SolidPractices:

Getting Started with a Formal Design

Change Process Using Change Actions
3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS
Last Update: January 2022
Revision 1.0

3DS.COM © Dassault Systèmes | Confidential Information | 06/27/2017 ref.: Document_Reference |

Table of Contents

1) PREFACE: ....................................................................................................................................................... 4

2) REVISIONS IN 3DEXPERIENCE ........................................................................................................................ 5

A) UNDERSTANDING WHAT REVISIONS ARE IN THE 3DEXPERIENCE PLATFORM ..................................................................5

i) Differences between a revision and a version ..............................................................................................5
B) OPTIONS FOR REVISIONS .........................................................................................................................................5
i) Revision and lifecycle states .........................................................................................................................5
C) REVISION SCHEME RULES ........................................................................................................................................6
i) Primary .........................................................................................................................................................6
ii) Primary and secondary.................................................................................................................................6
iii) Primary and secondary for 3DEXPERIENCE content with SOLIDWORKS master ..........................................7

3) 3DEXPERIENCE RELEASE LIFECYCLE ................................................................................................................ 8

A) USING BOOKMARKS WITH CHANGE ACTIONS ..............................................................................................................8

B) COLLABORATIVE SPACE ACCESS RULES.......................................................................................................................9

4) WHAT IS A CHANGE ACTION? ...................................................................................................................... 10

5) WHY USE CHANGE ACTIONS? ...................................................................................................................... 11

6) CREATING A CHANGE ACTION ..................................................................................................................... 12

A) CREATING A STAND-ALONE CHANGE ACTION USING THE CHANGE ACTION WIDGET .........................................................12
B) PROCESSING A CHANGE ACTION .............................................................................................................................15
C) CREATING CHANGE ACTIONS FROM ISSUES ...............................................................................................................16

7) CREATING NEW REVISIONS ......................................................................................................................... 19

8) WORKING UNDER A CHANGE ACTION ......................................................................................................... 30

A) CREATING A CA FROM WITHIN SOLIDWORKS .........................................................................................................30

B) WORKING UNDER A CHANGE ACTION .....................................................................................................................31

9) TRANSFERRING REALIZED CHANGES ............................................................................................................ 34

10) BEST PRACTICES WHEN USING CHANGE ACTION ......................................................................................... 35

A) DO NOT DELETE ASSEMBLY OBJECTS ON AN ACTIVE CA .............................................................................................35

B) TURN OFF THE WORK UNDER ................................................................................................................................35

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 Revision History

Rev # Date Description

1.0 January Document created.
2022

Note
All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these
documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is
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This document was updated using 3DEXPERIENCE 2022X GA. If you have questions or need
assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller.

Acknowledgments
This document was authored by Computer Aided Technology (CATI) and reviewed by Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.

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1) Preface:
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform change action (CA) manages revisions when an Engineer, or
a SOLIDWORKS Designer, makes a change or releases a part, assembly, drawing or
supporting documentation.

When you use a change action, you increment the revision level of each object along with its
modified components and documentation. The Change Action widget shows all the realized
changes for that change action.

The system enforces your approval process ensuring that the change action completes
following the defined process path. The change action contains all the information required to
make a change to a particular object. After approval of the change action, the objects
contained in the Realized Changes tab promote to the Released state.

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2) Revisions in 3DEXPERIENCE
a) Understanding What Revisions Are in the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform

i) Differences between a revision and a version

The 3DEXPERIENCE platform requires you to select the Revise command when you want
an additional iteration of your content. When saving to 3DEXPERIENCE, it over-writes
the current In-Work Revision. It does not create a new version on each 3DEXPERIENCE
save.

b) Options for Revisions

3DEXPERIENCE has two revision options each with a second variant. The primary can be
either Numeric or Alpha. If you require the Numeric option, you can start at 1 or 0. If you
select the Alpha option, you can have straight alpha that is, A, B, C. Or you can begin with
-, A, B, C and this scheme also skips I, O, Q, S. X, and Z.

i) Revision and lifecycle states

The standard Revision increments following a release of a document, part or file. The
item typically begins in an In-Work state, promotes to Frozen and then promotes to
Released. Settings within the Access Rules configuration control when you can create
new revisions and at what lifecycle.

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c) Revision Scheme Rules

Select the Revision Scheme in the Lifecycle And Collaboration Configuration. There are
three revision behaviors:

 Primary

 Primary and secondary

 Primary and secondary for 3DEXPERIENCE content with SOLIDWORKS master

i) Primary

This revision format only shows the primary revision. For example, A, B, C.

