Altium Concord Pro FAQs

General

We are currently using Altium Vault - What should we do?

Altium Vault is no longer undergoing active development. Version 3.0 represents its final release.

Rest assured you can use this product for as long as you would like. However, If you'd like to take advantage of the new functions and features, we would encourage that you make the switch to:

• Altium Concord Pro - if your primary interest is component management and MCAD collaboration.
• Altium NEXUS - if you want to manage your processes in addition to your managed library, or if you’d like to get your ECAD and PLM environments seamlessly integrated.

What are the major differences between Concord Pro and Altium Vault?

Concord Pro serves as the technological successor to the Altium Vault. With Concord Pro you retain major functionality while adding new features including bi-directional MCAD communication.

Process-focused capabilities, such as Team Configuration Center and lifecycles with approvals, are not available with Concord Pro. For those customers using the lifecycle approval capabilities, you can continue using the product as is; we will simply transition you to be a customer of our NEXUS team. Your point of contact here at Altium will change to a member of our NEXUS team who will work to ensure your success.

Will I be able to switch between Concord Pro and NEXUS?

Yes. Altium Concord Pro can be your ongoing solution and it can also be a natural stepping stone to Altium NEXUS. Concord Pro brings you component management and MCAD integration. Altium NEXUS brings you all of this plus an agile solution for managed flows and enterprise integrations along with a NEXUS experience that ensures your success. In addition, if you decide to move from Concord Pro to NEXUS, all your designs and data will follow you with ease.

Will Concord Pro replace the DBlibs and will they no longer be supported in Altium Designer?

No. DBlibs (and all other types of libraries) will remain within Altium Designer just as they have been. Altium has never considered discontinuing support for DBlibs (the same goes for SchLib, IntLib, etc.).

I’m currently using DBLibs So why would I need another paid product to do the same thing?

Altium will continue supporting DBlibs and nobody will be forced to make a change. It’s important to understand that Concord Pro and NEXUS are both unique in respect to their management of components compared to DBlibs. Yes, they do everything DBlibs currently do, but they also both include a significant amount of additional capabilities beyond DBlibs. They give you a faster time to market, lower product costs, and allow you to focus more of your time on innovations.

In a similar sense, just as DBLibs are superior to basic SchLibs, Concord Pro represents the next generation of library management, which utilizes newly-available technologies (flat tables are 40 years old). Here are some of the interesting capabilities it brings:

• Where-used functionality, which allows you to immediately discover the impact if something is wrong with the component or footprint.
• Define multiple ranked alternative part numbers for a single component - you all know the existing part availability “crisis”.
• Bi-directional collaboration with the MCAD (including copper!).
• Adding and modifying all component data without leaving Altium Designer. No more jumping between MS Access, PcbLib editor and the Digi-Key website.
• Automated validation of the component statuses, versions and models.
• Full text and parametric search

You can see some of these in action by clicking on the link below.

https://www.altium.com/concord/getting-started

We’re using Altium NEXUS Client now. What should we do?

Unless you are an Altium NEXUS solution customer, we recommend that you use Altium Designer in conjunction with Altium Concord Pro.

I’m confused, which product should I choose?

The best way to make the most informed decision would be to connect your sales representative. They can help guide you through the process and select the best product based on your specific situation. But if:

• You do not have any issues or challenges with your existing PCB design process and a need for increased productivity is not pressing, do not change anything.
• You see that you have some gaps around your library management or you’re ready to benefit from greatly improved MCAD collaboration, take a look at Altium Concord Pro.
• You are ready for the benefits of a solution that will enable your team to be much more agile thanks to managed flows, enterprise integrations, dedicated experts, and so much more, choose Altium NEXUS.

Will I be locked with Concord Pro forever? Is there a way out in case I decide to later?

At any moment in time, even with an expired license, you will be able to extract your libraries (using IntLib as a carrier format) and continue working the old-fashioned way. With designs, it’s even easier since you always have a local working copy, the same as you had in the traditional flow.

