# SolidWorks PDM Vault: What It Is Worth to AI Companies

> What a SolidWorks PDM vault holds that AI buyers pay for, how to count it, back it up with history intact, and the published $45K to $1.3M buyer range.

Canonical: https://origindatapartners.com/guides/solidworks-pdm-vault-ai-data-value
By: Origin Data Partners
Status: Published
Published: 2026-11-13
Updated: 2026-11-14
Sources checked: 2026-11-12

## Quick answer

A SolidWorks PDM vault is worth most to AI developers when it holds complete native assemblies with their feature trees, years of versions and revisions, workflow states, bills of materials and drawings for products your company owns. Mercor, a buyer program that names SolidWorks PDM, publishes a company range of $45K to $1.3M depending on assembly count and completeness. That is a published range, not a closed deal.

## Key points

- The value sits in native SLDPRT and SLDASM files with their feature history, plus the version, revision and workflow record the vault keeps around them.
- A vault is two things: the SQL Server database and the archive folders. A backup missing either one loses the history.
- STEP exports and Copy Tree copies drop the version history; cold storage deletions cannot be undone.
- Customer-owned designs, supplier models and export-controlled parts come out before anyone outside sees the vault.

## What is my SolidWorks PDM vault worth to AI companies?

It depends on how many complete assemblies you own and how much of their history the vault kept. The one published figure is a buyer program's range: Mercor's listing for hardware engineering companies says a company earns "$45k–$1.3M" and that this "Depends on assembly count and completeness" ([Mercor](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)). The same listing asks first: "Which CAD system, and roughly how many assemblies?" and names SolidWorks PDM among the tools it works with.

What buyers want is spelled out on that listing: "native CAD vaults: complete assemblies with their feature history, circuit board designs, drawings and the test results that go with them." A vault built up over several product generations is close to that description by default, because PDM records every check-in.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Ownership, customer contracts and vendor terms decide what you may license, and your counsel decides how they apply to your vault.

For a quick estimate from your own counts, use the [CAD archive value calculator](https://origindatapartners.com/tools/cad-archive-value). For a figure based on the vault itself, [ask Origin for a valuation](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).


## What is in a SolidWorks PDM vault, and which parts AI buyers pay for

A PDM vault is a database plus a file store. SolidWorks' own installation guide lists Microsoft SQL Server as the component that "Manages data in SOLIDWORKS PDM data vaults", and the archive server as the one that "Manages transfers of files between clients and the file vault archive" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/SolidWorks/install_guide/c_pdm_server_components.htm)). On disk, "The physical files in a vault are stored in an archive folder" named in hexadecimal, and "Older versions of the file are normally compressed on a recurring nightly schedule" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2022/english/enterprisepdm/admin/c_File_Vault_Archives.htm)).

The history is the part a public dataset cannot supply. "SOLIDWORKS PDM maintains the history of files, including all versions and revisions", and "Files in the vault are associated with predetermined workflow states that represent where the file is in the design and approval process" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/c_Versions_and_Revisions.htm)).

| Held in the vault | Why an AI developer wants it | Check before counting it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Native parts and assemblies (SLDPRT, SLDASM) with feature trees | Shows how each shape was built, step by step | Built by your staff, for products you own |
| Every version since the file entered the vault | Pairs a design with the change that followed | Cold storage may have deleted older versions |
| Revisions and workflow states (in work, approved, released) | Marks which designs reached production | Depends on how your workflow was set up |
| Check-in and state-change comments | The only written reason for many changes | Often blank; sample a few hundred |
| Computed and named BOMs | Links parts, quantities and assemblies | Named BOMs exist only in PDM Professional |
| Drawings (SLDDRW) with dimensions and tolerances | Ties 3D models to manufacturing intent | Title blocks carry customer and staff names |
| Simulation results stored next to models | Connects a design to how it performed | Only if engineers checked them in |

What a vault usually lacks: physical test results, inspection data and change orders kept in ERP or email. List where they live; buyers value the link from a design to its outcome.


## PDM vs PLM: where SolidWorks PDM stops

PDM manages the files; PLM manages the product process around them. Dassault describes SolidWorks PDM as "a document management product" that "uses a Microsoft SQL Server database to manage file vaults", and says SOLIDWORKS Manage Professional adds "advanced version control, and for project, process, and item management" on top of PDM Professional ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/SolidWorks/install_guide/c_pdm_and_manage.htm)).

For a data license, a PDM-only company holds the design record, while a company that also ran Manage or another PLM tool may hold the change reasons and project history behind it. Count both.


