Opening PDM Files

The PDM file type is primarily associated with PowerDesigner.

PDM	File extension: PDM
	File type:	physical data model

What is a PDM file?

PDM files mostly belong to PowerDesigner by SAP. A PDM file is a physical data model created with PowerDesigner process modeling software. A data model is stored as a database of graphical schema representing an implementation of a database in a database management system. Another type of PDM file contains information about scripts and packaging/deployment information of a Visual Basic application. Information stored in this file include the names and locations of all scripts in a project. You can open and inspect such a PDM file with Visual Studio. PDM is also the filename extension of a project created with Photo DVD Maker slideshow software.

How to open a PDM file

You need a suitable software like PowerDesigner to open a PDM file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your PDM file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a PDM file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online PDM Text Viewer

Choose your .pdm file to view

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How to extract texts from PDM files or capture a screenshot to PDF, JPG, DOCX, TXT, ...

If you want to extract texts from PDM file or capture a screenshot, you can use our free Online PDM File Viewer:

To do so, click the "Choose your .pdm file to view" button above.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Then choose the file format (e.g. JPG, PDF, DOCX, TXT, ...) you want.
Your file will be converted and downloaded.

Programs that open and convert PDM files:

PowerDesigner by SAP
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. PDM files are often referred to as PowerDesigner databases because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
NextGen Media Player (data) by PowerDivX
NextGen Media Player is a discontinued video and audio player for Windows desktop. Some data used by this application is saved in a PD file. This file format is classified as Data.
Visual Studio (project information) by Microsoft
Visual Studio is an integrated development environment used for web and native app development. It uses a PDM file to store information about a Visual Basic project. This file format is classified as Developer.

PDM file format:

To view or edit PDM files you need to know the file format, because it determines how the data in this file is stored. The initial characters of a file are called signature, sometimes also referred to as "magic bytes". The signature can be used to infer the file format. If the file extension does not match the file format, double-clicking on the file will cause an error upon opening. Knowledge is power - this also applies when dealing with unknown or faulty files. Below you will find our evaluation of the PDM files:

The PDM file extension is quite common and mainly uses a special format. The two most common formats are as follows:

85% of all PDM files are PowerDesigner Model files, which are based on the XML file format. The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple text-based format for representing structured information: documents, webpages, data, configuration, books, transactions, invoices, and much more. XML defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. These files are text files, so they contain words and text. The average file size is 790 KB with most files being between 100 KB and 6 MB in size. The file type was created 10 years ago, but is still used today. The following keywords are characteristic: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>, <?PowerDesigner AppLocale="UTF16", Label, Name, Objects and LastModificationDate. Such files sometimes refer to model, data, physical, modelo, fisico, datamodel, gmall, customer and database.
4% of all PDM files start with the bytes `§[Ö, which are crucial for this file format. They consist of illegible, cryptic characters. The file size is in the range of 180 KB to 3 MB. The files contain the following words: PDM_DATA-MODEL_BIN, Name, Objects, Symbols, Label, LastModificationDate and Target.

All other PDM files (11%) have different formats, such as DeskMate Program/Accessory executable, config and BEGIN. They are often associated with project, base, slideshow, oracle, server, system, update, dados, kumkm or loan. If you want to find out which format your PDM file belongs to, just click on the button "Choose your .pdm file to view".

Technical Data for PDM File Extension

File classification:

Database

Related files:

pmd, pdmw, cdm, pdb, sws, vbw, ldm, pdf, vbp, bpm, pdn, exe, oom, jpg, zip, apm, txt, pbm, pbd, dat, bpb

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: Project.Documenting.Machine.pdm.ini
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\VFPUTILS\PDM\pdm.exe -cC:\VFPUTILS\PDM\config.fpw --open'%1'

a pdm physical data model is a special file format by SAP and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with PDM files

Associate the PDM file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open physical data models. Because only the current version supports the latest PDM file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the SAP manufacturer website after an available PowerDesigner update.
To make sure that your PDM file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .PDM file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.