How To Use the SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base

A great benefit of having a SOLIDWORKS license on an active subscription is access to the Knowledge Base through the Customer Portal. Being able to navigate the Knowledge base well can oftentimes save you a call or email to support. Let’s go over some of the basics of navigating this tool, and the best practices to do so.

SOLIDWORKS Knowledge Base

What is the Knowledge Base?

The Knowledge Base is a system that archives technical content about the functionality, errors, bugs, and defects of SOLIDWORKS. Searching the Knowledge Base will yield two kinds of results: solutions and software performance reports (SPR for short, and a longer way of saying known bugs).

Where can I access it?

The Knowledge base can be accessed under the My Support tab on the Customer portal. You will need to make an account there and be sure to include your serial number that is on active subscription.

Another great link under the My Support tab is the Enhancement Request tab, where if you have ideas on how to improve the software, you can submit those requests and upvote the requests of others. Next time you’re in SOLIDWORKS and say to yourself “I really wish I could _______. It would really improve my workflow.”, definitely log it here.

How do I search the Knowledge Base?

Once you click the link to go to the Knowledge Base, the search bar is open to whatever you want to find, but as you may be able to imagine, your results can be overwhelming if you’re not specific. Here are some good tips to make sure you’re getting the information you’re seeking:

• Keep it simple, use simple keywords when typing into the search bar. The order doesn’t matter in the search, so you don’t need to be specific in terms of structure. Be sure to check your spelling though!
• Boolean operators aren’t recognized, but double-quotation marks and the asterisk search operators are. Don’t know how to use those? Double-quotations will search the exact phrase while the asterisk will search variations. Searching for “Win” will return results containing Win, whereas searching Win* will return Windows, Window, WinZip, etc.
• Getting an error message? Search for the exact wording. This is the best way to find a quick fix.
• You can refine your search to find items in a specific product, area, or subarea.

You can quickly keep track of your submitted service requests or SPR’s from the My Support tab on the Customer Portal to see when they are updated with fixes or workarounds.

Don’t want to look for support yourself? Troubleshooting, submitting SPR’s and SR’s can all be done by contacting our support team with your issues as well. Reach out by phone (888.874.6324), Email( Support@TriMech.com), or fill out the online form here. While on our website, definitely also check out some of the other benefits to being on subscription here, including free certifications, add-ins, and updates.