So what is it about Aras Innovator that keeps Enterprises and Users alike coming back for more? For starters, it’s completely different from any other PLM product in the marketplace. When you compare Aras Innovator with other enterprise software applications and platforms it stands out as uniquely flexible, open, and easy to use. But what does that mean?
Well, I went on the hunt to find out. Rob McAveney, one of our product guru's, was extremely helpful in answering my questions. Here's what Rob had to say:
Aras is Flexible and Extensible: With Aras Innovator, extensibility was key from the beginning. We [the architects] had all been in the PLM market in a variety of rolls and knew that we had to have a flexible data-modeling tool, with a slew of built-in behaviors, and a solid API with a rich-event model to make real change in the market. Since everything is open there's always a decent starting point, so you never have to start from scratch. From as out of the box to as custom as you want to be you are free, and in fact encouraged, to extend just about anything or just stick to the best practices already enabled.
Aras is User Friendly: Every tool claims to be user friendly. What makes Aras Innovator truly so? It all starts with a familiar look and feel. From there the integrated search; including both simple and advanced functions with a wildcard option, to the configurable forms make Aras easily look and feel exactly like whatever it is your users are already comfortable with. Want to replicate that paper based form? Go for it. And consistency is leveraged throughout the application. The same UI edits a BOM, writes a work instruction, and attaches deliverables to the project. That is something truly unique to Aras.
Aras is Dynamic: Changes you make to Aras Innovator are immediately reflected in the application. No recompiling. No restarting services. Nothing of the sort. Do you know how impactful that is? Talk about making the life of every user and developer easier – downtime isn’t a factor when planning a change. The Aras Innovator platform detects changes, adjusts accordingly and keeps right on going.
Aras is Self-Describing (and then some): Ok so this one is definitely for the more technical folks. There are a number of self-describing systems out there. Typically these systems allow you to inspect the definition of an object/entity without having to dig into code. For example, you can find out that "Part" objects have a "Part Number" attribute or that "Purchase Order" entities may be in "Pending" or "Approved" states.
Aras Innovator takes this concept further. With Aras, you learn about behaviors, like whether revisions are tracked or what workflows are enabled, the real details behind those behaviors. Revision schemes, workflow steps, the details behind the details, and so on. In fact, you can get all the way down to the root class and inspect that if you wish. Better yet, Aras Innovator allows you to accomplish this either through its standard browser-based UI, the same one end-users use, through the API, or using a simple SOAP message.
Aras is Open and Standards-Based: Aras Innovator is an open platform by design. The entire application, including its data model and business logic, is exposed through a web service using open standards such as HTTP, XML and SOAP. There are no proprietary macro languages or protocols – the only things to learn are a simple XML dialect and a well-documented API. Even at the application level, packaged solutions are based on industry standards, such as PMI, CMII and APQP.
Aras Is Addictive: After using Innovator for a while, building solutions with it becomes second nature. And addictive. The possibilities are so endless that sometimes deciding what not to do is harder than deciding what to do. Get a few small solutions under your belt, and you'll find yourself looking for new challenges to take on. Don't believe me? Only one way to find out…
After hearing from Rob, why not take a test drive? New to Aras? Download the application and get going. Already been utilizing the Aras Innovator PLM suite for a while and want to try an add-on? Jump over here and search some of the possibilities already published by our rich community. What add-on would you like to build?