| # Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) Use this session to set the parameters that control the functioning of the Product Configuration (PCF) module. You can change the descriptions of predefined variables. In the Product Configuration module, you can define constraints by generic item. A number of variables that are predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. Once you saved the parameters, you can no longer change them. Related topics Parameter sessions How to test the product model PCF procedures General Introduction Date The date and time that the parameters were changed. The parameters are valid up to the effective date of a more recent parameter setting. The current set has no effective date. Description The description of the parameter set. For example, you can indicate why you changed the parameters. Multilevel PCF Choice Structure If this check box is selected, product configuration is applied at multiple levels of the generic product structure. You can use a multi-level question structure for the configuration of product variants. The advantage of using this structure is that product features are linked to the proper generic items, which results in a more modular configuration structure. The structure also enables LN to include or exclude certain sets of questions during the product configuration process. PCF in Customer's Language If this check box is selected, the product configurator displays the descriptions of features, options, and constraints in the customer's language. This feature is an important aid for a proper communication with the customer, particularly in the case of telephone sales. If this check box is cleared, the product configurator displays the descriptions of product features, options and constraint validation messages in the employee language. Note The Product Configuration module is language-independent, which means that you can record, for example, the descriptions of product features and options in any language. This is especially of value for the communication with customers and other external relations. Display Implicit Options If this check box is selected, implicit option values are visualized by the product configurator. This means you use constraints to determine whether or not certain product features or questions must be filled, and whether a default option value is applicable. With the input of an implicit option value you can also use constraints to indicate whether or not the relevant product feature must be visible during the product configuration process. Note You can always deviate from the setting by explicitly specifying this in the constraint of the relevant product feature. If this check box is cleared, implicit options are not visualized by the product configurator. Generate Sales Quotation Texts If this check box is selected, LN generates sales quotation texts for sales quotations after the product configuration process. Identifying Item Code This parameter affects the way in which LN generates the item code for the product variant when you run the Generate (Project) Structure for Sales Orders (tdsls4244m000) session in the Project Control module. If this check box is selected, the customized item code that LN generates in the Project Control module is identical to the generic item code, or to the code generated using the Generic Item - Settings for Data Generation (tipcf3101m000) session. Different product variants that are linked to the same project then refer to the same customized item. If this check box is cleared, LN generates a new item code for each product variant. To generate the new item codes, LN adds a sequence number to the generic item code. You can specify the exact position of this sequence number in the Sequence Number of Item Code from Position field and the Sequence Number of Item Code to Position field of the current session. If you generate a project structure for a generic item with order policy Anonymous, you must clear this check box. In that case, the new configured item has no PCS project code as a distinctive feature, so the item code must be distinctive. Use Standard to Order Item BOM In Product Configuration (PCF), you sell variants of a certain product. You put together a product according to the customer's wishes by selecting components or subassemblies from a list of predefined features and options. More technically, if you configure a generic item in PCF, the generic BOM is converted to a customized product structure. If customers often select a specific configuration, either on end item or subassembly level, you can create standard items for these fast runners in the Item Base Data (IBD) module. The standard item's order policy can be To Order or Anonymous. The Use Standard to Order Item BOM parameter determines whether the components of standard-to-order items are used in the customized product structure. You can use the Generate (Project) Structure for Sales Orders (tdsls4244m000) session to create a customized product structure. If this check box is selected, and you choose during product configuration a subassembly for which a standard-to-order item is defined in IBD, this standard-to-order item is used in the customized BOM. Also the BOM components of the standard item are selected in the customized BOM during generation of the PCS project: If this check box is cleared, and you select during product configuration a subassembly for which a standard-to-order item is present in inventory, the standard-to-order item is used in the BOM, but its components are derived from the generic (derived-from) item: Note The cases described above concern standard items with order policy To Order. If you select during product configuration a standard item with order policy Anonymous, this standard item is never customized, so the problem of copying components does not occur. To use a standard-to-order item multiple times on a PCS project The use of this Use Standard