If there is a Concord Pro, does that mean there’s also a Concord Basic/Lite?

No. In terms of self-managed server technology from Altium, there is only Altium Concord Pro and the integral server that comes as part of the Altium NEXUS deployed solution.

Can I use Altium Concord Pro for my components but keep my design projects untouched as before?

Yes. You can use Altium Concord Pro to manage just your components.

For certain functionality, you would need to register your projects so the server could extract the required data, for example, where-used and MCAD CoDesigner. From a practical point, registration does not change too much; the projects stay local just as they were before.

Is everything stored locally?

Yes, everything is within your organization’s network behind your firewall; we don’t touch any of that. The only thing that may be requested from the internet once you make the command is the latest supply chain data (stock and prices).

Can I host my server on a virtual machine or somewhere in the Amazon AWS?

Yes. It is up to you and your IT team to choose where the server will be located.

If our VPN network is slow, how does this impact workflow?

The workflow itself might not be too bad. When working with managed components, the initial browsing and searching might be a little slow, but once that data is cached, it will become easier. And for designs, when you go in and open a managed project you’re storing and working on it locally.

So, the day-to-day use of Altium Designer shouldn’t be terribly affected. Obviously, having a faster VPN would be better, but we have had people tell us that their VPNs aren’t that great, but they make it work fine because there's not a constant interaction with Concord Pro.

Can a non-Admin user change their own Concord Pro access credentials?

Yes. While management of users by a non-administrative user is not possible, they are able to change the profile of their own user, where authentication of that user utilizes Concord Pro's Built In authentication service - including changing username and password. This is performed through the Edit User window, which is accessed by clicking on the active user area at the top-right of the browser interface and then choosing Profile from the associated menu.

Can I connect to multiple Concord Pro Servers?

You can only be 'signed in' to one instance of Concord Pro at any given time, since you are connecting to a platform of services, rather than to a single Server service. Typically an organization will have a single Altium Concord Pro installation. However, if more than one Concord Pro instance is available, simply sign out of one and sign in to another, as required.

I cannot sign into Concord Pro, instead I get an error message about missing DLLs, what should I do?

Concord Pro relies on a number of Microsoft runtime components for successful operation and access, in some situations these may not be present on the target machine. If you receive an error message about a missing library (DLL) when you attempt to sign in to Concord Pro, it indicates that there are missing Microsoft runtime components. Obtain and install the relevant Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package for your OS.

When I attempt to sign into Concord Pro I get the error message 'HTTP Error 503. The service is unavailable', what should I do?

This error can occur when Concord Pro is installed on a computer that is also running Microsoft Exchange Server. The installation of the Exchange Server can change the Internet Information Services (IIS) configuration in a way that conflicts with Concord Pro.

To resolve this, the following changes must be made to the applicationHost.config file:

<handlers accessPolicy="Read, Script">
...

<add name="kerbauth" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\Bin\kerbauth.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="WSMan" image="C:\Windows\system32\wsmsvc.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="exppw" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\ClientAccess\Owa\auth\exppw.dll" preCondition="bitness64" />
<add name="cafe_exppw" image="C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange Server\V15\FrontEnd\HttpProxy\bin\exppw.dll"  preCondition="bitness64" />

...
</handlers>

For information about the ApplicationHost.config file, refer to this article.

For information on editing the file, refer to this article.

Licensing

What licensing is required?

Licensing for Concord Pro consists of two components:

• Server License - enables the full set of Concord Pro services for your organization. One server license is required per organization.
• Client Access License - provides user access to Concord Pro functionality. One Client license is required per user accessing Concord Pro services.

Do I need to refresh my licensing if I upgrade my existing Concord Pro installation to a later version?

Yes, please ensure that you refresh your Concord Pro licensing. From the Admin - Licenses page of Concord Pro's browser interface, delete the existing licenses (Altium Concord Pro and Altium Concord Pro CAL) and then add fresh instances back in. This will ensure you have the latest licensing, incorporating any licensing-related feature changes in that later version of Concord Pro.

