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You can customize your collection elements by:

• defining collection element values

• defining specification limits

• defining action rules and quality actions

   To define a collection element:

1. Navigate to the Collection Elements window.

Attention: You can define collection elements one-at-a-time in the Collection Elements window. This method is described below. You can, however, also define several collection elements simultaneously using the Collection Elements Summary window. See: Combination Block and Navigating Within a Combination Block.

2. Enter the Collection Element name.

You can use alphanumeric characters (a/A through z/Z and 0 through 9), spaces, and underscores (_) in the collection element name. You cannot use special characters such as quotes, commas, and periods. You also cannot use words that are reserved for column names in collection plans such as NAME, OCCURRENCE, ORGANIZATION_ID, and CREATED_BY.

Collection element names are not differentiated by case. For example, if a Diameter collection element exists, you cannot enter a collection element named DIAMETER.

3. Check the Enabled check box to enable the collection element.

You can only add enabled collection elements to collection plans and specifications.

4. Select the collection Element Type for the collection element. See: Collection Element Types.

You can select any enabled collection element type.

5. Enter text for the data entry Prompt.

The prompt defaults to the name of the collection element but can be overwritten. As you enter quality results prompts are displayed in the Results region of the Enter Quality Results window. Prompts are also used as column headings for custom reports created using the Quality Results ReportWriter.

6. Enter the Hint.

Hints guide the use through the data entry process by appearing in the message line as you enter quality results. See: Message Line.

7. Select the Data Type.

You can select any data type. The available data types are numeric, character, and date.

8. Check the Mandatory check box to indicate that a value must always be entered for this collection element when entering quality results.

A mandatory collection element can be redefined as non-mandatory when added to a collection plan.

9. Enter the Reporting Length.

The reporting length specifies how much space is allocated to quality result values for this collection element on reports and inquiries. The reporting length also determines how much space is allocated to this collection element in the Enter Quality Results window.

Attention: The reporting length does not determine the amount of space used to store quality results values in the quality data repository. Results values can be up to up to 150 characters in length.

10. If the data type is number, enter the Decimal Precision.

If you define specification limits for this collection element, the decimal precision entered here controls the decimal precision of the specification limit values you can define.

11. Optionally, enter the UOM. See: Overview of Units of Measure.

Units of measure can be entered for any collection elements regardless of data type.

12. Optionally, enter the Default Value for the collection element.

Default values automatically appear when you enter quality results for this collection element. For example, assume you define a collection element called Inspector ID. Since inspector 101 performs most inspections, you enter 101 as the Default Value for the collection element. As you enter quality results for the Inspector ID collection element, the value 101 automatically appears. You can override this value. See: Default Value Assignment Rules.

13. Optionally, enter the SQL Validation Statement.

You can base a collection element's data validation on any table in the Oracle database. To do this, you can define a SQL validation statement that Oracle Quality uses for validation when you collect quality data. This SQL statement must be a SELECT statement in which you select two columns. For example, if you have entered machine numbers in a database table, you can cross validate machine numbers entered as you collect quality results against the numbers. See: SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference, Release 3.2.

For example to validate machine numbers from a table called 'machine_numbers' stored in the database, enter the following SQL validation statement:

SELECT machine_number, machine_description FROM machine_numbers WHERE NVL(disable_date, SYSDATE+1) > SYSDATE AND organization_id=:parameter.org_id ORDER BY custom_machine_number

Attention: To constrain the SQL Statement to the current organization, you can use the variable ':parameter.org_id' for the current organization id. To constrain the SQL Statement to the current user's id, you can use the variable ':parameter.user_id' for the current user's id.

If you define both a SQL validation statement and a list of collection element values, only the list of values is used for validation; the SQL validation statement is ignored.

14. Save your work.

   To define collection element specification limits:

• See: Defining Collection Element Specification Limits.

   To define collection element values:

• See: Defining Collection Element Values.

   To define collection element actions:

• See: Defining Collection Element Actions.

   To delete collection elements:

1. Navigate to the Collection Elements window.

2. Select the Collection Element using Query Find. See: Searching for Information.

You cannot delete collection elements that have been added to collection plans or specifications even if they have not been used to collect quality results. You cannot delete collection elements that are referenced in settings that have been saved. See: Copy Settings.

You also cannot delete predefined reference information collection elements. You can disable collection elements that you cannot delete.

3. Choose Delete Record from the Edit Menu.

4. Save your work.

See Also