Dear CADISON client,

We have the pleasure to present you the first Version of our CADISON Technical Newsletter.
This technical release gives you the information on CADISON, its new functionalities, changes, tips and tricks, etc. and is supposed to be serialised on a monthly basis to help you when working with CADISON.  

The following topics (just a mouse click away) are as follows:

• Optimization of your requests to our Hotline
• CADISON P&ID-Designer based on Microsoft Visio 
• Complementary Steel workstation CADISON Steel
• Possible critical error in a project database with more than 45.000 objects
• Imprint

We hope you will like our new release and look forward to receiving your feedback!

With best regards,

Maiya Atanayeva
International Sales Assistant

ITandFactory GmbH

We would like to thank you for your positive feedback and comments we received recently regarding our CADISON Hotline! As practice shows the client?s satisfaction depends on how fast his request is received and how effectively it is processed. The optimal way: you send us e-mail explaining your problem. This way enables us to receive and process faster your request for the following reasons:

• Every Hotline team member has an access to your written request
• We can forward your requests to the experts from the respective area
• We analyze your problem and contact you directly
• Contact takes place either by phone or in a written form. Alternatively, there is possibillity for contacting via Netviewer (Remote support)
• So we can ask you questions and offer solutions to you directly
• The same day you get a written answer

Our Hotline e-mail is hotline@cadison.com.
We look forward to helping you!

back to overview

With our new product CADISON Visio P&ID-Designer you can create proffesionally operational flow diagrams and P&ID diagrams based on Visio. Thus, this intelligent data management with CADISON enables better management, documentation and analysis of the processes. 

Many software programs require graphical skills when working with graphics. But if you work with CADISON Visio P&ID-Designer it will take you a shorter learning time to create P&ID diagrams by yourself. CADISON database contains all that planned objects.

The intuitive symbol placement functions in Microsoft Visio allow for easier creation of P&ID with the help of CADISON.

Every user is able at every time to configurate individually his own desktop with the branch specific symbols (like valves, containers, pumps etc).

Often used symbols can be assigned to Favorites with just a mouse klick.

 
CADISON Visio P&ID contains certainly all CADISON functions, such as creation of new symbols etc. All symbols created in CADISON P&ID-Designer are easy to import to Visio environment.

Note: CADISON Visio P&ID-Designer is an independent workstation that enables creation of P&ID with no AutoCAD needed.

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CADISON Steel is an independent software solution  that in combination with CADISON meets all the requirements of steel construction from projecting edge models to the detailed work shop drawings incl. material lists in the plant engineering steel area.

CADISON Steel is fully integrated in CADISON.

CADISON Steel can be used as an independent software solution (with AutoCAD).

3D Functions:

• Extremely rapid constructions in CADISON, such as platforms, stairs, ladders etc
• User-friendly enter masks allow an intuitive construction mode
• All changes in the enter masks are synchronized with the construction diagram
• CADISON Steel offers advantageous section functions.

Generation of drawings:

• Exact evaluation of planned elements and material lists is possible at every time
• Drawing generation for steel block diagrams and detailed work shop drawings are created in the system as the separate drawings
• All components are measured and marked automatically

Special functions:
CADISON Steel offers unfolded sheets for excentric and concentric cones, as well as for end plates.  

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We would like to make you aware that if the project databases contain more than 45.000 objects it can lead to some critical errors in CADISON. The problem solutions are as well given for your awareness. The data size of a database is not to consider: it is only important to know the number of objects saved in database and number of object interconnections. Below is the description and the solution of the problem.

Background information

Certain number of database objects and object interconnections activate different CADISON automatic functions in the CADISON database kernel when searching for objects. It means there are two different functions in CADISON to deal with objects and which have been invented to get an optimal performance-memory requirements ratio. Precisely to say, there is a specific mechanism in CADISON activated by quick search of objects (number of objects is small) but which requires a large memory storage on the client-computer.

By a certain object number and object interconnections the other mechanism is activated to reduce the usage of memory storage and to avoid the removal from CADISON workstation main storage to hard disk (this removal takes place automatically if there is an insufficient storage in the operating system, it requires much performance though). 

The "critical" number of the objects in database is 45.000.

As soon as the number reaches more than 45.000 objects and when first accessing the project database the storage-optimizing function is activated in the database kernel. This long-lasting activation takes place every time CADISON is in use. It means that e.g. when accessing from Project-Engineer its respective database that storage-optimizing function is activated even if it deals with smaller database. The standard access function is activated back by restart of Project-Engineer only.

To get the real number of database objects you may use Versant Programm DB2TTY.EXE. The syntax to be used is:

            DB2TTY -D <Projectdatabasename> phi_WorldObject

In the "<Project database name>" please enter the name of the project database. When using this function for prompt (entry) you will get an output. The current number of the database objects is displayed in the last column ("<x>" shows this number):

****** Total <x> instances of class 'phi_WorldObject' ******

The "critical" number of object interconnections in database is about 1.000.

If a database contains more than 1.000 sub-objects connected structurally to it, other storage-optimizing access functions are activated when accessing these sub-objects instead of traditional CADISON database kernel storage-optimizing functions. There is no easy way of identifying the current number of object interconnections though.

Description of the problem and symptoms

This storage-optimizing functions can negatively affect both Versant and other parts of the database kernel. For example incorrect  information of certain database objects can be saved in the memory storage of CADISON workstation thus, undermining the integrity of the whole data in the memory storage. It is not possible to anticipate which incorrect information is saved in the memory, neither there are clear symptoms that identify the problem.

Currently there are two types of symptoms known: if certain information/data is not saved in the database or if CADISON shuts down with Versant error message "E3003 NET_ENOPN: Connection is not opened".

One project object has been registering the problems when saving changes in the database. Some data arrays have been changed (e.g. "User array 1") in the project object of Project-Engineer without being saved in the database, neither error message was displayed. This problem arose in some cases only (not always) in certain data arrays.
Shuts down with error message E3003 can take place in different cases, partly when opening a project, partly when working further-on with CADISON.

Solution of the problem

The storage-optimizing access functions are deactivated in the database kernel when adding the following entries in CADISON.INI. Working on CADISON workstations we advice you to add the following entries in CADISON.INI precisely in the line section [PHi_CADISON]:

 [PHi-CADISON]
SELECT_ON_WOCOUNT=-1
AVOID_DB_QUERY=ON

With entry "SELECT_ON_WOCOUNT=-1" you can prevent checking the number of the project objects (45.000) and with "AVOID_DB_QUERY=ON" - number of the sub-projects (1.000).

These settings are available in old CADISON versions too: CADISON R5 supports entry "SELECT_ON_WOCOUNT" and CADISON R6 has the entry "AVOID_DB_QUERY".

The problem will be completely removed in CADISON R9. There will no be necessity of adding entries in CADISON.INI (further-on supported though)

back to overview

We hope you liked this newsletter edition.

This newsletter is a service of ITandFactory GmbH.
To unsubscribe or to comment on this newsletter, please send an informal email to newsletter@ITandFactory.com.

For more information please have a look at our website www.cadison.com.