We don't have enough connections for our Concord Pro installation, what can we do?

Through Concord Pro's browser interface an administrative user can kill the session for a user, to forcibly free up a connection. This is performed from the Sessions page of the interface.

Alternatively, and offering a far better long-term solution, simply add more seats (connections), through purchase of additional Client Access Licenses (Altium Concord Pro CAL).

Component Management

Is a managed component the same as a Unified Component?

Yes and No. It all depends whether the managed component has associated Part Choices defined for it or not. When a component is created and released, then referred to as a managed component, it simply represents the engineering, or design view of that component. It is, in essence, a container into which all information used to model that component in the Design Area is stored. This includes links to all requisite domain models (schematic symbol, PCB 2D/3D component, Sim, etc), as well as parametric information. It has great meaning to the designer using it in a board design, but is not meaningful outside of the design arena. To become a truly 'Unified Component', that unites the Design and Supply Chain areas, the component must be mapped to physical, real-world manufactured parts. This is done by specifying Part Choices for the component.

And it is this intelligent mapping of a component - from the traditional electronics design arena into the bigger 'product arena' as seen by the rest of the organization - that turns the humble managed component into a truly Unified Component!

What if I already have large libraries?

Altium Designer, in conjunction with Altium Concord Pro, provides a streamlined, simple process to quickly migrate your existing libraries to Concord Pro - the Library Migrator. The GUI to this process presents an intuitive flow that takes initial selected libraries, and migrates them to your Concord Pro instance. Catering for all types of libraries relating to older component management methodologies - SCHLIB, PCBLIB, INTLIB, DBLIB, SVNDBLIB - the Library Migrator is the perfect solution to quickly building your company's set of managed components, and the many benefits that such components enjoy (high-integrity, lifecycle management, centralized storage and management, where-used functionality, ease of design resuse).

The Library Migrator offers a minimalist Simple interface mode where the selected file-based component libraries are migrated to managed server components through a single step, while the migrator automatically takes care of type classification, the target source folder, parameter inclusion and value type, and the transfer of all relevant data. The interface is also available in an Advanced mode that provides a full preview of the proposed library migration, and access to its related data and settings. And while the migration is a single-click process by default, the migrator also offers advanced configuration options through the Properties panel for enhanced control over exactly how that migration is performed.

All information that is present in an original source library is migrated to the server-based managed components, including all referenced domain models (schematic symbols, PCB footprints, Simulation Models), parametric information, assigned part choices, datasheet files, etc . Component Templates are also created where necessary, and may then be refined and used for subsequent library migrations. If your original components have multiple PCB footprints defined, the Library Migrator will bring those models across and keep the current default footprint. And if you only work with PCB libraries – your only concern is PCB layout – then the Library Migrator supports migration of just those libraries, or it can be switched to a models only migration mode where specified models types are migrated from Integrated or Database libraries. Libraries that include multiple component types (monolithic libraries) are automatically detected and processed as well.

Can I restrict who can modify components in Concord Pro?

Yes, you can set different permissions for who can do what. You can create a librarian role and also say who can or can’t read (have access to) any folder. You can even create a sandbox folder that some engineers have access to if they want to create their own parts, but then the official released parts can go in a different folder that everybody has access to. So everything is very controllable.

Is there a way to download a snapshot of managed components for days when IT infrastructure might be down?

No, there is currently no way to acquire a local image of Concord Pro.

When using the Components panel, the data for Managed Components are cached to the local machine from the Server. This provides an offline access mode for Managed Components when Altium Designer is not connected to Concord Pro, and therefore allows normal component browsing and placement, etc. Note that Filters are not enabled in this mode.

This condition is indicated by the 'Offline mode – cached data is being used' warning text in the lower bar of the panel’s component list pane.

Can I make a local library from Concord Pro?

