database records created by the users. Help desk employees can sort by priority, application, and percent complete

• Record quotes from suppliers
  • Imagine sending out a print to several machine shops asking them for their best price and delivery. The machine shop logs into a DriveWorks form, and enters their quote, DriveWorks stores this information in a database. A separate internal DriveWorks project could be used to filter the information stored in the database to make it easy to choose which bid will be the winner

• Stockroom
  • Stockroom has a DriveWorks form where they enter the values of stock they have on hand. Engineering, accounting and assembly personnel have a DriveWorks form that they can use to view the inventory

• ECRs (Engineering change requests)
  • You could create a DriveWorks form where users enter their concerns and hits submit. DriveWorks specification flow can route this “ECR” through to the appropriate personnel. If you want a paper copy of the ECR, DriveWorks Autopilot could create a version in Word or Excel

• Time sheets
  • User enters start and end times and the project number they are working on. DriveWorks writes this into a database for your further statistical analysis

I’m not saying that it makes sense to go out and buy DriveWorks just so you can easily make web apps -but if you already have DriveWorks automating your SOLIDWORKS designs, you might as well use it to host some pretty darn professional web applications too.