to Order Item BOM parameter is twofold. The parameter not only concerns the selection of components for standard-to-order items during project generation as described above, it also determines whether a customized standard-to-order subassembly can be used multiple times in a PCS project for different parent items. If this check box is cleared, two parent items in a specific PCS project cannot have the similar customized standard-to-order subassembly as a component. After a specific subassembly is used in the first parent item, you cannot use a similar subassembly in a second parent item anymore. The reason is that if a subassembly is used in a specific parent item, it receives a product variant number that conflicts with the product variant number of another parent item that requires the subassembly. If this check box is selected, a similar customized standard-to-order subassembly can be used in several parent items for the same project. The first parent item in which the subassembly is used assigns its product variant number to the subassembly. Despite of this product variant number, the subassembly can be used in other customized product structures, with other product variant numbers. Note If this check box is selected, and you change a customized standard-to-order subassembly in one of the parent items, the subassembly is also changed in the other parent items in which the subassembly was used. Use Standard Item for Configuration If this check box is selected, you can copy the customized item product structure to the selected standard item configuration in the Copy Customized Product Structure to Standard Structure (tipcs2232m000) session. If this check box is cleared, the customized item will not be copied to a standard item configuration. Allow re-use of Configurations If this check box is selected, and you enter the same generic item with the same options on multiple lines on a sales order, LN will use the same item code on both lines, if that is possible. If this check box is cleared, and you enter the same generic item with the same options on multiple lines on a sales order, LN uses a different item code for each sales order line. It is not permitted to use the same customized item with different variant codes on multiple order lines. Note It is not always possible to use an item code on more than one sales order line. For more information, refer to Multiple sales order lines with identical product configurations Related topics How to use a product model in a sales order Sequence Number of Item Code from Position This field indicates from which position in the item code the sequence number is generated. If the item code generated by LN does not uniquely identify a product variant, the product configurator automatically generates a unique code by adding a sequence number to the generated item code. Sequence Number of Item Code to Position This field indicates to which position in the item code the sequence number is generated. If the item code generated by LN does not uniquely identify a product variant, the product configurator automatically generates a unique code by adding a sequence number to the generated item code. Product Configurator Version The product configurator version. The use of the product configurator can be divided in two parts: Product model definition. Use of the product model in an operational situation. In the development stage, the constraints must be tested to ensure that no errors are present, so that the model can be used in the operational situation. Note you can always switch from one version to another. Interpreter Version Constraints must be tested to ensure that no errors are present. As a result, during runtime, constraints are continually read in, and interpreted or compiled. The advantage of the Interpreter Version mode is that you can immediately test a generic product model after changes are made to certain constraints, without first having to recompile all constraints. A disadvantage is that the performance of the product configurator is reduced. Object Version This version is available for the operational situation. During runtime, constraints are directly executed by the product configurator as objects, without the necessity to repeatedly read in and interpret or compile constraints. Compared to the interpreter version, the object version may result in a considerable performance improvement, especially in the case of more complex constraints. Prior to using the object version, all constraints must be compiled in the Compile Constraints by Generic Item (tipcf2201m000) session. For this purpose, you need the compiler 'bic6.2' of Enterprise Server. Performance aspects The setting of this field could affect system performance and database growth. For more information, refer to Product configurator version. Related topics How to define a product model Number Group for Product Variants The number group for product variants. Related topics To use number groups and series Constraint Source Directory Before constraints can be compiled, this session first generates constraint sources. These constraint sources are stored in the <path.name>/ppcfcons<company.number> directory of your file system. Enter the path name of the directory in which you want to store the constraint source. You can enter the full path name or use the current directory as your departure point. In the latter situation, the path name must begin with a period `[.]`. Note The system adds the name of the constraint source directory to the path name automatically, but you can also add the name yourself. The next time you use this session, the saved directory is presented as the default. In case no directory has been saved, the `$BSE/lib/fd<tools.version>.<packet.combination` > file is used to determine the default path. If no directory has been saved, and you are working on a system that has no `$BSE/lib/fd<tools version>.