Conflict Analysis 

Use

When products are configured using the Configuration Engine, any conflicts that occur are reported.To enable you to process these conflicts, the Configuration Engine can also analyze the conflict and provide you with the relevant results.

Integration

For more information about the integration and prerequisites of conflict analysis and the generation of proposed solutions, see Configuration Conflict.

Features

The Configuration Engine can analyze a configuration conflict in different ways.The first method, known as syntactical analysis, focuses on explaining the conflict, while the second method, also known as semantic analysis, is aimed at solving the conflict.

Conflict Explanation

During syntactical analysis, the characteristic values are found that conflict one another. These values may have been chosen by the user directly or be derived from other set values defined by dependencies. Background information (conflict justifications) can be drawn from the analysis to help you understand the conflict.

Conflict Solution

During semantic analysis, the characteristic values are found that were set by the user and caused the conflict.The quantities of these characteristic values can show you the set values from which at least one must be removed to resolve the configuration conflict or to take a step closer to resolving it.

Example

The following example shows the different types of conflict analysis in an application.

For the detailed description of the computer on which the example is based, see Typical Product Model.

Configuration

...

...

       1.      User selects Business for the characteristic Network Card

       2.      Dependency (set_Proc) sets the value P400 for the characteristic Processor

       3.      Additional dependency (set_Mem_1) sets the value Size 5 for the characteristic Memory

       4.      User selects Graphics Processing for the characteristic Application Software

       5.      Dependency (set_OpSys) sets the value Operating System A1 for the characteristic Operating System

       6.      Additional dependency (set_Mem_2) then sets the value of the characteristic Memory to Size 6

       7.      A conflict occurs for the characteristic Memory:

...

                            a.      Set value: Size 5

                            b.      Set value: Size 6

Conflict Explanation

The characteristic Memory is identified as the source of the conflict. However, the user did not set a value for this characteristic – the value was set by dependencies.

Syntactic analysis searches for the dependencies involved in the conflict (set_Mem_1 and set_Mem_2) and displays the explanations maintained for these dependencies:

·        set_Mem_1: The P400 processor is compatible with a size 5 memory only.

·        set_Mem_2: The A1 operating system is compatible with a size 6 memory only.

However, to locate the origin of the conflict in the dependencies (set_OpSys and set_Proc), you have to trace back further.

·        set_Proc: The business network card is shipped in connection with the P400 processor only.

·        set_OpSys: The graphics software requires the A1 operating system.

Conflict Solution

Since semantic analysis searches for the user entries that cause the conflict, the user can be prompted in this case to deselect either the Application Software or the Network Card to avoid the conflict.

Constraints

The system may not be able to provide or find all explanations required to understand the conflict. For example, tracing usually ends after the first level.

Depending on the size and complexity of the product model, the result of the analysis may be incomplete with regard to the list of values that the user would have had to reset in order to resolve the conflict.

Conflict analysis for an extensive and complex product model can also affect system performance.