Teamcenter 13.

Getting Started
with
Customization
PLM00003 - 13.0
 Contents

Basic concepts for customization

What is Teamcenter? ─────────────────────────────────── 1-1
What can I customize? ────────────────────────────────── 1-1
How does it work? ───────────────────────────────────── 1-2
How is it organized? ──────────────────────────────────── 1-2

Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0 PLM00003 13.0 2

© 2020 Siemens
 Basic concepts for customization
In order to customize Teamcenter, you must understand certain basic concepts.

• What is Teamcenter?

• What can I customize?

• How does it work?

• How is it organized?

What is Teamcenter?

At its core, Teamcenter is a manager for your company's information. The Teamcenter server process
(tcserver) is where business logic takes place. It also maintains two permanent storage solutions:

• Teamcenter volumes
Volumes are OS directory structures maintained by Teamcenter's File Management System (FMS).
This system is responsible for delivering files to and from volumes; it is also responsible for client-side
caching. All components of Teamcenter must access the FMS in order to work with files.

• Third-party relational database

Non-file information, also known as metadata, is stored in a relational database management system
(RDBMS); the tcserver process only works with metadata on a temporary basis.
Regardless of the user logging in to Teamcenter, Teamcenter always connects to the RDBMS as a
single user. User access and permissions are determined by the tcserver process, not the RDBMS.

Caution:
Direct manipulation of either of these storage solutions is unsupported and can cause irreparable
corruption of your information. When customizing, only use supported and documented
Teamcenter programming interfaces to access information managed by Teamcenter.

What can I customize?

You can customize nearly every aspect of Teamcenter, including:

• User interface
You can customize the user interface (UI) by adding pages or tabs, arranging properties, changing
icons, arranging commands, and so on. Following are the main Teamcenter clients:

• Active Workspace

Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0 PLM00003 13.0 3

© 2020 Siemens
 A separate Siemens Digital Industries Software product which ships with its own documentation.
This client uses modern web-based design, and can be customized using JavaScript, JSON, XML,
and HTML.

• Rich Client
A Java client, utilizing the Eclipse platform plug-in architecture, which can be customized using Java
and Eclipse's Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT).

• Behavior
You can change core Teamcenter behavior by writing extensions to existing operations, or writing
new operations using the Business Modeler IDE. Common examples include:

• Workflow handlers.

• Runtime properties.

• Pre- or post-actions on existing operations.

• Data Model
You can change the data model, creating new objects and properties using the Business Modeler IDE.

• Localization
You can change object and property names as well as error messages based on the user's language
using the TextServer and the Business Modeler IDE.

• Command-line Utilities
You can write command-line utilities to access Teamcenter information using the provided C and C++
APIs.

How does it work?

Teamcenter organizes your information using objects; these objects have properties that can be indexed
and searched for by users. You can control icons, properties, available workflows, user access
permissions, and other functionality based on the type of object. Teamcenter objects:

• Have a hierarchy. There is a persistent object model (POM) structure of object types designed to
contain various types of metadata. User information, file information, signoff information, and so on.

• Exhibit inheritance. Object types will inherit behavior and properties from their parents.

• Are represented by object-oriented classes. Server-side objects are represented by C++ objects, while
the rich client uses Java objects. Object properties are also known as class attributes.

4 PLM00003 13.0 Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0

© 2020 Siemens
 • Have properties which are permanently stored in RDBMS tables. Runtime properties are generated
dynamically.

How is it organized?

Following shows a basic diagram of the Teamcenter metadata architecture.

Figure . Green areas may be customized

• Client Tier
Only the main Teamcenter clients are shown. You can also write a custom client or connect an
existing piece of software to Teamcenter using Teamcenter Services.
The two-tier rich client has its own self-contained tcserver process, and must therefore have direct
access to the resource tier. This means any network latency will degrade performance drastically, and
also having to open direct access to the resource tier is not secure in a corporate network. For these
reasons, the two-tier rich client is mainly used by system administrators during installation and
configuration. It is also useful for troubleshooting, as it does not require the four-tier architecture to
be functional. When distributing your customizations, do not forget any two-tier rich client
installations.

• Web Tier
The web tier consists of a Teamcenter web application that is responsible for communication between
clients and the tcserver process. Customization of the core Teamcenter web application is not
supported.

Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0 PLM00003 13.0 5

© 2020 Siemens
 If you have installed Active Workspace, there is a second web application which communicates with
the main Teamcenter web application. This provides the communication and interface processing for
Active Workspace. Customization of the Active Workspace web application is covered in Active
Workspace's Configuration and Extensibility guide.

• Enterprise Tier
The enterprise tier consists of a pool of Teamcenter C++ server processes (tcserver) and a server
manager. The optional Dispatcher Server (not shown) will also be here if that feature is installed. Any
server-side customizations are made to this tier.

• Resource Tier
The resource tier consists of a relational database server, volume servers, license servers, and other
important, low-level resources. Customization at this level is not supported.