## Why the feature tree matters more than the geometry

The FeatureManager design tree is the build recipe of a part: SolidWorks lets users "Identify and change the order in which the features are created" and "Use the rollback bar to temporarily roll the model back to an earlier state" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/English/SolidWorks/sldworks/c_featuremanager_design_tree_overview.htm)). A model trained on that sequence can learn how engineers design, not only what the result looks like.

Neutral formats keep the shape and lose the recipe. The SolidWorks STEP translator imports "Body geometry, body, face, and curve colors, and topology information" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/solidworks/sldworks/c_Step_Files.htm)), and Dassault sells a separate tool, FeatureWorks, because features must be recognized "on an imported solid body" after the fact ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/swtutorialonline/c_FeatureWorks_Tutorial_Overview.htm)). That is why Mercor asks for "Full multi-part assemblies in native CAD with feature trees, not only exported meshes" ([Mercor](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)).

| Format you hand over | Feature tree | Version history | Fit for a CAD data license |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Native SLDPRT/SLDASM from the vault, all versions | Yes | Yes | What buyers ask for |
| Native files, latest version only | Yes | No | Usable, worth less |
| STEP AP214 | No, body and topology only | No | Weak on its own |
| STL or other meshes | No | No | Not a fit |


## How to count what is in your SolidWorks PDM vault

Buyers price on counts. Five numbers cover most first questions: assemblies, parts, drawings, total versions and the years the vault spans, plus how many assemblies reached a released state.

- Search tool: "You can use the SOLIDWORKS PDM Search tool to search for files and folders, users, and items" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/t_Searching_in_Vaults_search_tool.htm?verRedirect=1)). Filter by extension (.sldasm, .sldprt, .slddrw) and by workflow state to get the first counts.
- Report Generator (PDM Professional only): reports run on SQL queries, and "Users can export results to Comma Separated Value (.csv) files" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2021/english/enterprisepdm/admin/c_EPDM_reports.htm)). Ask your administrator for one report listing each file with its version count, revision, state and first check-in date.
- Bills of materials: "You can export BOMs to a comma-separated text file" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/c_Bills_of_Materials.htm)). Export the BOM of each top-level product to show how many parts an assembly really pulls together.


## How to back up, archive or export a SolidWorks PDM vault with its history

Treat the backup as the archive. Before a file upgrade, SolidWorks tells administrators to "Perform a complete vault backup, including: File vault database Archive files" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/EnterprisePDM/upgradeutility/c_preparing_to_upgrade.htm)). Keep both halves from the same moment: the database knows which archive file is which version, and the archive holds the files.

Several shortcuts that look like an export lose the history buyers pay for:

- Copy Tree "lets you copy a parent file with all its references to create a second instance unrelated to the original", using either the latest or the referenced versions ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/r_copy_tree_db.htm)). It is useful for a sample, not for a dataset with history.
- Settings export writes .cex files, and "Export of administrative settings is different from the export of file data" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2024/english/enterprisepdm/admin/t_exporting_vault_settings.htm)).
- Cold storage can delete old versions, and "if cold storage was used to delete a file version, it cannot be restored to the archive server" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2022/english/EnterprisePDM/admin/c_cold_storage_schemas.htm)). Check your schemas before quoting version counts, and pause them while a license is being discussed.
- Deleting or destroying a file clears its record: "the history of that file is removed from the vault database" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2022/english/enterprisepdm/admin/c_File_Vault_Archives.htm)). Do not tidy the vault before an export.

Hand over from a restored copy of the full backup, never the production vault, exporting the agreed folders version by version after the exclusions below.


## Who owns the files in a SolidWorks PDM vault?

The vault runs on your own servers: the archive server and database server are installed on your machines, and in a stand-alone setup "the SQL Express or SQL Server database, can all be installed on the same machine" ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/SolidWorks/install_guide/c_pdm_server_components.htm)). The files sit on hardware your company controls.

If you also store designs in Dassault's online services, its US customer agreement says "All Customer Data will remain the sole property of Customer", and grants Dassault "a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, store and transmit Customer Data to provide, maintain and adapt any software and services" ([Dassault Systemes, read 12 November 2026](https://agreements.3ds.com/AV00000007236/CLOSAIndirect-US-V13.1.1.pdf)). Read the version your company accepted before you rely on it.

The harder ownership question is between you and your customers. Mercor lists "Designs owned by your customers" as not a fit ([Mercor](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)). How contracts split ownership of client work is covered in [who owns CAD files made for a client](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/product-design-consultancy-client-cad-files).


## What to remove from a PDM vault before anyone sees it

List exclusions by folder and project first.

