| Agile Product Lifecycle Management Getting Started Guide Release 9.3.3 E39288-03 |
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| Agile Product Lifecycle Management Getting Started Guide Release 9.3.3 E39288-03 |
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This chapter describes working with business objects in Agile Web Client, including the actions of creating, modifying, printing, emailing, and deleting business objects.
Finding and opening Agile objects is a straightforward process: the easiest way is to run a simple search. You can type a word in the Quick Search field-on the main toolbar of both clients-that describes the Agile content you are interested in. For example, typing computer will return a list of all objects with the word "computer" in their name or description. If you already know an object's ID number, typing it in the Quick Search field returns the object.
For more information about finding objects or data in Agile PLM, see Chapter 8, "Finding Agile Data with Searches."
Once you have found an object that you will want to refer to often, you can bookmark it to return to it easily.
The two main ways of interacting with Agile business objects with an object open, are either by using the Actions menu, or through the fields and attributes on its various tabs.
An important feature for working with objects in Web Client is the Actions menu (Web Client). Generally, objects in Web Client have an Actions button that opens a drop-down list of available actions.
Table 5-1 Actions menu commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
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Save As |
Creates a new object based on the current object. |
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Delete |
Deletes the object (a "soft delete"). For more information about deleting objects, see Appendix A, "Deleting Agile Objects." |
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Choose either All Tabs or the tabs you want. The list of tabs changes with the current object's class. |
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Copy URL to Clipboard |
In Web Client, copies the URL of the object to the clipboard, so it can be pasted elsewhere. For Internet Explorer: the URL is copied when you click the action; the prompt indicates it is copied. For Netscape: when you click the action, a popup displays the URL, manual Ctrl+C copies the URL. |
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Incorporate and Unincorporate |
Available for items: incorporation locks the checkout and check-in capabilities of file folders on the Attachments tab of the item. This important capability is available only on the More menu. For more information about incorporating, see the Product Collaboration User Guide. |
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Bookmark or Add Bookmark |
Saves a pointer to the object on your My Bookmarks folder (or "Favorites") list. |
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Send |
Opens the address book and lets you select one or more users to send the object to, including a comment. A notification is then sent to the designated users with a link to the object. |
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Share or Sharing |
Opens a page linked to the current object that lets you share the object or delete an existing share. For more information, see "Sharing Objects with Other Users." |
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Subscribe or Subscriptions |
Allows user to subscribe to receive a notification when certain attributes change. Offers a list of subscriptions for the current object: Lifecycle Phase Change or Status Change, Add File, Delete File, Checkin File, Checkout File, and Cancel Checkout File. See "Subscribing to Objects." Note: Subscribe capabilities are not available for Report objects or for User Group objects. |
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Export |
Opens the Export wizard in Web Client (even if you have activated it from Java Client). |
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Process Extensions |
Offers a list of currently available process extensions, which have been created by your administrator. |
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Audit Status |
Audits the remaining statuses in the object's workflow to test whether the workflow can advance through those statuses. |
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Audit Release |
Audits the remaining statuses in the object's workflow to test whether the workflow can be released per the existing conditions in the statuses. |
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View Workflows |
Shows eligible workflows for this (routable) object, in visual form. Offers drop-down list to select another workflow to view. |
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Create Change |
Creates a new change order with the open item (part or document) already added to the Affected Items tab. |
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Create Product Service Report, Create Quality Change Request |
Creates a new PSR or QCR with the open item already added to the Affected Items tab. |
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Create Declaration |
Create a new Declaration with the open item already added to the Affected Items tab. |
Tabs organize the content of Agile objects. A brief list of the most common tabs found in many objects across Agile PLM's solutions follows. The following table gives basic information about tabs that are elaborated on later in this manual and elsewhere in the Agile documentation set, such as the platform-specific user guides. Some Agile solutions, such as Product Cost Management and Product Portfolio Management, have specialized tabs not listed below.
For more information about Web Client tab indicators (a gray or red dot that appears next to the tab name when you view the object), see "Web Client Tab Content Indicator Icons."
The Agile PLM Administrator Guide describes all the preconfigured business classes with all their default tabs.