The primary revision increments every time you create a revision, independent from the
maturity state of the object.

This is the recommended Revision scheme.

ii) Primary and secondary

In this revision format, a secondary revision displays after the primary revision in the
[REVISION.#] format.

The primary revision increments every time you create a revision from the Released
content. The secondary revision resets to 1. This identifies major changes.

The secondary revision increments every time you create a revision from non-Released
content.

For example, the names of the new revisions of In-Work or Frozen maturity states are
A.1, A.2, A.3, until Released. A revision of the Released content named B.1 follows the
same revision naming rules.

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 The main reason to use the primary and secondary revision scheme is to identify design
iterations.

iii) Primary and secondary for 3DEXPERIENCE content with SOLIDWORKS master

In this revision format, a secondary revision displays after the primary revision before the
minor revision [REVISION _#.# ]. The behavior of the primary and secondary is similar
to the primary and secondary format.

For example, the names of new revisions of in-process content are A_1.1, A_2.1, A_3.1,
until A_3.1 is Released. The next revision of the Released content named B_1.1 follows
the same revision naming rules.

Note: When you enable either the primary or secondary revision options and you
promote a revision after revising it, you create the next revision from the latest
revision. The case illustrated below results in an incremented secondary revision
instead of an incremented primary revision.

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3) 3DEXPERIENCE Release Lifecycle

All objects in 3DEXPERIENCE process through a lifecycle with the default In Work,
Frozen and Released states. Private and Obsolete states are available. You can manually
promote and demote objects or process them with change actions.

a) Using Bookmarks with Change Actions

There are advantages when you use bookmarks with a CA. If there is a group of objects that
you must add to a CA, you can drag them from a bookmark to the CA.

All the objects in the example above drag from the bookmark to the CA Proposed Changes
tab in one instance. This saves time and keeps a group of objects together to work on in the
CA. The same is true if you have a group of objects in a CA under Proposed Changes. You
can drag objects in the Proposed Changes tab to a defined bookmark.

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b) Collaborative Space Access Rules

Collaborative Spaces allow users to perform actions within each space based on their given
role. Roles dictate what each user can do inside the collaborative space. This section outlines
the role relationship with Change Actions.

The two main roles available in a Collaborative Space are the:

 Author

 Leader

The Author role allows a user to author new content and change the maturity state of an
object. The Leader role allows a user to do everything an Author can, and release objects.

When using change actions, you must have the Leader role in the collaborative space from
which you created the change action, to complete the CA. If you do not have the Leader role,
you cannot complete a CA. Authors can move the CA to In Approval but cannot fully
complete the CA.

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4) What is a Change Action?
A Change Action (CA) is the formal documentation authorizing the release of changes made
to objects within 3DEXPERIENCE. You can start Change Actions (CAs) from Change
Requests, Change Orders and Issues or as a stand-alone Change Action. Anyone assigned the
Collaborative Industry Innovator Role can create Change Actions while the Change Manager
role can create a Change Request and Change Order.

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5) Why Use Change Actions?
Change actions can involve many different processes and systems to complete. The process
to complete a change action outside of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is manual. This is true
whether you do it through email, network folders, phone calls, multiple systems or a
combination of those methods. There is room for error and little visibility to those involved
or affected making it a very cumbersome and unreliable process in most environments. The
3DEXPERIENCE platform allows for all facets of the change action to take place in one
single platform with ultimate visibility and flexibility.

Using change actions within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows all members of the
change action to:

 Collaborate.

 Make changes in a single environment.

 Store data in a single environment.

 Use an automated process with approvals to complete the lifecycle of a change action
to an object.

Using the Change Action Process in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform ensures traceability.
The change action maintains all signatures, documents and metadata about the documents
surrounding the change and is the authority to release the content.

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6) Creating a Change Action
Change actions (CA) have a variety of origins depending on an individual’s role and the
purpose of the CA.

a) Creating a Stand-Alone Change Action Using the Change Action Widget

Use the Change Action widget to create a stand-alone CA.

You can use this method for any purpose whether it is to make a change, for example, to a
document, part, assembly or nonconformance. You can use this method to add any individual
that works on the CA as a member. Each member has the following type options:

An Assignee is one or more individuals that you assign the CA to and who processes the
changes to the documents listed on the CA.

An Approver typically is someone different from the Assignee and is one or more
individuals who are responsible to approve the changes defined in the CA. To complete the
CA, one of the listed approvers must have a Leader Role in the Collaborative Space that the
CA resides in.

An Informed User is the person to notify when the CA completes. The user can select how
you notify them. An Informed User does not have an active role in the completion of the CA.
This user is only listed for notification purposes.

