Preparatory Activities for the Configuration
Check
Purpose
Master data is required in two different areas for the configuration check in the Configuration Control component:
On the one hand, there must be a master parts list that contains all the configuration options for a product (family).
On the other hand, there must be a particular actual configuration that shows the current structure of an individual product.
Finally, both must be linked with each other to allow the comparison.
Process Flow
Perform the following activities to create the master data for the configuration check:
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1. Configure material
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Create configurable materials and/or create material variants for the access nodes in the master parts list. For more information, see Material Master Data for Configurable Materials and Maintaining Material Master Records for Variants.
a. Create standard materials.
b. If you want to use parameter effectivity, you must set the Assign Effect. Vals indicator on the Basic Data 1 tab page in the material master.
For more information, see Working with Parameter Effectivity.
2. Configure master parts list
a. Create the master parts list for the corresponding object in the iPPE workbench.
The first time you access the iPPE workbench, the system asks you to select a user profile. We recommend using the Total Display profile.
b. Create the iPPE access nodes.
i. Maintain the product class. Use the class that is assigned to the corresponding configurable material.
ii. Maintain at least one access variant.
iii. Maintain at least one configurable material or a material variant for each access variant.
iv. Create at least one access on the Accesses tab page.
c. Use the context menu to link the individual access nodes with iPPE structure nodes. To do this, choose Create Relationship → Structure Nodes in the context menu and enter a node name in the popup.
i. Maintain the product class as above.
Maintain structure node variants with materials for the structure nodes that should later be linked with a corresponding piece of equipment of the actual configuration.
If necessary, create a dependency for overall configuration checks within the configuration control workbench.
If necessary, create cancel-part relationships for local configuration checks when installing or exchanging equipment.
For more information, see Creating a Multi-Level Product Structure.
You can use the configuration simulation to test the explosion of the master parts list in the iPPE workbench, to establish whether parameter effectivity, dependencies, and settings for dependencies should be taken into account. For more information, see Configuration Simulation in the Filter.
3. Configure actual configuration
Create the actual configuration for the corresponding technical object. You have two options for this:
○ As a pure equipment hierarchy (including equipment BOM items if you make the relevant Customizing settings)
The equipment that should later be linked with iPPE access nodes of the allowed configuration should be superordinate to other equipment that should later be linked with iPPE structure nodes.
○ As a mixed hierarchy of functional locations, equipment, or equipment BOM items (if you make the relevant Customizing settings)
As functional locations are structuring units without algorithmic meaning, you should assign a piece of equipment to each functional location.
The relation between the (superordinate) hierarchy of the functional locations and the (subordinate) equipment hierarchy must be created 1:1 between the functional location and the installed equipment.
The root object of a later configuration check is the top-level piece of equipment of the actual configuration.
4. Link actual configuration and master parts list
a. Assign the respective nodes to the equipment that is a counterpart to the iPPE access nodes.
For more information, see Linking Equipment with iPPE Access Nodes.
b. Link the equipment or its items that have iPPE structure node counterparts with the corresponding nodes by assigning a function identifier (FID) to the respective equipment or equipment BOM item.
For more information, see Function Identifier and Defining a Function Identifier.
c. If necessary, you can change the configuration on the Control Configuration tab page of the equipment master record. This has the result that for the configuration check, the defined configuration is valid for all the equipment underneath the relevant equipment.
d. If parameter effectivity is used for the master parts list, then you can assign validity values in the equipment master record on the Configuration Control tab page.
Choose Next Step in the Effectivity Valuation group box, and assign validity values to the relevant parameters.
This has the result that for the configuration check, the specified parameter effectivity is valid for the corresponding equipment and all the subordinate equipment.
Result
You can perform a configuration check for all the objects of the actual configuration that are linked with nodes of the master parts list.
See also: