Case Study
Orcale Agile to Aras Innovator Migration: Enabling Secure, Dynamic Partner Access in Manufacturing PLM
Solution
Access Control Automation | PLM Migration
Industry
Manufacturing
Core Technology
PLM
Overview
A critical requirement within PLM systems is secure and controlled data access, within the organization, and without, i.e. external partners.
As part of their PLM modernization mandate, a strategic migration from Oracle Agile PLM to Aras Innovator was in order for our client, a global manufacturing giant in digital cinema technology.
Despite Aras’s power flexibility and configurability, implementing dynamic, field-based access control for partner users posed a key challenge during the migration. Standard configurations alone could not achieve that, and a more specialized approach was in order. Harnessing Aras Innovator’s advanced capabilities, Xavor designed and implemented a scalable, secure, and dynamic access control solution.
Business Challenge
The client, a global leader in the media technology manufacturing space, required a highly controlled partner access model with the following conditions:
- External partner access limited only to items and related changes in the Released state
- All Unreleased parts to remain invisible, even if associated to the respective partner
- Dynamic access adjustment based on field-level values
-
Strictly restricted modification rights:
Objects editable only by the group defined in a specific field.
No modification allowed for all other users, even with general access - An additional usability challenge post migration was visibility for partners into historical released revisions.
There is robust access control through identities and permissions in Aras Innovator, out-of-the-box,. However, the client needed:
- Dynamic, context-driven access
- State-based visibility control
- Field-level conditional logic
- Granular edit restrictions
This necessitated a customized solution, not only scalable, but uncompromising on system performance or maintainability.
The xavor approach
We designed a hybrid access control mechanism, leveraging a number of advanced Aras features:
1. Derived Attributes for Dynamic Logic
We introduced Derived Attributes to act as decision drivers for access policies and dynamically evaluate:
Whether a user belongs to a partner group associated with the item
Whether the item is in a Released state
Whether the user should have view or edit permissions
3. Relationship-Based Partner Mapping
- To manage partner associations efficiently:
A custom relationship tab was introduced on key objects (Parts, Documents, Changes) - Partner groups were mapped through this relationship
- These mappings were used to:
- Fetch group identities
- Feed into Derived Attributes
- Drive MAC policy conditions
This approach provided flexibility, scalability, and easy maintenance
2. MAC (Mandatory Access Control) Policies
We enforced conditional access rules using Aras Innovator’s MAC Policies:
Visibility restricted to Released items only
Access granted only if:
– User belongs to associated partner group
– AND item meets defined lifecycle
conditions
For modification control:
Edit rights were dynamically granted based on field-driven group association
Even privileged users were restricted unless explicitly allowed
4. Controlled Visibility of Historical Revisions
Partners initially faced challenges in accessing previously released revisions. To resolve this:- We configured Saved Searches in Aras Innovator
- These searches:
- Filtered only Released revisions
- Were shared exclusively with partner users
- Covered Parts, Documents, and CAD Documents
Key outcomes
The implemented solution delivered:
- Granular, field-based access control
- State-driven visibility enforcement
- Strict edit restrictions based on dynamic conditions
- Secure collaboration with external partners
- Improved user experience through curated search views
- Scalable architecture aligned with future business needs
Business Impact
This solution empowered our client to:
- Collaborate securely with external partners
- Maintain full control over lifecycle-based visibility
- Protect sensitive product data
- Enhance operational efficiency without compromising security
- Ensure compliance with internal governance policies
conclusion
By combining Derived Attributes, MAC Policies, and relationship-driven configurations, we successfully implemented a dynamic and secure access control framework that goes beyond traditional PLM capabilities.
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