A new version of the Engineering and Equipment Data Management Service (EDMS) – a system used to manage technical data and data concerning CERN equipment – is now available.
A unique interface for all data linked to CERN’s engineering work, EDMS currently stores more than 1.2 million documents containing almost 2 million files, guaranteeing the transfer of protected information and knowledge to future generations of engineers and scientists at CERN, be it the design data and documentation for a specific object (technical specifications, test procedures, non-conformities, drawings, etc.) or technical information about the laboratory’s infrastructure and scientific equipment.
In a few months, the new EDMS 6 system will definitively replace the current system, offering its 13,000 users a more modern and intuitive interface that meets their expectations. “We've been working in close collaboration with some of the system’s most frequent users to develop this new version of EDMS,” says Aleksandra Wardzinska, EDMS 6 Project Leader. “We carried out the first tests in January 2013 with a panel of key users, thanks to whom we were able to improve the system and integrate some new functions that they really wanted.”
These new functions include a simple drag-and-drop method for downloading EDMS files, an improved tree structure and easy right-click access to certain options, to name just a few. “We wanted to make this interface more interactive and user-friendly for everyone,” says Rachel Bray, Product Lifecycle Management and Document Management Specialist. “It will make life much easier for new arrivals and members of the personnel who are less familiar with EDMS, as well as for those who use it every day.”
The new version of EDMS, which can already be accessed from the interface of the current system, will continue to evolve over the next few months (keep an eye on the News panel of the new EDMS 6 home page for updates on these changes and consult the tutorials here). To continue improving this new management system, its team of developers needs you! So start using EDMS 6 today and send your comments to edms.support@cern.ch.