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Note: Remember that part of Agile PLM's flexibility includes the administrator's ability to rename business classes and subclasses, tabs within objects, and fields within tabs, so some tabs listed below may have a different name within all classes or within a particular class of object that your company works with.Your ability to see or work with any object or any tab in Agile is governed in large part by your roles and privileges. If you are having trouble opening, seeing, or modifying an object, tab, or field, see the Agile administrator. |
Table 5-2 Object tabs
| Tab | Description: what information this tab collects | Found in these classes of business objects |
|---|---|---|
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"Page One" |
The Cover Page tab is the Page One for all routable objects—the Change, PSR, QCR, Transfer Order, Package, and Project base classes—and also RFQ and RFQ Response objects. The Title Block tab is the Page One for all Item and File Folder objects. The General Info tab (or General Information tab) is the Page One for all remaining (nonroutable) classes. Header links in the Page One of the objects enable the users to quickly navigate to the specific group and update the fields. The Page 2 and Page 3 attribute groups are also available as header links. Note: The Web Client does not display blank tab names as links. |
All objects have a "Page One" that uses one of the names to the left. |
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Page Two and Page Three |
Further information about the object. These are added by the administrator as extensions of "Page One." Page Two fields are the same for all objects in the same business object class. Page Three fields are the same for all objects in the same subclass. Both "Page Two" and "Page Three" can be replaced by more specific names. |
Depends on how classes have been set up. |
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History |
Summary of actions taken on this object. History is recorded for all objects in your Agile PLM system's database, and shows all actions by users and administrators. The History tab is populated automatically. |
All. |
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Attachments (and Files) |
View, copy (get), or print attached files. Attach files and URLs to the current object by adding them to a file folder. Access Viewer to redline attached files (once the object is on an ECO, only from the Redline Attachment table on the Affected Items tab). Note: The Files tab lists all contents of file folder objects; so, an item's Attachments tab lists file folder objects, and file folder objects have a Files tab listing contents. (For more information, see Chapter 11, "Working with File Folders.") |
All classes except File Folders (which contain attachment content) and Reports. |
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Changes |
Information about change objects that involve the item or published price object. Pending Changes and Change History tables are the two tables on the Changes tab. |
Items and Published Prices. |
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BOM |
All the items that comprise the current part. (Documents may or may not have bills of material, depending on your system settings.) Items on a BOM can be a single item or an assembly of several items. |
Items. |
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Manufacturer |
Lists manufacturers that have been approved to supply a particular item. The list identifies the manufacturer part for the current item. |
Items & Sourcing. |
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Where Used |
Lists other objects where the current object is used. The Where Used tab is populated automatically. To open an object listed on the tab, click its Number or Name link; in Java Client, double-click the row. The type of objects that appear on the Where Used tab depends on the current object: Item – Assemblies and manufacturing sites that use the item. Manufacturer – (Item/MPN Where Used tab) Parts and assemblies that use manufacturer parts provided by the manufacturer. Manufacturer Part – Parts and assemblies that use the manufacturer part. File Folder – Objects with attachments contained in the file folder. Discussion – Objects that use the discussion, including RFQs, RFQ responses, activities, and gates. |
Items, Manufacturer Parts, Manufacturers, Discussions, File Folders, Declarations. |
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Affected Items (in PCOs: Affected Prices) |
Lists the items that are affected by the current change object. Users with sufficient privileges can use the Affected Items tab to:
Note: When you add an item to the Affected Items tab of a change, if the site you have selected during the "add" process is not associated with the item, you are prompted to add the site association to the item. That site association remains in effect for that item, even if the change is canceled or if you remove the item from the Affected Items table of the change. |
Changes, PSRs, QCRs |
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Workflow (routable objects only) |
Shows where the routable object is in the assigned workflow (by using a flowchart), and lists present and past signoff information. Add or remove approvers and observers. Move the object to another status in the workflow. |
Changes, PSRs, QCRs, Packages, Transfer Orders, Projects, Declarations |
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Sites |
Shows where each object is being produced at specified manufacturing locations within the company. See the Note for Affected Items in this table. |
Items |
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Escalations |
