Once you have chosen a product data management system (PDM) the next step is the implementation and adaptation of the system to your company specific circumstances. For this we suggest a gradual approach. At the date of the implementation a concept for extension is developed which determines the future upgrading steps. Thus the initial expense can be kept small, the upgrade can be adjusted to the customer's financial capacities and possibly a small functional overlap with an existing production planning system can be achieved. Once all preparations are made the next step is a system test in a delimited testing area. If the tests are completed successfully the gradual transfer to the organisational units follows.

In oder to do justice to recurring requirement changes and to consequential expansions of the application two approaches have to be:

• Expansion of the system specific functionalities, if possible on the basis of an open system architecture according to a reference model or
• Integration of PDM systems into a network between several companies.

At an expansion of functions, system specific items are altered or newly created via an application programming interface (API). Here you can differentiate between function expansions and data model expansions. Function expansions are realized by programs which are integrated into the PDM system. A data model expansion means the introduction of items and structure relations which can always be deducted from existing item classes and relations.

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