For many years, SOLIDWORKS PDM has been a powerful tool for managing product data and maintaining control over revisions and approvals. But one limitation has always stood out — PDM traditionally required a local installation to access its full functionality.
That’s where PDM Web Services come in.
This newer capability allows users to securely access PDM data from a browser, a mobile device, or another enterprise application — without installing the PDM client. In other words, you can connect to your vault from virtually anywhere and extend PDM’s value to more people across your organization.
Why Web Services Matter
At xLM Solutions, we’re seeing growing demand for web-based connectivity between systems. Whether you’re integrating PDM with ERP, feeding data into a manufacturing execution system, or enabling remote users to view product information, Web Services provide a standardized and supported way to make that happen.
Web Services expose core PDM functionality — such as authentication, search, and metadata retrieval — through RESTful APIs. This allows your applications to communicate directly with PDM, providing the flexibility to:
- Create lightweight web or mobile interfaces for non-engineering users
- Integrate PDM data into ERP or PLM systems
- Develop AI-powered agents that use PDM data for analysis or automation
Inside the Demo
In my recent demonstration, I walked through how to enable PDM Web Services within the SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration Tool. Once configured, you can log in using secure tokens, search vault data, and retrieve file metadata — all from a web page or .NET Core application and making use of PDM RESTful web services.
The process is straightforward:
- Enable Web Services and add your PDM vault.
- Authenticate to generate an access token.
- Query the vault to retrieve search results or metadata.
To show its flexibility, I replicated the same workflow through both a simple JavaScript web page and a .NET Core app, proving how easily these APIs can be adapted for different environments.
Practical Benefits for Teams
For organizations with distributed users or multiple sites, PDM Web Services can significantly simplify access and integration. You can reduce the need for local installations, minimize IT maintenance, and make PDM data available where it’s most needed — securely and efficiently.
The beauty of this approach is that it builds on Dassault’s own framework, ensuring compatibility and future support while allowing xLM to customize implementations based on your environment and business goals.
Ready to Extend Your SOLIDWORKS PDM Functionality?
At xLM Solutions, we help companies implement and tailor Web Services for their SOLIDWORKS PDM systems — whether that means building custom dashboards, integrating ERP systems, or developing lightweight applications for remote teams.
If you’d like to see what this looks like in action, I invite you to check out the demo.
- Watch the Demo Video
- Explore the PDM Web Services Tool Page
- Contact xLM Solutions to discuss how Web Services can extend your PDM functionality across your business.