When a workflow status exceeds its escalation time period without a signoff, user groups or individual users can be notified. This tab shows whose escalations (other users) can be signed off by the current user (myself). Note: The settings in a user's Allow Escalation Designation Approval property (on the General Info tab) comes into play. |
Users and User Groups |
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Shares |
A user's or user group's Shares tab - it exists for these objects only - lists those objects for which the user/user group has been granted "shared roles" by a different user. The user (or members of the named user group) can then perform actions permitted by the roles for that object only. |
Users and User Groups |
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Subscriptions |
Users |
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Relationships (in projects: Content) |
The relationships and dependencies between this object and other routable objects or nonroutable objects (with lifecycle phases). If the current object is a routable object, the Rule column displays the rule that defines how the workflow status or lifecycle phase of other objects affect the workflow progression of the current routable object, or how the workflow progression of the current routable object affects the workflow progression of the related objects. If the current object is a nonroutable object (with lifecycle phases) and the related object is a routable object, you can specify a rule for the relationship, thus creating a dependency between the current nonroutable object and the routable object. A relationship with a rule indicates a routable object whose workflow progression is affected by the lifecycle phase of the current nonroutable object. A relationship with no specified rule does not limit or affect the workflow progression of the related routable object. You can use non-rule relationships to record objects that are somehow related to the current object, but do not have any dependencies with the current object. You cannot specify a rule for a nonroutable object relationship with another nonroutable (lifecycle phase) object. See "Relationship Tab Actions in Web Client.". In Product Portfolio Management objects (Projects), relationships are included on the Content tab. All Project object Content table rows with rules are named deliverables..... |
All classes (except Actions Items and Reports) For Projects classes, relationships are included on the Content tab and relationships with rules are named deliverables. |
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Prices |
Prices tab of an item includes information about price objects associated with the item, including "priceline" information. Prices tab of a manufacturer part includes information about price objects associated with the manufacturer part. |
Items & Manufacturer Parts |
|
Quality |
Information regarding PSRs and QCRs created in relation to the item. Those objects have these cross-linked tabs:
|
Items |
In each object when the user clicks the Personalize icon in the content pane, the application displays a list of all the enabled tabs. The user can click the Personalize menu at the bottom of the list to select the required tabs for the specific object.
To configure the tabs using the Personalize icon:
Click the Personalize icon. The list of enabled tabs is displayed.
Click the Personalize menu item. The Personalize window which appears consists of Hidden Tabs and Displayed Tabs frames.
Use the left and right arrow buttons to move the tabs between the Hidden Tabs list and the Displayed tabs lists. The mandatory tabs in the object are indicated with an * mark (asterisk) in the list. You cannot hide these tabs from the Web Client even as an Administrator.
Click one of the tab names on the Displayed tabs frame.
Click up and down arrow buttons to sort the order of display of the tabs in the object page.
Click Save. The choice and display order of the tabs for the object are saved.
Click Close. This action closes the Personalize window.
This Personalization overrides the prevalent tab configuration.
To create an object, you must be assigned the Create privilege for the kind of object that you want to create. See your Agile administrator.
In Web Client, you can create a business object in these ways:
use the Create New menu to choose a base class and a class from the expanded lists.
if you have an object open, use the Actions > Save As command.
You can also create some objects as you add them to an Agile table. For example, you can create an item to add it to the BOM tab of a parent item or to the Affected Items tab of a change.
There are some options to create objects from "within" another object. For example, from within an item, the Actions menu includes Create Change, Create PSR, Create QCR, and Create Declaration. From within a manufacturer, you can choose Create Manufacturer Part.
Once you create an object, that item exists until you delete it. If you create a new object and then you decide that you do not want to keep it, be sure to delete the object; otherwise, the new object is still in the database and the object's identifier (such as the item number) cannot be reused. See Appendix A, "Deleting Agile Objects."
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Note: Although all characters are supported within Agile PLM, and should not create issues within Agile's clients, it is recommended that you avoid using the following characters when creating objects, due to issues that could potentially arise in integrations or custom applications written on the SDK., comma . period (dot) : colon ; semicolon = equal sign |
The process for creating new business objects in Web Client involves two main steps: creating an empty object and then filling in the object tabs with information specific to the object.
