Electronic – How to create an Integrated Library from a Vault component

I had to decide something similar years ago.

At that time, Altium were selling their Vault solution which can have several different configurations:

• The Vault is in the Cloud: No internet access = no file access. If you don't continue with Altium and stop to pay the yearly subscription you don't have access to your data anymore. NOT ACCEPTABLE
• The Vault is on a server in your company. The content is encrypted. In order to access the data, you have to identify yourself to the Altium web services which unlock the access to your own server. Drawback: If you don't continue with Altium and stop to pay the yearly subscription you don't have access to your own server data anymore. No internet access = no data access! NOT ACCEPTABLE
• The Vault and the identification server are on a server in your company: your are 100% independent. That's good. This option was advertised, but during years Altium said that it's not available yet, or under test, but "soon" you will be able to have that.

Our conclusion was: If you want to be free, to be the only master of your data access, either you use the Vault on a custom server and you control everything, or you stick with SVN and forget all their stuff such as "unified design", "release management", etc...

If things have changed in between, feel free to update my answer with the latest conditions from Altium.

EDIT:

Things have changed in between!

• None of the new options require internet access to use your Vault.
• The data is never encrypted thus it is always possible to recover the data.
• The license for the Vault is now perpetual and it is still working even in the case of stopping the "subscription program"
• The authentication is not based on an Altium web server anymore.
• The data is always stored inside your company and under your full control.
• The release process in not fixed anymore and supports a lot of customization.
• SVN or any version control system is used for the version control of your day to day work. The vault is only there to store your components and the released work.

Now there are two options:

• The personal Vault solution: only one user, data is stored locally (in a local Vault), reduced functionality. But no additional licences are required.
• The vault server. Several users, data is stored in the Vault server, all the functionalities.

In one word: It seems that they have heard the response of the market and fixed the major issues.

• Create a folder and name it "Altium Libraries" (or any other name you prefer). This folder will contain all your libraries.

• Within that folder create several subfolders with names like:
  "Resistors" (for all resistors you will add to the resistors library),
  "Capacitors" (for all capacitors you will add to the capacitors library),
  "Atmel" (for all parts from Atmel you will add to the this library),
  "Samtec" (for all parts from Samtec you will add to the this library),
  ...
  

• with Altium open and running, click on file tab (left bottom corner of work space, find "Blank Project (library Package)" and click on it. A new Library Project will be created.
• in Projects tab (next to the Files tab you clicked before) right click on the new library project and add to the project a new PCB library and a new Schematic library.
• save this project and its two added files in the "Resistors sub-folder" with proper names (such as Resistor.LibPkg, Resistors.SchLib, Resistors.PcbLib"
• now add all Resistors Schematic symbols (each with its P/N as Design Item ID), Then Footprint with name such as "0402-0.4mm", "1206-1.2mm", ... and add to each symbol the correct footprint.
• right click on "Resistors.LibPkg" within the Projects Area (left column of your screen) and compile it as integrated library. Don't forget to address compile errors and warnings.
• Do these steps for all other libraries. You are going to have several compiled libraries
• Now in your real design project, try to find "Libraries tab" and click on "Libraries..." button and install the integrated libraries (if you can't find this tab go to the View menu/Desktop Layout/Default.)
• This way you always have your libraries for all projects. Whenever you have a new component, simply open the relevant library project, add the component and its footprint, and recompile.