This chapter covers the following topics:
Before reading about Populators, you should be familiar with the CZ schema’s Item Master. For details, see Introduction to the CZ Schema.
You can define a Populator on a non-BOM node to automatically create child structure for that node using Items, Item Types, and Properties in the CZ schema’s Item Master. For example, you can create a Populator on Component X and specify the following criteria: "Create Options from Items where the Item is of Type 'Processor Speed'." Running this Populator creates a Feature for each Item that matches the specified criterion. In other words, if there are 10 Items in the CZ schema whose Item Type is Processor Speed, then the Populator creates 10 Features as children of Component X. By default, the nodes that a Populator creates have the same names, descriptions, and Properties as the data used to create them.
When you use a Populator to build Model structure from Items in the CZ schema’s Item Master, any Properties and Property values that are associated with the Items are also associated with the new Model structure.
The primary benefit of using Populators is that Configurator Developer maintains a permanent link from the nodes that the Populator creates to the source data in the Item Master. Therefore, when data in the Item Master changes, such as when new options are added to an BOM Option Class in Oracle Inventory, you can update the Model simply by re-running the Populator (that is, after refreshing the BOM Model). This is called "repopulating" the Model. Additionally, if the source data no longer exists in the Item Master, repopulating the Model deletes the corresponding nodes. Repopulating a Model is described in Repopulating Model Data.
You can delete a Populator, but it is important to remember that doing so also deletes any Model structure that was created by running the Populator. Deleting a Populator is described in Deleting a Populator.
The Properties section on a Model node’s details page displays a table with two columns: Inherited and Imported. A check mark in the Inherited column next to a Property indicates that the Property was attached to the node by running a Populator. Inherited Properties can be used in the same way as User Properties that you create manually (for example, when defining rules). For details about imported Properties, see Item Types and Imported BOM Properties.
Note: You can repopulate one or more Models without logging into Configurator Developer by running an Oracle Applications concurrent program. For more information, see the Oracle Configurator Implementation Guide.
You can also create Model structure using Items and Item Types in the CZ schema’s Item Master without using a Populator. Nodes created using this method are also linked to data in the Item Master, but they cannot be easily updated when data in the CZ schema’s Item Master changes. Additionally, Properties and their values are not incorporated into the Model when you use Item Types to build Model structure. For more information, see Building Model Structure Using Items and Item Types.
To create a Populator, see Creating and Modifying Populators.
A Populator can create structure on any Configurator Developer node that can have children. These include:
A non-imported Model
A Component
An Option Feature
You cannot define a Populator on a BOM Model, BOM Option Class, or BOM Standard Item. When you run a Populator, it creates new nodes as children of the node on which the Populator is defined.
The type of nodes a Populator can create depends on the node on which it is defined. Populators and Model Nodes summarizes the available choices.
Tip: You can create nodes from an imported BOM item using a Populator. However, when you do this Configurator Developer does not maintain a permanent link from the nodes that the Populator creates to the source data in the Item Master (as described in Introduction to Populators). For example, to create an Option Feature from a BOM Option Class, define a Catalog Group in Oracle Inventory containing the Option Class's items. When you import the BOM Model, the Items in the Option Class are imported into the CZ schema and an Item Type is created in Configurator for the Catalog Group. You can then define a Populator that creates Options based on the Item Type's Items.
| If the selected node is... | You can create... |
|---|---|
| The root of a non-imported Model | Components, Features (any type), Totals, or Resources |
| A Component | Components, Features (any type), Totals, or Resources |
| An Option Feature | Options |
You can move a node that has one or more Populators from one location in the Model structure to another location in the same Model. When you do this, the node retains its Populator(s). However, when you copy a node, Configurator Developer does not assign any of the node’s Populators to the new node. In this case, you must manually define the Populator(s) on the new node.