To create and complete an object in Web Client:
Click the Create New button on the main toolbar.
Or, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + C to display the menu.
From the drop-down menu that opens, choose the base class for the business object you want to create. Any base class with two classes expands to offer choices in all possible child classes (thus, Transfer Order will offer Content Transfer Order but not Automated Transfer Order). The Create New dialog opens.
Follow the instructions on-screen to complete the creation process. The actions required may include:
Select the type (subclass) you want from the drop-down list. Depending on which type is selected, additional fields appear in the dialog.
The object number may be automatically selected for you. The autonumber format and sequence are determined by the Agile administrator. The administrator also determines whether using autonumbers is required or optional.
Complete any required fields. Required fields are indicated by an * asterisk. The Create New actions cannot be completed with any required fields empty.
Additional fields that are not required (not marked by an * asterisk) may also appear in the dialog. You can complete the additional fields now. If non-required fields are empty, the Create New action can be completed.
Click Save.
The newly created object appears in the content pane, with the first tab (Cover Page, Title Block, or General Information tab) showing. The tab is in edit mode and can be updated immediately.
Fill in information on the tab and click Save.
Fill in information on the item tabs, as necessary. Some tabs are completed automatically, such as the Changes, Where Used, and History tabs. You do not enter information on these tabs.
Using the Save As feature is a quick way to create an object that is similar to an existing object.
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Note: In general, you should not use Save As to create an object in a different class or subclass from the original object. The different classes or subclasses may not have the same tabs or defined fields, and you may lose access to some data in the newly created object.For example, parts generally have a BOM tab. By default, documents do not. When you save a part as a document, you cannot view the part's BOM in the resulting document unless your Agile administrator has configured your system to permit documents to have BOMs. |
To create an object using Save As in Web Client:
Select and open an existing business object.
From the Actions menu, choose Save As. A dialog appears with the heading: "Save [object] [ID number] As..." with defaults naming the object and number.
The two fields in the dialog are Subclass and (Auto)Number. You can choose an available subclass from the drop-down list, and fill in an ID number manually if you want.
Depending on the selected object type, the Save As dialog may display additional required fields. Complete any required fields.
Click Save. The new object is created and opens automatically.
Make any appropriate modifications to the tabs.
If the Agile administrator has set the appropriate preferences, fields in the optional Page Two and Page Three sections are copied to the new object. For information about the behavior of Page Two and Page Three fields in your Agile system, see your Agile administrator.
Save As copies data from a field in the existing object to the same field in the new object. If a field or list value in the existing object is not available in the new object, then that field or list value is not copied to the new object.
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Note: Because Page Three data applies to a specific subclass only, if you use Save As to create a new business object in a different subclass, the Page Three data is not copied to the new object. |
You cannot initiate Save As from a non-Site Change Order (SCO) change object to create an SCO object, nor can you initiate Save As from an SCO object to create a non-SCO change object. Because Site Change Orders (SCOs) affect only site-specific information, and other types of changes are not limited to site-specific information (for example, ECOs and MCOs), SCOs can be Save-As-created only from another SCO. The Site Change Order's site-specific only usage makes it incompatible with other change types when using the Save As feature.
Agile PLM Web Client provides several methods of adding objects to a table:
Add button command on the table which lets you choose objects to add by:
Typing the object number, which also provides suggestions of objects that match what you have typed so far. "Adding Objects to Tables by Type-ahead Search."
Performing a quick search to locate and select the objects you want. See "Adding Objects to Tables by Quick Search."
Creating a new object. See "Adding Objects to Tables by Create New."
Copy and Paste
Select objects in a similar table or the search results table, copy them (Ctrl-C) and then paste them (Ctrl-V) into the table.
Drag and Drop
Select objects in the Navigation pane (My Bookmarks, Recently Visited, NAVIGATOR drawer), and then drag and drop them onto the table.
Execute a search to find objects to add to a table.
To add rows to a table in Web Client by type-ahead search:
Click the object tab to display the table you want.
Click the Add button. The add object palette appears.
In the text entry field, type the numbers or names of the objects you want to add, separated by semicolons. For example:
P00487; P00259; P00264
Or, you can also use the Web Client Type-Ahead search feature:
If you type a partial object number, Agile PLM displays a list of objects that match the text typed so far.
