Article master data
Professional creation and maintenance of article master data and macro libraries for EPLAN Electric P8 to increase project planning efficiency.
FOUNDATION OF EFFICIENT PROJECT PLANNING
At Visuprojekt, we recognize the central importance of structured article master data for efficient electrical planning. Since 2007, we have been supporting companies in setting up and maintaining professional article databases and macro projects for EPLAN Electric P8. Our electrical engineering experts analyze your requirements, develop tailor-made data structures and implement sustainable master data management. With a well thought-out organization of your part data and intelligent macros, you can significantly speed up project planning time, increase data quality and improve the consistency of your documentation. Benefit from our extensive experience for optimal article master data management.
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Quality features that make our services reliable, efficient & future-proof.
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Project planning
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Representation
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Materials management
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Knowledge management
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Results
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We, Visuprojekt, are your professional partner when it comes to electrical engineering planning, consulting or CAE electrical design - let us support you and develop your electrical circuit diagram with our help and CAE EPLAN. Since each circuit diagram should be optimized.
With our twelve electrical designers and electrical engineers from Visuprojekt, we are represented throughout Germany and can always provide you with flexible support.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions with answers about our article master data.
How many articles should we enter in our EPLAN article database?
The optimum size of your article database depends heavily on your specific requirements. Our experience shows that quality over quantity is the key to success. Instead of a complete capture of all components ever used, we recommend a focused approach that concentrates on your standard items and frequently used components. Typically, 500-2,000 carefully selected items already cover 80-90% of regular demand. This core item database should be supplemented with special project items, whereby we implement processes to transfer regularly used project items to the standard stock. This pragmatic approach maximizes benefits with minimal maintenance and delivers quick results instead of an oversized, difficult to maintain database.
Which article data is particularly important for efficient electrical planning?
Certain item data is particularly valuable for efficient electrical planning. In addition to basic information such as a unique article number, precise type designation and manufacturer details, you need technical data that EPLAN uses for evaluations and tests. Functional classifications (DIN EN 81346), clear symbol assignments and technical properties such as connection diagrams, dimensions and performance values are particularly important. Order and ERP information, standards and approvals as well as document references are also relevant for complete documentation. Practice shows: Precise connection definitions, detailed technical functions and correct article variants are particularly valuable. We help you to identify precisely the data fields that are most useful in your specific context and avoid superfluous information that only increases the maintenance effort.
How do we integrate article master data into our existing ERP system?
The integration of EPLAN article master data with your ERP system creates considerable synergies and eliminates duplication of work. We implement a bidirectional data exchange that optimally utilizes the strengths of both systems. Typically, commercial data (article numbers, prices, suppliers) is maintained in ERP and synchronized to EPLAN, while technical data is managed in EPLAN and transferred to ERP as required. This integration takes place in several steps: First, we analyze the data structures of both systems and define mapping rules for relevant fields. We then configure suitable interfaces - depending on the system via ODBC connections, XML exports or special middleware. Our experts have extensive experience with common ERP systems such as SAP, Microsoft Dynamics and many industry solutions. This integration allows you to eliminate redundancies, speed up ordering processes and ensure consistent data across all areas of the company.
How long does it take to set up a professional article database?
The time it takes to build a professional article database depends on several factors, including scope, initial situation and available resources. We take an agile, multi-stage approach that combines quick wins with long-term development. Typically, we create a basic database with your 100-300 most important standard articles within 4-8 weeks, which can be used productively immediately. Subsequent expansion takes place in parallel with day-to-day business over a period of 3-12 months. We need around 2-3 weeks to initially set up the database structure and processes. The actual creation of articles can take place at a rate of 10-30 articles per day, depending on the complexity and availability of information. We offer flexible models - from our specialists taking over the complete database setup to supporting and training your own employees for continuous data entry.
What types of macros should we create for our EPLAN projects?
A strategically structured macro library should contain a balanced combination of different macro types. It is sensible to arrange them according to complexity: basic macros represent individual devices with typical wiring and cover your standard range. Function macros combine several components to form a technical function, for example motor outputs or measuring circuits. More complex assembly macros represent complete subsystems such as control systems or drive groups. For maximum efficiency, we recommend the use of intelligent macros with switchable value sets that enable variant parameterization. The optimal macro mix depends heavily on your typical projects - together we analyze your most common circuit patterns and identify the most worthwhile macro candidates. Our experience shows: 50-100 strategically selected, easily parameterizable macros often already cover 70-80% of the project planning requirements and offer an optimal ratio between creation effort and efficiency gain.
How do we ensure the long-term quality of our article master data?
The sustainable quality assurance of your article master data requires a systematic approach. We implement a multi-level concept that combines technical measures with organizational processes. At a technical level, we integrate automated check routines in EPLAN that check new and changed articles for completeness and consistency. Clear mandatory fields and validation rules prevent the entry of incomplete data. Organizationally, we establish defined release processes with clear responsibilities and regular quality reviews. Structured change management for updates and the integration of the EPLAN Data Portal for automatic manufacturer data updates are particularly important. We train your employees comprehensively in data quality principles and provide detailed guidelines. Optionally, we offer regular quality checks and support with data maintenance. This holistic strategy ensures that your article master data is not only initially of high quality, but that its quality is maintained and continuously improved in the long term.
Can we use article master data for international projects with different standards?
Absolutely - a well-designed article master data structure provides optimum support for international project planning. We implement a multilingual database concept that takes into account different languages and normative requirements. The article data is recorded with language-independent technical properties and supplemented with language-specific translations for designations, labels and documentation notes. We integrate standard-specific properties for different standards, for example UL characteristics for the American market or China Compulsory Certification information for Asian projects. The use of the EPLAN Data Standard (EDS), which is already designed for international usability, is particularly efficient. We implement methods for the country-specific selection of article variants and for the automatic adaptation of representations to local conventions. With this approach, you can easily create your documentation in different languages and according to different national requirements - a decisive advantage for international projects or global sales activities.
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