- Customer-owned designs: build-to-print work, parts made under a customer drawing, and any project whose contract assigned the design to the client.
- Supplier and purchased-library models: vendor downloads of motors, bearings, fasteners and connectors, and any standard-part library you licensed. They sit in the vault next to your parts but are not yours to license.
- Export-controlled items: defense and dual-use parts, and drawings that carry export markings. Use the [ITAR and EAR checklist for CAD data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/itar-ear-checklist-cad-data-ai) before any file leaves the building.
- Personal data: user names in the history, data card fields with staff names, and customer contacts in title blocks. Replace them with codes; see [de-identifying company data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/de-identify-company-data-before-licensing).


## PDM Standard or PDM Professional: what changes when you count and export

SOLIDWORKS PDM comes in two editions, and several of the counting and export tools above exist only in PDM Professional. Dassault's comparison table for the two editions shows the differences that matter before a data license ([SOLIDWORKS](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/EnterprisePDM/admin/c_About_SOLIDWORKS_PDM_Professional.htm)):

| Function | PDM Standard | PDM Professional | What it means for a buyer conversation |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Database | SQL Server Express | SQL Server Standard | Back up the database and archives together on either edition |
| Workflows and states | One workflow, up to 10 states | Multiple workflows | Standard vaults hold a simpler release history |
| Revision schemes | Up to 2 | No stated limit | Fewer schemes make revisions easier to read |
| Search | Integrated search tool only | Integrated and dedicated search tool | Standard users count with the integrated search tool |
| Report generator | No | Yes | CSV file lists with version counts need Professional |
| API and automated data import/export | No | Yes | Scripted, version-by-version exports need Professional |
| Named bills of materials | No | Yes | Standard has no named BOMs |
| Copy Tree | Yes | Yes | Both can copy a sample with references |

On a PDM Standard vault, plan the counts and the export by hand or with an administrator, and agree a sample with the buyer before exporting the full archive.


## What AI companies pay for a SolidWorks vault, and the next step

No sale of a SolidWorks PDM vault to an AI developer, and no price for one, has been published. The figure below is a buyer program's published range for companies of a stated size, not the price of a completed deal.

| Evidence | What it says | What kind of source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mercor hardware engineering listing | Company earns "$45k–$1.3M" for CAD assemblies, circuit designs and test results; 20 to 2,000 employees ([Mercor](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)) | A buyer program's published range |
| Same listing | "Depends on assembly count and completeness" | The buyer program's own statement |

A vault with many released assemblies over several product generations, intact versions and clean ownership sits nearer the top than a vault of single parts. The general guide to [licensing CAD and engineering data](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/license-cad-engineering-data-ai) covers what buyers ask for across all systems; sister pages cover [Creo and Windchill](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/creo-windchill-data-ai-licensing) and [Siemens NX and Teamcenter](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/siemens-nx-teamcenter-data-ai-licensing).

Does your company hold records like these? [See what your data is worth](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).

Origin Data Partners works with companies that own data and helps get it bought. We are independent of the services on this page, and a buyer may pay us when a deal closes ([how Origin is paid](https://origindatapartners.com/referral-disclosure)). [See what your data is worth](https://origindatapartners.com/check-fit).


## Questions and answers

### What is my SolidWorks PDM vault worth to AI companies?

The only published figure is a buyer program's range. Mercor's hardware engineering listing names SolidWorks PDM and says a company earns $45K to $1.3M, depending on assembly count and completeness, for companies with 20 to 2,000 employees. It is a published range, not a closed deal. Complete native assemblies with feature history over several product generations sit at the higher end.

### What is a PDM vault?

A PDM vault is the controlled store where a product data management system keeps CAD files and their history. In SolidWorks PDM it has two parts: a Microsoft SQL Server database that holds versions, revisions, workflow states and data card values, and archive folders on the archive server that hold the files themselves, with older versions compressed.

### What is the difference between PDM and PLM?

PDM manages engineering files: check-in and check-out, versions, revisions, workflows and bills of materials. PLM manages the wider product process: projects, items, change processes and the people involved. Dassault positions SolidWorks PDM as a document management product and SOLIDWORKS Manage as the layer that adds project, process and item management.

### How do I back up a SolidWorks PDM vault so the history is kept?

Back up the vault database in SQL Server and the archive files on the archive server at the same time, and keep the archive server settings backup with them. SolidWorks calls this a complete vault backup. A copy of the archive folders alone, or of the latest files alone, loses the link between each file and its versions.