When you create a Change Action, attach a Proposed Change to the CA. The Proposed
Change tab lists the objects for the CA. The Proposed object tab can contain the component
or document to change as well as documentation directing what to change or create.

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When adding objects to the Proposed Change tab, the Operation selection prompts you for
Revision, New Branch or Modify. In the Activity selection, your options are: No Activity,
Modify or Change Maturity to Release.

The Operation field is what you are trying to accomplish in the CA. The Activity field is
how the CA affects the object listed in the Proposed Change tab as the CA processes.

The Operation attributes Revision and New Branch are specific attributes within an object.
If you choose the Modify Operation, you most likely change the design of the object. The
Operation attribute just describes what the user wants to do with the CA and the Proposed
Change object. The Operation attribute does not indicate what to do; it is only a data point.

After you choose the Operation attribute, choose your Activity. The Activity attribute is the
actual Activity that happens to the Operation you select. If you make changes to the object
but do not want any activity to occur on the object, select No Activity. If you want to modify
the object, select Modify. Below are the numerous options and their results of each
combination selected.

Operation: Revision
Activity: No Activity
Result: The CA creates and completes, but the Proposed Object does not change.

Operation: Revision
Activity: Change Maturity to: Obsolete
Result: Not selectable because a Revision cannot have a maturity state change.

Operation: Revision
Activity: Modify
Result: The CA creates and a new Revision creates and automatically releases for the
Proposed Object.

Operation: New Branch

Activity: No Activity
Result: The CA creates and completes but the Proposed Object does not change.

Operation: New Branch

Activity: Change Maturity to: Obsolete
Result: Not selectable because a New Branch cannot have a maturity state change.

Operation: New Branch

Activity: Modify
Result: The CA creates and completes with a Branch change.

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Operation: Modify
Activity: No Activity
Results: The CA creates and completes but the Proposed Object does not change.

Operation: Modify
Activity: Modify
Results: The CA creates and completes with a change to the Proposed Object.

Operation: Modify
Activity: Change Maturity to: Obsolete
Results: The CA creates and the maturity state of the Proposed Object changes.

Change actions can contain one or many proposed changes.

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 b) Processing a Change Action

Objects in the Realized Change must be in a Frozen state to promote the CA to In Approval.
If the object is not in a Frozen state, ensure that you put it into a Frozen state to be able to move
forward with the CA lifecycle.

When a CA is in the In Work state, the Assignee can work outside the CA on the tasks needed
to complete the proposed change. After you complete all tasks for the change, the Assignee
promotes the CA to the In Approval state.

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After the Approver approves, the CA is in a Completed maturity state. The proposed change
now turns in to a Realized Change. The user can see the Realized Change object change its
maturity state to Released automatically after the CA completes.

c) Creating Change Actions from Issues

You create Change Actions for several different reasons and uses. If you create an Issue
within the platform, each Issue can have Change Actions created within it to resolve an Issue.

When you are within an Issue, you can select the Change Action icon from the Issue
Management widget.

When you create a Change Action from the Issue Management widget, you can save the
change action as a draft (Save as Draft) or go right to In Work. If you created the Change
Action after you already worked on, it is best to begin this in the In Work state. If you create
the Change Action before you complete any work, it is best to keep it in the Draft state.

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When you create a Change Action from the Issue Management widget, there are two ways
to access this Change Action. The first way is to use the Issue Management widget and go
to the Related Object(s) tab of the Issue. You use a Change Action in an Issue to resolve the
issue. Therefore, you can find the Change Action in the Resolved by section of the Related
Object(s) tab in the Issue. To open the Change Action, right-click it and Open with –
Change Action.

When you create the CA from the Issue, the Members, Name and Description of the Issue
all transfer to the CA. In addition, the Reported Against object also transfers to the CA as
the Proposed Change. Make sure that the appropriate members are in the original Issue and
the appropriate objects are in the Reported Against attribute. This ensures that all required
information transfers to the new Change Action.

From there, follow the normal process as a stand-alone change action and proceed with
closing out the CA.

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When you create a change action from an Issue, you also have the option to start the Change
Action widget. Then you can go through the change action from the widget instead of
starting it from within the Issue.

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7) Creating New Revisions
When you have a released object and want to create a new revision for that object, you can do
so using the Change Action Object.

1. After you create a Change Action, you start it in a Draft state. This allows you to add
appropriate Members and Proposed Changes.

2. After you are within the CA, you can add a proposed change to start a new revision.
Under the Proposed Changes tab, click the + icon and then click Add Proposed
Changes to display the options to add an object.

