Utilizing MOSS 2007 for Large Files (CAD drawings, etc.)

I have seen a lot of conflicting information concerning SharePoint's ability to handle large documents for engineering and architecture firms that deal with CAD files.  Bob, I was wondering if you could share some light on this topic, and what kind of strategies should be applied to these companies?

Is MOSS a good fit for these companies?  If so, where is some documentation for configuring environments properly to support their needs.

Thanks,

Ben McMann 

Hi Ben,

This is a great question.  I will be the first to tell you that "SharePoint is not the end-all Solution for every business need".  And this is one of those areas that requires more thought and design.  I do not necessairly believe that SharePoint is the right place to physically store AutoCAD files.  Doing so can cause user frustration due to the amount of time it takes to transfer these files over HTTP.

One thing you may consider; as a drawing becomes complete and turns into an asset, such as it being associated with a project, then you may wish to look at adding a reference in SharePoint to it.  You can create links to documents in a SharePoint Document Library.  There is already a Content Type that supports this and all you have to do is add it to the appropriate Document Library.  Doing this will then give you the ability to not only reference the document, but make any associated attributes (metadata) searchable.

One last thought; you can purchase an AutoCAD iFilter and include those files in your search index; see http://www.dwgifilter.com/default.aspx for more information.