XML based information exchange between PDM systems in CPC environment

Three things have to be considered in developing a PDM system for collaborative product commerce (CPC). First, the PDM system in CPC environment should be able to exchange its information (product/document/process) with other systems. Second, it is recommended to reuse the existing PDM system since creating a new one for a collaborative product development platform is usually very expensive and the existing PDM system already manages PPO(Product/Process/Organization) information. Third, the exchange of PDM information should be possible through the web since CPC is commonly conducted using internet. In this regard, it is highly useful to develop an exchange method of information (product/document/process) among existing PDM systems through the web. The method should be able to solve two problems – the difference in terms and the information structures. In this paper, a mapping method for information exchange is proposed in consideration of these points. The mapping method consists of two steps of mapping – logical and physical – and is developed on the basis of XML models. The mapping types and the procedure of each mapping are described with examples. A prototype system is also presented to show the information exchange between PDM systems such as a commercial S-PDM and a prototype PPO-PDM.