Yes, there is a feature offered through the Content Cart that allows you to acquire components from your Concord Pro instance into an Integrated Library (*.IntLib). And when placing components from such an Integrated Library, the actual links are back to the Component Items in Concord Pro. This gives you the ability to effectively use your company's managed components in an offline fashion, while ensuring the design still maintains a true connection to those components in the source Concord Pro server.

Design Management

Does Where-Used functionality rely on designs having been checked into Concord Pro's local Version Control Service?

Altium Concord Pro needs to be made aware of the existence of the design repository in which your design is stored.

A new installation of Concord Pro provides a single Git-based design repository for accommodating all of your managed design projects – and that's it! This avoids any setup and complexity regarding Concord Pro's local Version Control service. You have a single design repository – Versioned Storage – for all your designers to access and release into. As such, the VCS page of the Concord Pro's browser interface becomes purely informational – you cannot add a new repository, and the single Git repository cannot be modified in any way, nor deleted. Where-used functionality is inherently supported by Concord Pro's native Git design repository.

If you have upgraded Altium Concord Pro from Altium Vault 3.0, then use of SVN repositories will also be enabled, so that you can continue to use your previous (and established) design flow. In this case, you can continue to create repositories through the local Version Control service (SVN-only), or connect to external repositories (SVN or Git). So, if you need your design repository to sit on a different server, or something like that, you can do that with an external repository - setup in Concord Pro so that the server knows where it is. You can then take advantage of the Where-Used functionality.

When I make a change to a component, is it possible to make it only local to the design?

You can certainly do this. Making local design changes is very much a part of Altium Designer's core functionality. However, this is not recommended. If you were to update that component at some stage, using one of the update features in Altium Designer, it’s going to bring in the next revision from Concord Pro, which would overwrite any local changes. So it would be far better to make changes to your managed components directly in Concord Pro.

Can I control which design violations need to pass before committing any revision to Concord Pro?

Yes, and this can all be configured through an Output Job Configuration file. The Validate Project stage of the release process is run automatically when one or more Validation-type reports are detected in assigned OutJob file(s). All defined validation output generators, defined in an Output Job file assigned to the data item being released, are run. This includes running any of:

• Differences Report – using the comparator to determine if the source and PCB design documents are correctly in-sync.
• Electrical Rules Check – checking the electrical/drafting validity of the captured source design.
• Design Rules Check – checking the validity of the PCB document in relation to specified board-level design constraints.
• BOM Checks - checking for possible violations associated with Design Items or Part Choices in the source BOM document (*.BomDoc), where available.
• Footprint Comparison Report – comparing footprints on the board against their source library to ensure they are up-to-date, and matched.
• Component State Checking - checking for components that are in restricted states. As part of configuration, you determine the action to be taken for each currently defined state, of each currently defined Lifecycle Definition in the target Concord Pro instance; no action, a warning, or generate an error. The latter will prevent release of the design. In addition, running the check will generate a handy HTML-based report, allowing you to see at-a-glance which design components are not in valid states.

Can Concord Pro prevent commits if certain validations have not passed via an Output Job file?

Yes, if your validation steps fail then commit and release of the data into Concord Pro will not happen.

Can I import existing designs into Concord Pro?

You can move existing designs over into your Concord Pro instance, but you cannot currently move the existing subversion repository. If you want to move the design data, you have to pull it out and recommit it into the relevant repository in Concord Pro. So you’d essentially lose history on those designs, and essentially be starting over, but you can pull that data out and move it back in.

You can also convert your components from older component management methodologies - or what we call unmanaged components - to managed components, with automatching capabilities provided through the powerful Item Manager.

ECAD-MCAD CoDesign

What is Altium MCAD CoDesigner and how does it differ from other ways of ECAD-MCAD data exchange?

MCAD CoDesigner allows you to exchange PCB data between electrical and mechanical engineers without performing manual operations on files. It works directly with ECAD and MCAD data since it’s built as a panel into Altium Designer on one hand and as a plugin to your MCAD software on another.