6 PLM00003 13.0 Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0

© 2020 Siemens
 1. Basic concepts for customization
What is Teamcenter?
At its core, Teamcenter is a manager for your company's information. The Teamcenter server process
(tcserver) is where business logic takes place. It also maintains two permanent storage solutions:

• Teamcenter volumes
Volumes are OS directory structures maintained by Teamcenter's File Management System (FMS).
This system is responsible for delivering files to and from volumes; it is also responsible for client-side
caching. All components of Teamcenter must access the FMS in order to work with files.

• Third-party relational database

Non-file information, also known as metadata, is stored in a relational database management system
(RDBMS); the tcserver process only works with metadata on a temporary basis.
Regardless of the user logging in to Teamcenter, Teamcenter always connects to the RDBMS as a
single user. User access and permissions are determined by the tcserver process, not the RDBMS.

Caution:
Direct manipulation of either of these storage solutions is unsupported and can cause irreparable
corruption of your information. When customizing, only use supported and documented
Teamcenter programming interfaces to access information managed by Teamcenter.

What can I customize?

You can customize nearly every aspect of Teamcenter, including:

• User interface
You can customize the user interface (UI) by adding pages or tabs, arranging properties, changing
icons, arranging commands, and so on. Following are the main Teamcenter clients:

• Active Workspace
A separate Siemens Digital Industries Software product which ships with its own documentation.
This client uses modern web-based design, and can be customized using JavaScript, JSON, XML,
and HTML.

• Rich Client
A Java client, utilizing the Eclipse platform plug-in architecture, which can be customized using Java
and Eclipse's Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT).

• Behavior

Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0 PLM00003 13.0 1-1

© 2020 Siemens
 1. Basic concepts for customization

You can change core Teamcenter behavior by writing extensions to existing operations, or writing
new operations using the Business Modeler IDE. Common examples include:

• Workflow handlers.

• Runtime properties.

• Pre- or post-actions on existing operations.

• Data Model
You can change the data model, creating new objects and properties using the Business Modeler IDE.

• Localization
You can change object and property names as well as error messages based on the user's language
using the TextServer and the Business Modeler IDE.

• Command-line Utilities
You can write command-line utilities to access Teamcenter information using the provided C and C++
APIs.

How does it work?

Teamcenter organizes your information using objects; these objects have properties that can be indexed
and searched for by users. You can control icons, properties, available workflows, user access
permissions, and other functionality based on the type of object. Teamcenter objects:

• Have a hierarchy. There is a persistent object model (POM) structure of object types designed to
contain various types of metadata. User information, file information, signoff information, and so on.

• Exhibit inheritance. Object types will inherit behavior and properties from their parents.

• Are represented by object-oriented classes. Server-side objects are represented by C++ objects, while
the rich client uses Java objects. Object properties are also known as class attributes.

• Have properties which are permanently stored in RDBMS tables. Runtime properties are generated
dynamically.

How is it organized?
Following shows a basic diagram of the Teamcenter metadata architecture.

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© 2020 Siemens
 How is it organized?

Figure 1-1. Green areas may be customized

• Client Tier
Only the main Teamcenter clients are shown. You can also write a custom client or connect an
existing piece of software to Teamcenter using Teamcenter Services.
The two-tier rich client has its own self-contained tcserver process, and must therefore have direct
access to the resource tier. This means any network latency will degrade performance drastically, and
also having to open direct access to the resource tier is not secure in a corporate network. For these
reasons, the two-tier rich client is mainly used by system administrators during installation and
configuration. It is also useful for troubleshooting, as it does not require the four-tier architecture to
be functional. When distributing your customizations, don't forget any two-tier rich client
installations!

• Web Tier
The web tier consists of a Teamcenter web application that is responsible for communication between
clients and the tcserver process. Customization of the core Teamcenter web application is not
supported.
If you have installed Active Workspace, there is a second web application which communicates with
the main Teamcenter web application. This provides the communication and interface processing for
Active Workspace. Customization of the Active Workspace web application is covered in Active
Workspace's Configuration and Extensibility guide.

• Enterprise Tier

Getting Started with Customization, Teamcenter 13.0 PLM00003 13.0 1-3

© 2020 Siemens
 1. Basic concepts for customization

The enterprise tier consists of a pool of Teamcenter C++ server processes (tcserver) and a server
manager. The optional Dispatcher Server (not shown) will also be here if that feature is installed. Any
server-side customizations are made to this tier.

• Resource Tier
The resource tier consists of a relational database server, volume servers, license servers, and other
important, low-level resources. Customization at this level is not supported.

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© 2020 Siemens
Siemens Digital Industries Software
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About Siemens Digital Industries Software

Siemens Digital Industries Software is a leading global provider of product life cycle management
(PLM) software and services with 7 million licensed seats and 71,000 customers worldwide.
Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens Digital Industries Software works collaboratively with
companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products. For
more information on Siemens Digital Industries Software products and services, visit
www.siemens.com/plm.
This software and related documentation are proprietary and confidential to Siemens.
© 2020 Siemens. A list of relevant Siemens trademarks is available. Other trademarks belong to
their respective owners.