<packet.combination>` file, you are asked to enter the directory where the sources are to be stored. Constraint Object Directory Enter the path name of the directory in which you want to store the constraint objects. You can enter the full path name or use the current directory as your departure point. In the latter situation, the path name must begin with a period and a slash. Note The system adds the name of the constraint object directory to the path name automatically, but you can also add the name yourself. If no directory has been saved, the `$BSE/lib/fd<tools.version>.<package.combination>` file is used to determine the default path. If no directory has been saved and you are working on a system that has no file called " `$BSE/lib/fd<tools version>.<packet.combination>`," you are asked to enter the directory where the objects must be stored. Constraint Expression Input Option Value The Product Configuration module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once product constraints are defined, the descriptions of the variables can no longer be changed. The Input Option Value variable enables you to indicate for each product feature whether or not the product configurator must prompt you to enter an option value. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Before Input
Application | Enter option value y/n
Domain | True/false
Initialization | True
Display Option Value Indicates for each product feature whether the product configurator must display that feature during the product configuration process in case of an implicit option value. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Before Input
Application | Display Option Value y/n
Domain | True/false
Initialization | True if the Display Implicit Options parameter is selected
False if the Display Implicit Options parameter is cleared
Note Value is true if the Input Option Value field is true. Validating The Product Configuration module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once product constraints are defined, the descriptions of the variables can no longer be changed. This field indicates whether or not the product configurator validates a given product configuration. As a result, you can control the product configuration process and also prevent the configuration or generation of unallowed product variants. Note that product configuration covers all generic product information, such as product features and options, generic item data, generic bills of material, generic routing, and generic price lists. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Validation
Application | Validating product configuration
Domain | True/false
Initialization | True
Message The Product Configuration module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once product constraints are defined, the descriptions of the variables can no longer be changed. The Message field enables you to generate messages during the product configuration process. These messages are displayed as warnings, notices, or explanations. Messages can be recorded in constraints in the form of texts or text blocks. When you have chosen product configuration in the customer's language, you can enter message in constraints in any language. Consequently, the product configurator generates and displays the message in the language linked to the customer's language code. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Validation
Application | Generating messages
Domain | Alphanumeric: a maximum of 80x25 lines of text
Initialization | Standard message
Note If a message is recorded in a foreign language, the (system) language code must be added to the variable Message. For example: message = "this is a message" message.3 = "dies ist eine Meldung" Item Data The Product Configuration (PCF) module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once product constraints are defined, the descriptions of the variables can no longer be changed. The data enables you to let the product configurator determine the data of a product variant item, such as item code, item description, material, size, norm, and item text. The variable data can be used in the "parameter substitution" part of a generic item data constraint. This variable has the following features:
Constraint Section | Parameter substitution
Application | Determine product variant item data
Domain | Alphabetic characters
Initialization | Current value of item data
Note Text blocks for item text generation have first priority. Cycle Time The Product Configuration (PCF) module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once you have defined product constraints, you can no longer change the descriptions of the variables. With the variable cycle time you can let the product configurator calculate, for example, the cycle time for an operation, according to a formula. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Parameter Substitution
Application | Calculating setup time for operation
Domain | Fractions
Initialization | Current value of operation setup time
Price The Product Configuration module enables you to record constraints per generic item. A number of variables predefined in the Product Configuration Parameters (tipcf0100m000) session are used in these constraints. These variables can be filled only once. This means that once product constraints are defined, the descriptions of the variables can no longer be changed. With this field you can let the product configurator calculate the purchase or sales price for a product variant, based on, for example, a formula. The final purchase or sales price for a product variant may be composed of multiple price and/or surcharge components. Some data can be recorded in the generic purchase or sales price list for each generic item. This variable has the following features:
Constraint section | Parameter Substitution
Application | Calculating purchase or sales price of product variant
Domain | Fractions
Initialization | Current value of purchase price or 0.0 for the sales price