Picture the scene: you're just about to click "Save" when the screen turns a lovely shade of crimson.
Or you get a call from a colleague describing their latest spectacular crash.
We've all known occasional unhappy experiences with CAD...
Here's my take on troubleshooting, with a focus on Pro/ENGINEER, but with principles that probably apply elsewhere too.
I'm sure you can add your own, and we can have a follow-up article...
First of all, you must try the obvious answer... even if you're assured that it's already been done. Set your mind at ease, avoid unnecessary assumptions, and get yourself a starting point. I've lost track of the number of times I've discovered simple solutions to seemingly difficult problems, just because we didn't start at the basics.
Check whether the issue repeats itself with a homely regularity, or whether it was a unique combination of events.
Note any error messages, particularly any unusual word or phrases... these are vital if you need to search for help.
I make a script available to users, so they can quickly bundle the appropriate files at time of incident (eg: trail.*, std.err, std.out, .proi.log.*, etc).
This allows you to dissect the files later, and compare/contrast the lead-up to different crashes.
Sometimes, the answer is not obvious, or it's a known software issue or hardware conflict. If you're a maintenance-paying customer, use your tech support people (and justify all that money you spend!!). Once you've successfully communicated the issue (sometimes the trickiest part), there's a fair chance they've seen it before, or can get a fix for you. Also, it's well worth frequenting at least one independent source of help. Here are a few highly recommended help-sources, particularly aimed at Pro/ENGINEER... with any web search, start with any unusual words or phrases you noted earlier.
I once mentioned to fellow CAD users that I set aside some time each week to read exploder emails, forum posts, etc... and they responded, "what, during working hours?!" as if it was a terrible thing to do at work... but I still maintain that this is time well spent (obviously as long as it doesn't interfere with urgent tasks!). Speaking for myself, I've saved hours of work (and probably thousands of dollars) with help from people on the exploders and forums. And I've hopefully been able to help others too, in a give-and-take kind of way...
Note: This article also appears on Pro/E Digital Digest, where I'll continue to write a regular column on CADmin and Pro/E issues.