Use the arrow up and arrow down keys to highlight the object you want.
Press the right arrow key to select the object.
Repeat the steps above to select multiple objects to add.
Press the Enter key to add the objects to the table and close the palette.
To add rows to a table in Web Client by Quick Search:
Click the object tab to display the table you want.
Click the Add button. The add object palette appears.
You can use any of these methods to select the objects to add to the table.
Click the Search to Add button to open the Search palette.
Enter the search string text in the text field, and click the Launch Search button. The search results are displayed in the palette table.
Click, Ctrl-click, and Shift-click to select the row or rows you want to add and then press Enter. The selected objects are added to the table.
When you are done adding objects to the table, press the Escape key to close the palette.
You can add to a table an object that has not been created yet.
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Note: If the Create to Add option is not available for the table in which you are working, the Create to Add button does not appear in the object addition palette. |
To add a non-existing object to a table in Web Client:
Click the tab to display the table you want in the content pane.
Click the Add button. The object addition palette appears.
Click the Create to Add button.
The Create New dialog appears.
In the Create New dialog, use the Type drop-down list to select the type (subclass) of object you want to create.
Complete any required fields.
Click Add.
The newly created object is added to the table.
To add objects by drag and drop, you drag objects from the left navigation pane and drop them into an object table in the content pane. You can drag from:
The My Bookmarks list in the FOLDERS drawer
The Recently Visited list in the FOLDERS drawer
The NAVIGATOR drawer – Click the Navigator button in any table, including search results tables, to populate the NAVIGATOR drawer.
To add rows to a table in Web Client by drag and drop:
In the content pane, click the object tab to display the table to which you want to add.
In the left navigation pane, click just to the left of an object link to select it.
Use Ctrl-click and Shift-click to select multiple objects in the navigation pane.
Drag the selected objects onto the table in the content pane.
The cursor becomes a box with a number, indicating the number of objects you are dragging.
When the cursor is over the table in the content pane, release the mouse button to drop the objects.
Respond to any warnings or errors.
The objects are added to the table.
To add rows to a table in Web Client by using copy and paste:
You can copy objects to paste from the My Bookmarks or Recently Visited list in the left navigation pane, or you can copy objects to paste from any object tab table.
When you paste into a table, only the appropriate objects will be pasted into the table. For example, a BOM table includes only item objects. If you select and copy some item objects and change objects in a search results table, and paste the objects into the BOM table, only the items objects are successfully added to the table.
Copy the objects you want to paste:
Search Results table – Execute a search. In the search results table, select the rows you want, and then choose Copy in the More menu.
Object tab – In an object table tab (for example, the BOM table tab), select the rows you want to copy, and then choose Copy in the More menu.
In the content pane, open the object into which you want to paste.
Click the tab into which you want to paste.
In the tab More menu, choose Paste.
In Web Client, you can use the search features to find objects that you want to add to a table.
From the top pane, execute a Quick Search or a Custom Search. In the search results table, select the rows you want and use the More > Copy command. Then, display the target table in the content pane and use More > Paste to add the selected objects to the table. See "Adding Objects to Tables by Copy and Paste."
From the top pane, execute a Quick Search or a Custom Search. In the search results table, click the Navigator button to populate the NAVIGATOR drawer. Then, drag and drop objects from the NAVIGATOR drawer to the table in the content pane. See "Adding Objects to Tables by Drag and Drop."
In addition, you can open a custom search palette, which lets you view the tab table in the content pane while you search for and select the objects you want to add to the table.
To open a Custom Search palette to find objects to add to a table:
In the content pane, click a tab to display the table to which you want to add.
On the keyboard, press Ctrl + Shift + X. The custom search palette appears. The tab table remains visible in the content pane behind the palette.
In the search palette, define a Basic search or an Advanced search. Execute the search. For more information about defining searches, see Getting Started with Agile PLM.
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Note: In the upper left corner of the custom search palette, click the down arrow icon to collapse the entire palette; click the right arrow icon to expand the palette again. |
Select one or more search results rows.
Click More > Copy in the search palette.
