Deleting a vault in SOLIDWORKS PDM is a destructive and irreversible operation. It removes the vault definition from the archive server and permanently deletes the associated database. This post walks through the correct order of operations, common prompts you’ll see, and the most frequent error that blocks vault removal.
- Log in directly on the Archive Server machine
- Do not do this from a client or remote admin workstation.
- Open SOLIDWORKS PDM Administration.
- Log in as a PDM Admin.
- Right-click the vault > Properties > Log in as Admin (if not already).
- Right-click the vault > Remove:
- If you are logged into the Archive server, you can get this error:
- When prompted, enter SQL credentials using a sysadmin account (typically
sa):
- Check the confirmation box acknowledging the operation is irreversible.
- Click Yes to remove the vault and database.
- You may be warned that some processes will terminate on the server as well as on other computers:
- Click Yes
- When prompted to delete the local view, choose whether to leave the local contents as normal files and folders or delete the cached vault files from the local hard disk, then click Delete and wait for the Removing local view process to complete (You will need to confirm another dialog if you choose this option)