The main advantages, when compared to regular file exchange, are:

• It works much faster than regular file import.
• It allows transferring more data (components placed on MCAD-side, copper, silkscreen, etc.).
• It simplifies the synchronization of changes significantly.

For a quick overview, see the product page.
You can learn more details in the Technical Documentation.

Which MCAD tools are supported?

The following MCAD platforms are supported:

• Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKS^®
• Autodesk Inventor Professional^®
• PTC Creo Parametric^®
• Autodesk Fusion 360^®

Does it require any additional licenses to be purchased?

No.

Which types of PCB are currently supported?

The following types of board are currently supported:

• Regular boards - with all supported MCAD tools.
• Rigid-flex boards - with SOLIDWORKS and PTC Creo only at this time.
• PCB Variants

Multi-boards are not currently supported.

Is it possible to use our native MCAD models of components?

Yes. First, CoDesigner allows you to place your key components on the MCAD side and to recognize them on the ECAD side (for all supported MCAD tools except Autodesk Fusion 360). Second, it supports the automatic placement of models directly from a data management system used on the MCAD side, for all components coming from the ECAD side (available for SOLIDWORKS and Creo only at this time).

Upgrade

I have an older NEXUS Server product (when it was sold standalone) - can it be upgraded/migrated to Concord Pro?

Yes. Since Concord Pro is a technological successor to that legacy standalone Altium NEXUS Server (v1.1), you can easily update using the installer on a supported OS, the same as if you were upgrading between versions. It is recommended that you update a test environment to Concord Pro, verify that everything works properly, then repeat the steps on your production instance.

I am currently using Altium Vault 3.0. - can it be upgraded/migrated to Concord Pro?

Yes. Since Concord Pro is a technological successor to that legacy Altium Vault (v3.0), you can easily update using the installer on a supported OS, the same as if you were upgrading between versions. It is recommended that you update a test environment to Concord Pro, verify that everything works properly, then repeat the steps on your production instance.

What will happen with my Vault libraries once I update to Concord Pro?

They will remain the same as they were, but you will gain the added functionality and significantly improved performance thanks to the new Components panel.

Can I install Altium Concord Pro on my local machine?

Please note that due to OS limitations on server connections, it is recommended to install using a server-based OS like Windows Server 2019. Installing on a desktop OS, like Windows 10, will limit you to 10 simultaneous network connections.
More details can be found in system requirements.

Can Concord Pro run with an Oracle database?

Concord Pro supports Firebird, which is the primary database choice of our customers. For those customers that want Oracle support, we will transition you over to be a customer of our NEXUS channel. Your point of contact here at Altium will also change to the NEXUS team.

Is there an offline installer?

Yes. Offline is the only form of an installer for Altium Concord Pro. Simply download the installer from the downloads section on the Altium website: https://www.altium.com/products/downloads.

Can I install Concord Pro on the same machine as my old Altium Vault (or old standalone Altium NEXUS Server)?

No, this is not possible. Since Altium Concord Pro is effectively the successor to the standalone Altium NEXUS Server/Altium Vault, installing it on a machine upon which either of those currently exists will update your older server technology product to Concord Pro.

Will I need to purchase new licenses to use Concord Pro or can existing NEXUS Server/Vault licenses be used?

If you have an active NEXUS Server or Vault license, you do need to request a new Concord Pro license. It will be regenerated free of charge.

Component Synchronization

Does Concord Pro have PLM Integration?

No. It has the capability of unilateral or bi-directional synchronization of component data with enterprise systems. Supported data sources include CSV files, PTC Windchill, Arena PLM, and Oracle Agile PLM.

Why do you say there is no integration when Windchill, Arena PLM, and Oracle Agile are PLM?

The true integration with PLM, besides components, includes at least BOM publishing and release data publishing. Concord Pro functionality is limited to component synchronization only. If you require a deeper PLM integration, Altium NEXUS provides full PLM integration for your ECAD data as well as process and workflow management capabilities.