Use Case · Data & Migration
Before You Migrate, Understand What You Have
Most PLM migration programs encounter the same problem: the data going in is less clean than anyone expected. ShapeSense gives engineering and transformation teams visibility into what exists, what overlaps, and what is actually worth migrating — before the project timeline is set.
What Makes PLM Migration Harder Than It Should Be
Engineering repositories accumulate decades of decisions — parts that were designed multiple times, drawings that were revised and never reconciled, components that exist in three systems under four different part numbers. When a migration program begins, that complexity doesn’t disappear. It surfaces, usually at the worst possible moment.
Hidden duplication
The same component designed multiple times across programs, business units, or acquired companies. Migrating duplicates compounds the problem rather than solving it.
Obsolete and overlapping assets
Legacy drawings, superseded revisions, and near-identical part variants that nobody has reviewed in years — but that no one has formally retired either.
No baseline of what exists
Without a structured view of the engineering estate, migration scope decisions are made on estimates rather than evidence.
Data quality discovered late
Quality issues found mid-migration are expensive. Found before migration begins, they’re manageable.
Engineering Estate Visibility Before the Migration Clock Starts
ShapeSense reads CAD geometry, engineering drawings, and legacy engineering records to build a structured view of what exists across your repositories — before a single record is moved.
Duplicate and near-duplicate parts
Geometrically similar components across programs, business units, or legacy systems — even when part numbers, descriptions, and formats differ.
Revision and obsolescence patterns
Parts with high revision density, superseded designs, and drawings that indicate rework or design instability — signals of what’s safe to archive versus what needs careful handling.
Reuse candidates
Components that already exist in the engineering estate that new programs could draw from, reducing post-migration duplication from day one.
Repository-level overlap
For organizations managing multiple CAD repositories or consolidating after an acquisition, ShapeSense identifies structural overlap between repositories before consolidation decisions are made.
Works Alongside Your PLM Program, Not Instead of It
ShapeSense doesn’t replace your PLM system or your migration partner. It gives your program team an engineering intelligence layer they currently don’t have — answering questions that PLM deployment tools and system integrators aren’t built to answer.
Pre-migration scoping
Before the migration business case is finalized, use ShapeSense to understand actual data volume, duplication rate, and rationalization opportunity. Scope decisions made on real data are more defensible than estimates.
Data preparation and validation
During data preparation, ShapeSense flags duplicates and near-duplicates for engineering review — reducing the volume of records requiring manual validation.
Post-migration rationalization
After migration, ShapeSense helps teams identify what came across that shouldn’t have, and what consolidation work remains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can ShapeSense help before a PLM migration?
Yes. Before migrating engineering data into a PLM platform, organizations often need to understand what exists across CAD repositories, shared drives, legacy systems, and engineering documents. ShapeSense helps uncover duplicate designs, overlapping engineering assets, reusable components, and repository-level similarities — allowing organizations to make more informed decisions about what should be migrated, archived, consolidated, or reused.
Can ShapeSense compare two engineering repositories?
Yes. ShapeSense can analyze engineering data across CAD, drawings, and legacy engineering records to identify similarities, overlaps, reusable assets, and consolidation opportunities. This is particularly valuable during mergers and acquisitions, engineering consolidations, repository modernization initiatives, and PLM transformation programs.
How is ShapeSense different from a PLM system?
PLM systems are designed to govern engineering information through workflows, revisions, configurations, and lifecycle processes. ShapeSense is designed to discover relationships, opportunities, and actionable intelligence across engineering data — helping organizations understand and extract value from engineering knowledge before, during, and after PLM initiatives.
Can ShapeSense support engineering data rationalization?
Yes. ShapeSense helps organizations identify duplicate designs, overlapping part families, reusable assets, and consolidation opportunities across large engineering repositories — enabling engineering teams to rationalize their data estate and make more informed decisions during transformation programs.
Working Through a PLM Migration or Consolidation?
Most conversations start with a 30-minute look at a sample of your engineering data. No commitment, no migration required.
No commitment · Typical demo takes 30 minutes