Put the focus in the content pane table by clicking in the content pane or by selecting a table row, and then choose Paste in the More... menu.
The objects are pasted into the content pane table.
You can execute multiple searches to find and select additional objects.
Press the Escape key on the keyboard to close the custom search palette.
You can copy data from various cells in an Excel spreadsheet and paste them into a table. This feature is functional in all tables where Add button opens a search box with Search to Add and Create to Add buttons.
To add rows from Excel to table by copy and paste:
In the Excel spreadsheet, select data that you want added to an object in Web Client.
In the Web Client, open the object into which you want to add the selected data.
Click the tab in which you want to add the data.
Click Add. The search box with Create to Add and Search to Add buttons is displayed.
Press Ctrl + V keys. The selected data from the Excel spreadsheet is pasted in the Search box.
Press the Enter key. The selected data with its complete records is added as rows in the table.
Editing and modifying Web Client tables includes the following actions:
Adding one or more rows to a table
Removing one or more rows from a table
Editing table fields
To edit a table in Web Client:
Display the table you want to edit in the content pane.
To begin editing a table, double-click in any editable cell.
The table enters edit mode and the Save and Cancel buttons become active (not grayed).
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Note: If the table is read-only, an error message is displayed in the table tab. If the cell you double-clicked is not editable, an error message to that effect appears in the table tab. |
Make the required changes in each field. Navigate to other fields by clicking the field, pressing the Tab key, or using the arrow keys.
When you are finished, click Save.
From the tab More menu button, Web Client provides the following Fill-Up and Fill-Down table editing commands:
Fill-down
Fill-down (selected cells)
Fill-up
Fill-up (selected cells)
To Fill-down or Fill-up:
If the table is not already in edit mode, then enter table edit mode:
Double-click any editable cell of the table. The table enters edit mode and the Save and Cancel buttons become active. To navigate from one cell to another, press the Tab key to move to the next editable field, use the arrow keys, or click in a cell.
Select one cell in the column. The selected cell is highlighted.
To fill-down, choose More > Fill-down in the tab menu or use the Ctrl + Shift + D keyboard shortcut.
The contents of the highlighted cell are copied down the column into all the cells below the highlighted cell.
To fill-up, choose More > Fill-up in the tab menu or use the Ctrl + Shift + U keyboard shortcut.
The contents of the highlighted cell are copied up the column into all the cells above the highlighted cell.
To Fill-down or Fill-up selected cells only:
If the table is not already in edit mode, then enter table edit mode:
Double-click any editable cell of the table. The table enters edit mode and the Save and Cancel buttons become active. To navigate from one cell to another, press the Tab key to move to the next editable field, use the arrow keys, or click in a cell.
Select two or more cells in the column. Use Shift-click to select contiguous cells. Use Ctrl-click to select non-contiguous cells. The selected cells are highlighted.
To fill-down, choose More > Fill-down (selected cells) in the tab menu or use the Ctrl + Shift + D keyboard shortcut.
The content of the upper-most highlighted cell is copied down the column into only the highlighted cells below the up-most highlighted cell.
To fill-up, choose More > Fill-up (selected cells) in the tab menu or use the Ctrl + Shift + U keyboard shortcut.
The content of the lower-most highlighted cell is copied up the column into only the highlighted cells above the lower-most highlighted cell.
In Web Client, you can modify date fields by using the calendar tool, and also by typing in the field.
To use the calendar tool in Web Client:
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Note: The Agile administrator can configure Date fields to include both the date and the time or to include only the date. The time setting fields are not displayed in the calendar tool of a date field that is configured to include only the date. |
In a date field, click the Launch Calendar icon to open the calendar (if it is enabled).
Double-clicking a date enters it directly into the field and closes the calendar.
By default, Agile PLM sets the time to 12:00:00 am.
The default time format is "12 hours" with am and pm.
To select a specific time:
Enter the time in the Time: field, and choose AM or PM.
Double-click the date you want. The date and time are entered in the field and the calendar closes.
To switch to a different month, click the Previous Month and Next Month buttons.
To switch to a different year, click the Previous Year and Next Year buttons.
Press Escape to close the calendar without selecting a date.
To edit the date and time:
Select the date and time you want to change.