### Can I export a SolidWorks PDM vault to STEP files for an AI buyer?

You can, but most of the value goes with it. STEP brings across body geometry and topology, not the feature tree or the version history, and SolidWorks needs FeatureWorks to recognize features on an imported body. Buyers such as Mercor ask for native assemblies with feature trees, not only exported meshes.

### Do I own the CAD files stored in our SolidWorks vault?

Your company usually owns designs its employees made for its own products. The vault runs on your servers, and Dassault's online services agreement says customer data remains the customer's property. Designs made for customers can belong to them under the contract, and supplier models belong to the supplier. Check each project before including it.

### Which files should we take out of a SolidWorks vault before licensing it?

Remove customer-owned designs, build-to-print parts, supplier and purchased-library models, and anything export-controlled under ITAR or the EAR. Then strip personal data such as user names in the history and staff or customer names in title blocks and data cards. Do the review on a restored copy, never on the production vault.

### Can we count and export a SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard vault without the Report Generator?

Yes, but more of it is manual. PDM Standard has the integrated search tool and Copy Tree, while the Report Generator, the dedicated search tool, the API and automated data export are listed for PDM Professional only. Count assemblies, parts and drawings by file type with the integrated search, then export an agreed sample before the full archive.

## Sources

- [Mercor Data: Hardware Engineering Company listing](https://data.mercor.com/refer/view/?slug=hardware)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Versions and Revisions (2026)](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/c_Versions_and_Revisions.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS Installation Guide: Listing of PDM Server Components (2027)](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/SolidWorks/install_guide/c_pdm_server_components.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS Installation Guide: SOLIDWORKS PDM and SOLIDWORKS Manage (2027)](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/SolidWorks/install_guide/c_pdm_and_manage.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Preparing to Upgrade (2027)](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/EnterprisePDM/upgradeutility/c_preparing_to_upgrade.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Vault Archives (2022)](https://help.solidworks.com/2022/english/enterprisepdm/admin/c_File_Vault_Archives.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Cold Storage Schemas (2022)](https://help.solidworks.com/2022/english/EnterprisePDM/admin/c_cold_storage_schemas.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Reports (2021)](https://help.solidworks.com/2021/english/enterprisepdm/admin/c_EPDM_reports.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Searching with the Search Tool (2025)](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/t_Searching_in_Vaults_search_tool.htm?verRedirect=1)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Bills of Materials (2026)](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/c_Bills_of_Materials.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Exporting Vault Settings (2024)](https://help.solidworks.com/2024/english/enterprisepdm/admin/t_exporting_vault_settings.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: Copy Tree Dialog Box (2026)](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/EnterprisePDM/fileexplorer/r_copy_tree_db.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS Help: FeatureManager Design Tree Overview (2026)](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/English/SolidWorks/sldworks/c_featuremanager_design_tree_overview.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS Help: STEP files (2025)](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/solidworks/sldworks/c_Step_Files.htm)
- [SOLIDWORKS Help: FeatureWorks Overview (2027)](https://help.solidworks.com/2027/english/swtutorialonline/c_FeatureWorks_Tutorial_Overview.htm)
- [Dassault Systemes Customer License and Online Services Agreement (US, v13.1.1)](https://agreements.3ds.com/AV00000007236/CLOSAIndirect-US-V13.1.1.pdf)
- [SOLIDWORKS PDM Help: About SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional (2025)](https://help.solidworks.com/2025/english/EnterprisePDM/admin/c_About_SOLIDWORKS_PDM_Professional.htm)

## Related reading

- [Licensing CAD files and engineering data to AI companies](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/license-cad-engineering-data-ai)
- [ITAR and EAR Checklist Before You Share CAD Files With AI](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/itar-ear-checklist-cad-data-ai)
- [/tools/cad-archive-value](https://origindatapartners.com/tools/cad-archive-value)
- [Who Owns CAD Files: the Design Consultancy or the Client?](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/product-design-consultancy-client-cad-files)
- [Creo and Windchill Data: Export, History and AI Value](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/creo-windchill-data-ai-licensing)
- [Siemens NX and Teamcenter Data: JT, PLM XML and AI Value](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/siemens-nx-teamcenter-data-ai-licensing)
- [How to de-identify company data before licensing it](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/de-identify-company-data-before-licensing)
- [Is This AI Data Buyer Legit? A 10-Point Checklist](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/how-to-vet-an-ai-data-buyer)
- [Engineering Change Order (ECO): Template and Process](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/engineering-change-order-template)
- [CAD Data and Quality Records for AI: Manufacturer Guide](https://origindatapartners.com/guides/engineered-product-manufacturer-data)