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 3. Search for the Proposed Object (or you can also drag from another widget) and make
sure that you added a CAD object that is in the Released state.

To create a new revision for an object, select Revision in the Operation field and then select
Modify in the Activity field. This begins the process of creating the next revision for the
Proposed Object.

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21
At this point, you see the released object in the Proposed Changes tab. If you go to the
Realized Changes tab, you do not see anything now because your CA is still in a Draft state.

After the Author or Owner of the change action reviews and confirms all proposed changes,
go to the Members tab. Add the appropriate members to the CA, so there is an Assignee and
an Approver.

After you enter all required data for the CA, change the maturity state of the CA.

After you change the CA to In Work, a new revision for the Proposed Change object(s)
creates and moves to the Realized Change tab.

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Both the CAD model and Physical Product new revisions create as shown previously. At this
point, the CA is In Work and the Assignee is working on it.

After the Assignee finishes their work on the object, they must change the maturity state of
the Realized Change object to Frozen. There are two options to change the maturity state of
the Realized Change.

The first option is to access the Collaborative Lifecycle from within SOLIDWORKS. The
second option is to open the Collaborative Lifecycle widget (other options outlined later in
the document) while in the web. Search for the Realized Change object. When you promote
the maturity state, verify that the object you selected is in the In Work state and is the correct
revision. In both cases, you must have the Work Under active on the appropriate CA.

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To Work Under the CA that we created, click the Hard Hat icon from the Collaborative
Lifecycle widget and then click Change Action.

Find the change action that you created and then click OK. The Hard Hat icon becomes
active and turns yellow to show that the Work Under feature is active.

Now promote the Object to Frozen.

The object promotes to the Frozen state. After verification, click the Hard Hat icon again and
turn off the Work Under feature so no other changes capture for this object.

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After you are back in the CA, refresh the CA to see the changes to the objects in the Realized
Changes tab.

The CA is now ready for approval by the approver listed in the Members tab. The assignee
changes the maturity state of the CA to In Approval to send a notification to the approver
that it is ready for them to review and approve.

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The approver receives a notification that there is a CA ready for them to approve.

The approver can click the link to the Approval task and start the task automatically with the
Route Management widget.

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The approver must now enter their comments and then can Approve, Reject or Abstain the
changes.

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After the approver approves the CA, the notifications show that the Approval Task
completed. The Route completed and the Change Action completed.

Navigate back to the CA and refresh the CA to see the final results.

The CA shows as Completed and the Realized Changes objects also shows as Released
with the new revision Released through the CA process.

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8) Working under a Change Action
a) Creating a CA from within SOLIDWORKS

From SOLIDWORKS, you can use the right pane window to create a Change Action based on
the new part or assembly you created with the Change Action widget. You did the same process
in the Web Client.

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b) Working Under a Change Action

Navigate to the CA using the Change Action widget as shown below. You must still be in
the SOLIDWORKS application and find the CA from within the SOLIDWORKS Connector
screen.

Before working under the CA, you must promote the maturity state from Draft to In Work.

The user can work under a change action regardless of whether there is a Proposed Change
within the CA or not.

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When you are working on a part or assembly that you have not checked in to the
3DEXPERIENCE environment, click the Hard Hat icon. This begins the process of getting
that part or assembly into the environment. After you click the Hard Hat icon, you get a
prompt for working under a change action. You then select which Change Action to work
under. This Change Action only contains a proposed change when you are working on a new
part or assembly that you introduced to the environment.

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The switch at the bottom of the Work Under form turns off the CA.

After the object within the CA moves to a Frozen state, the CA populates a Realized Change.
The realized change object modifies or changes maturity states (whatever you chose for the
operation when you created the CA), after you move the CA to the Complete state.

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9) Transferring Realized Changes
After a document is in the Realized Changes, you must process the CA to Complete or
Cancel.

If you have other licensing (Change Management option), you can transfer Realized
Changes to another CA for an early or delayed release or you can cancel a particular change.

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10) Best Practices When Using Change Action
a) Do Not Delete Assembly Objects on an Active CA

A few key things to keep in mind with the CA Work Under state. First, do not delete any
objects that an assembly uses on an active CA. This can cause a major issue with being able
to release the object or complete the CA.

b) Turn off the Work Under

Only use the work under feature in the CA:

 During the final check-in to add it to the realized changes

 When changing the lifecycle status
 When creating a new revision for an item listed in the proposed changes
Ensure that you turn off the work under immediately following the final step of the change
action process. This ensures that you do not add unrelated objects to the realized changes on
the CA. By waiting until the final check-in, you limit your risk of delaying the release of
content.

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