Enter the new date in the format specified in your user profile.
The default format is mm-dd-yyyy.
Press the Spacebar.
Enter the time in the format specified in your user profile. This step is optional; if you do not enter a time, by default the time displays midnight in the specified format.
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Note: Web Client does not accept the new date without a space between the date and time. |
Press the Tab key or the Enter key.
To edit just the time stamp:
Select the time you want to change.
Enter the new time in the hh:mm:ss format.
Press the Tab key or the Enter key.
In Web Client, whenever you see the address book icon button, you can click that button to launch the address book palette. The address book palette lets you search for and select users or user groups to populate the field that you are currently modifying.
The available address book palette search methods are dependent on the properties of the specific field that you are modifying. For example, if a user group is not a valid entry for the field that you are modifying, the search for User Groups option is not available. You may be limited to selecting only one user or only one user group, depending on the properties of the field that you are modifying.
The address book palette provides the following search methods:
Search for a user
Search for a user in a specific user group
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Note: The Search within a User Group option becomes available when the number of user groups in the Agile PLM system exceeds 200. |
Search for a user group
To search for users:
Click the address book icon button to open the address book palette.
Choose Users in the address book palette drop-down list.
Type the user object search criteria that you want to use.
Click the Execute a Quick Search button.
In the palette search results table, select the user row or rows you want to add:
Double-click a row.
Select one or more rows and drag them to the field that you are modifying.
Press the Escape key to close the address book palette.
To search for a user within a user group:
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Note: The Search within a User Group option becomes available when the number of user groups in the Agile PLM system exceeds 200. |
Click the address book icon button to open the address book palette.
Choose Search within a user group in the address book palette drop-down list.
In the Select a user group to search within popup, type the name of the user group you want or click the Search button to search for a group.
When you have selected a user group, click OK in the popup.
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Note: Agile PLM adds the group name to the address book palette drop-down list. Agile PLM continues to add group names to the palette drop-down list until the number of groups equals twenty. As additional groups are added to the list, Agile PLM removes the oldest entries from the drop-down list. A maximum of twenty groups that you recently selected for the Search within a user group option remain on the drop-down list. |
Alternately, you can use the address book palette drop-down list to select one of the user groups that you have selected recently.
Type the user object search criteria that you want to use.
Click the Execute a Quick Search button. The search is restricted to the members of the selected group.
In the palette search results table, select the user row or rows you want:
Double-click a row.
Select one or more rows and drag them to the field that you are modifying.
Press the Escape key to close the address book palette.
To search for a user group:
Click the address book icon button to open the address book palette.
Choose User Groups in the address book palette drop-down list.
Type the user group object search criteria that you want to use.
Click the Execute a Quick Search button.
In the palette search results table, select the user group row or rows you want:
Double-click a row.
Select one or more rows and drag them to the field that you are modifying.
Press the Escape key to close the address book palette.
To search for users or user groups by job function:
|
Note: The ability to search by job function is available in the address book only when selecting users or user groups as routable object reviewers. |
Click the address book icon button to open the address book palette.
Choose a specific job function in the address book palette drop-down list.
Job functions appear in the drop-down list below the user groups.
Your search is limited to only those user objects and user group objects that include the selected job function in their Job Function(s) attribute.
Type the search criteria that you want to use.
Click the Execute a Quick Search button.
The search results include both users and user groups that have been assigned the selected job function.
In the palette search results table, select the row or rows you want to add:
Double-click a row.
Select one or more rows and drag them to the field that you are modifying.
Press the Escape key to close the address book palette.
In Web Client, when you click the Edit button to edit a business object use one of these methods to modify a list field:
To modify a list field:
Click the drop-down list button to display the list entries.
Select an entry from the list.
To modify a MultiList field:
Click the MultiList select button to display the palette of list entries.
Select one or more list entries:
Double-click a row to add the entry to the list field.
Or, select a row, drag it to the list field, and drop it.
Press Escape to close the palette.
If the attribute for the list field includes a large number of list entries, the Agile administrator may choose to configure Agile PLM Web Client to display the editable list with search display.
To modify a search display list field:
Click the list field search button to display the search palette.
