Creating Configuration Family and Attaching Characteristics—Exercises

Required Data

Configuration Characteristics

Windows:
Configuration Characteristics

Note: Characteristics must be defined and created in the system before this step can be done in the CTO flow. Since characteristics are site less, however, they are created for the exercise below.

Main Exercises

Purpose: The purpose of these exercises is to create configuration families and connect  characteristics to the families, and to change characteristics/option values on an existing configuration family.

Windows:
Configuration Family
Configuration Characteristics

IFS Racing markets garage doors and has decided to handle them as configurable parts. The garage doors have the same attributes so they can be grouped in the same configuration family. Therefore, the configuration family that groups the garage doors must be entered in the system. 

Later, IFS Racing discovers that the demand on the garage doors has changed. Therefore, they decide to make some changes to the characteristics connected to the configuration family grouping the garage doors.

Create Configuration Family

  1. Open the Configuration Family window.
  2. Create a new record.

Note: Replace the XX in the exercise below with your initials. This ensures uniqueness and makes it easier to locate your data. For example, John Smith would prefix his data with the letters JS: JSEASYFLEX.

  1. In the Config Family ID field, enter XXEASYFLEX.
  2. In the Description field, enter EasyFlex garage door product line.
  3. Save. The XXEASYFLEX family is now created.

Connect Characteristics in the Configuration Family Window

  1. Open the Configuration Family window.
  2. Query for the XXEASYFLEX configuration family ID.
  3. Click the Config Family Characteristic tab. 
  4. Click New, and select the characteristics that should belong to this family from the List of Values:
    Characteristic ID
    GDCOLOR
    GDFINISH
    GDWIDTH
    GDHEIGHT
    GDHANDLE
  5. In the lower part of the window, study the option values, if any, that are connected to the chosen characteristic.
  6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to include all characteristics that should belong to the family.
  7. A default value for each characteristic can be set after the row is saved.

Connect Characteristics to the Configuration Family from the Configuration Characteristic Window

  1. Open the Configuration Characteristic window.
  2. Query for the characteristic to be connected to the configuration family.
  3. Right click and then click Connect characteristic To. The Connect Configuration Characteristic dialog box opens.
  4. Select the family and the part revision the characteristic will be connected to.
  5. In the Part Configuration Revisions area, study the possible settings that can be done for the characteristic for each part revision record.
  6. Click OK. The characteristic will now be connected to the selected family and part revisions.

Connect Component Characteristics to Package Characteristic in the Configuration Family

  1. Open the Configuration Family window.
  2. Query for the XXEASYFLEX configuration family ID.
  3. Click the Package Characteristics tab. The available package characteristics are displayed in the tab.
  4. Select the package option to which you want to add the component characteristics.
  5. Create a new record in the lower table and click List to select the characteristics and options that are to be connected to the package, from the List of Values:
    Component Characteristic ID Component Option Value ID Component Quantity
    GDCOLOR WHITE  
    GDHANDLE STANDARD  
    GDKEYCOVER INCLUDE  
    GDKEYSTYLE OUTDOOR  
    GDREMOTE IR 2
  6. Repeat step 6 to include all the characteristics that should belong to the family.
  7. Save the changes.

Maintain Configuration Family

  1. Open the Configuration Family window.
  2. Query for the XXEASYFLEX configuration family ID.
  3. To add a characteristic to a configuration family, create a new record.
  4. In the Characteristic ID field, click List to select GDREMOTE from the List of Values.
  5. If there is an option value that will be added, the option value must be added on the characteristic first, so that it can be selected from the List of Values. To do so, open the Configuration Characteristics window. Query for GDCOLOR, add option value ID GREEN, and save.
  6. Go back to the XXEASYFLEX family and select the GDCOLOR characteristic.
  7. Create a new record in the lower window and select GREEN from the List of Values as the option value ID.
  8. To remove a characteristic from a configuration family, select the characteristic and click Delete. 
  9. If the characteristic has discrete options, these must be removed first. To do so, select the characteristic with the discrete option values which you need to remove. In the table window below, remove one of the option values from the family. If this value is a default value, it must be removed first.

Note: If the characteristic or option value is used in a configurable part, it  must be removed from there first.