About Edit Session
This section contains information about designs and design management. Refer to the topics in this section for help in creating designs, making changes to design properties, working with different design formats, and linking designs to work requests. Consult the section entitled Work Locations for information about constructing a design with the Design Assistant.
A design is a set of textual and spatial data describing specifications that satisfy the requirements of a particular work request. A design must accompany a work request when the work request is submitted for construction. The Bentley OpenUtilities Workflow Manager component manages designs separately from work requests and stores designs in the My Designs folder.
A typical design using Workflow Manager and Design Assistant consists of complex data that is added to the design record as you proceed with design work:
- When you first create a design, the design data consists of basic information (such as the name of the design and a description).
- As you construct a design layout in the GIS using the Design Assistant, the system retrieves and organizes the design's spatial data (its lines, points, and areas). This information produces the work locations for the design.
- As you assign features and units at the design's work locations, the design acquires materials specifications and cost data.
- As you make refinements to the design (modifying its assigned features and compatible units, adjusting for special labor or materials costs, and optimizing the overall design), the system updates the design data.
- When you associate or attach the design to a work request, design data is stored with the work request.
A design is linked to a work request as either an attached design or an associated design. An associated design has a temporary or provisional relationship with a work request; an attached design is meant for implementation. For more information about attached and associated designs, see Linking Designs to Work Requests.