CAD metadata fields missing from compliance reports after regulatory export template update

PLM Aras Innovator
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1

After updating our regulatory export template last month, exported compliance reports no longer include required CAD metadata fields. The reports are generating successfully, but critical fields like material specifications, surface finish requirements, and coating information are missing from the exported data.

I’ve checked the export template configuration and the CAD metadata field mappings appear correct. The fields are populated on the CAD items themselves - I can see the data in the Aras UI. But when I run the compliance export, those specific CAD metadata fields don’t appear in the output XML.

Here’s the field mapping section from the template:

<FieldMapping>
  <Field source="material_spec" target="MaterialSpecification" />
  <Field source="surface_finish" target="SurfaceFinish" />
</FieldMapping>

This is causing regulatory submission delays because we have to manually add the missing CAD metadata to the reports before submission. Has anyone dealt with CAD metadata not exporting after template updates?

2

Your issue stems from multiple configuration problems that need to be addressed systematically:

1. Export Template Configuration: Your field mapping is incomplete. You need to specify the source itemtype and relationship path:

<FieldMapping sourceType="CAD Document">
  <Relationship name="Part CAD" />
  <Field source="material_spec" target="MaterialSpecification" />
  <Field source="surface_finish" target="SurfaceFinish" />
  <Field source="coating_info" target="CoatingInformation" />
</FieldMapping>

This tells the export engine to traverse from Part to CAD Document via the Part CAD relationship, then extract the specified fields.

2. Field Mapping Validation: The export template performs validation before executing the export. Your template update may have broken the validation:

  • Verify that source field names exactly match the property names on the CAD Document itemtype
  • Check that target field names match the schema definition in your compliance export format
  • Ensure data types are compatible (text fields mapping to text targets, etc.)

Run the template validation tool to identify any mapping mismatches. Common issues:

  • Source field names are case-sensitive
  • Property names may differ from display labels
  • Calculated fields require special handling

3. CAD Metadata Schema: Update your export schema to include the CAD metadata fields:

  • The schema defines which fields are valid export targets
  • If your template maps to fields not defined in the schema, they’re silently excluded
  • Add schema definitions for MaterialSpecification, SurfaceFinish, and CoatingInformation
  • Specify data types, required status, and validation rules in the schema

Your regulatory export format likely has a schema definition file (XSD or similar) that needs to be updated to include the CAD metadata fields.

Additional Considerations:

  • Permissions: Verify that the export job identity has read access to CAD Document properties. Export processes often run under a system identity that may not have the same permissions as interactive users.
  • Data Population: Confirm that the CAD metadata fields are actually populated on all items being exported. Empty fields may be excluded from the export output depending on your template settings.
  • Template Versioning: If you updated the template, make sure you’re running exports with the new template version, not a cached old version.

Testing Approach:

  1. Create a test export template that only includes the CAD metadata fields
  2. Run the test export on a single Part with known CAD metadata
  3. Verify the output includes all expected fields
  4. If successful, merge the working configuration into your full compliance export template
  5. If unsuccessful, check the export log for validation errors

Resolution Steps:

  1. Update field mappings to include source itemtype and relationship path
  2. Validate all source field names against CAD Document property definitions
  3. Update export schema to include CAD metadata field definitions
  4. Verify export job permissions on CAD Document properties
  5. Test with a subset of data before running full regulatory exports

Once these configurations are corrected, your compliance exports should include all required CAD metadata fields. The export engine needs explicit instructions on how to navigate from Part to CAD Document and which fields to extract - it won’t infer these relationships automatically.

3

You need to add a relationship traversal to your export template. The template needs to navigate from Part to CAD Document via the relationship, then extract the metadata fields from the CAD Document. Without proper relationship navigation, the export engine can’t find the fields you’re trying to map.

4

I’ve seen this issue before. When you updated the export template, did you also update the schema definition? The export engine validates field mappings against the schema, and if the schema doesn’t include the CAD metadata fields, they’ll be silently excluded from the export even if they’re mapped correctly in the template.

5

Good point. I checked and the fields are defined on the CAD Document itemtype, but I think our export template is querying from Part. How would I modify the template to pull from the related CAD Document instead?

6

Another possibility is that the CAD metadata fields have property permissions that restrict export access. Check if the identity running the export job has read permissions on those specific fields. If permissions are missing, the export will skip those fields without throwing an error - it just excludes them from the output.

7

Check if your CAD metadata fields are defined at the CAD item level or at the CAD document level. The export template might be querying the wrong itemtype. If the fields are on the CAD Document but your template is pulling from CAD Part, the fields won’t be found.