Managing Configurations

Using effectivity, you can manage configurations for systems and operations.

To do so, you first need to attach a model to a system reference. You can then assign effectivity to instances of child systems and child operations.

This task shows you how to:

Before you begin: Create a model.

A model is a dictionary that contains multiple criteria you can use to configure an object, such as configuration features, dates, units, and manufacturing plans.

For more information on how to create a model, see the Model Definition User's Guide.

See Also
About Configuration Management

Attach a Model

First, you need to attach an existing model to the parent system. This associates the possible configurations contained in the model with the system.

  1. Set the authoring context:
    1. Right-click the work area and click Authoring Context.
    2. In the Authoring Context panel, select the Define Effectivity option.
  2. Right-click the root system and click Properties.
    The Properties dialog box appears for the system.
  3. In the Configuration tab, click Attach Model as a Configuration Context .
    The list of available models appears.
  4. Click a model to attach, then click OK.
    The model appears in the Context area.
  5. In the Criteria area, select one or more options.

    These criteria are used to configure child instances (effectivity) within the list of available configuration types classified as Evolution or Variants and Options.

    For more information about the criteria, see Configured Engineering User's Guide: Managing Configured Objects: Understanding Effectivity Criteria.

  6. Click OK to apply the modifications and close the dialog box.

The model is attached to the system reference as configuration context. Configuration capabilities contained in the model are now available to children of the system.

Assign Effectivity

Once a model has been attached to the system reference, you can assign effectivity to the system's children.

  1. Right-click the root system and select Insert > General System.
    A child system is created under the root system, and the Define Effectivity dialog box appears.
  2. To define the effectivity criteria and its expression, select one of the configuration criteria available in the Define Effectivity dialog box.
  3. Optional: If you want to use the same expression as session effectivity for the subsequent operations to be performed, select the Keep this effectivity for next operation in session option.
  4. Click OK to assign the effectivity to the instance and close the dialog box.

The effectivity is assigned to the instance of the child system.

Tip: You can view the assigned effectivity:
  • In the Effectivity tab of the Properties dialog box.
  • Using the Configuration Effectivity B.I.