TS EN 9300-002

TS EN 9300-002 addresses the core requirements for long-term archiving and retrieval within the LOTAR family for digital technical product documentation used in aerospace, including 3D, CAD and PDM data. Rather than focusing only on storage, this part frames the business needs that make archived product information usable again after extended periods, when the original engineering context may no longer be immediately available.

What long-term archiving means in engineering practice

In technical product data management, archiving is more than keeping files in a repository. Data must remain findable, readable, interpretable and retrievable over time. For 3D models, CAD files and PDM information, the value lies not only in the geometry or document content, but also in the associated context: structure, relationships, version history and meaning. The standard’s scope highlights a central principle of long-term availability: information must remain usable to satisfy regulatory, legal, contractual and business requirements.

Scope and contextual information

This document belongs to the EN 9300 series and is aimed at the international aerospace industry. It states that contextual data needed to interpret archived product data must also remain available. In practice, that distinction matters because archived engineering information can lose meaning if references, classifications or usage context are not preserved alongside the core data object.

• Applies to digital technical product documentation such as 3D, CAD and PDM data.
• Targets long-term archiving needs in the international aerospace industry.
• Addresses availability of data for regulatory, legal, contractual and business requirements.
• Emphasizes that contextual information needed for later interpretation should also be available.