In the search palette, enter a search string and click the Execute a Quick Search button.
In the search results table, double-click a row to add the entry to the list field.
Or, select a row, drag it to the list field, and drop it.
Press Escape to close the palette.
|
Note: For list fields that contain more than 250 list entries, Web Client automatically displays the entries in search display. |
For information about configuring list fields, see Agile PLM Administrator Guide.
You can print information from any tabbed object.
Attachments are printed from their native applications or the Viewer. For more information, see "Printing Attachment Files."
To print an object in Web Client:
Open the object.
Choose Print from the Actions menu. The Print Options dialog appears.
Indicate whether you want to print all tabs or just the current tab.
If you choose All tabs, specify whether you want the printout to include all levels (for example, of the BOM).
Print the object by using one of the following options:
Click the Preview button in the Print Options dialog to view a preview of the printout in a separate window. Click the Print button in the preview window to open the Print dialog. Click Cancel to close the preview window.
Click Print in the Print Options dialog. A preview of the printout appears in a separate window and a Print dialog box opens.
In the Print dialog, make sure the appropriate print options are selected and click Print.
|
Note: The Structure tab of Design objects is not supported for printing. |
You can email any Agile object to another user listed in the Agile address book. Email is sent to the email address specified in the Agile user profile. The email contains a URL that links to the mailed object, and the recipient can click the URL to view the object in Agile PLM.
|
Note: The Agile administrator sets your user profile Preferred Client preference to determine whether you receive links to Web Client or Java Client. |
To email an Agile object in Web Client:
Open the object.
Choose Actions > Send. The Send dialog appears.
Type the names you want, separated by a semicolon. Or, click the address book icon button to open the address book palette to search for the names you want.
Enter any comments in the Comments field.
Click Send to mail the object.
You can generate quick access URLs that provide direct pointers to either Agile objects or to Agile attachment files.
These quick access URLs can be pasted into other applications or files such as spreadsheet files, word processing files, a company Intranet web page or WIKI page, or into an email.
For information about quick access to Agile objects using quick access URLs, see:
For information about quick access to attachment files using attachment quick access URLs, see:
For information about quick access to searches using search quick access Smart URLs, see:
From Web Client, you can generate Agile PLM object quick access URLs from the Web Client Actions menu.
To generate an Agile PLM object quick access URL:
Login to Agile PLM Web Client and open the desired object.
In the Actions menu, choose Copy URL to Clipboard.
The URL is copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it into another application or file, such as a word processing file, a spreadsheet file, or an email.
When a user clicks a Quick Access Smart Object URL, the user actions are the same whether the URL is an Agile-generated quick access URL or a user-generated Smart Object URL:
The user clicks the URL and the Agile PLM Web Client login screen is displayed in a browser window.
The user enters the respective login information.
Upon successful login, Agile PLM searches for the object specified in the link.
(If the object is not found, then Agile PLM displays an error and returns to the user's Home page.)
When the object is found, Agile PLM verifies that the user has the appropriate privileges to read the object and displays the first tab of the object, for example, the Title Page. If the Smart URL specifies a specific tab, then that tab is displayed.
See also "Accessing Attachment Files using Quick Access URLs,"and "Formats for User-Generated Smart Object URLs for Searches."
The Agile Smart Object URL feature is designed to enable effective collaboration through email, spreadsheets, documents, WIKIs, and so forth. Users or automated tools can generate smart readable URLs that point to a specific object in Agile PLM, that open a specific attachment file, and that open a search page in Agile PLM.
Smart URLs can specify a specific tab, revision, or version to display when the object opens in Agile PLM.
By using the Smart URL formats, a user does not need to log into Agile PLM to generate the object URL. Automated tools can also use this format to generate object URLs.
Smart Object URLs can be used for objects available from Web Client.
You can generate Smart Object URLs by using the following formats:
http://server:port/<VirtualPath>/object/<ObjectType>/<ObjectName>http://server:port/<VirtualPath>/object/<ObjectType>/<ObjectName>[/tab/<TabName>]http://server:port/<VirtualPath>/object/<ObjectType>/<ObjectName>[/Rev/<RevChange>][/tab/<TabName>]http://server:port/<VirtualPath>/object/<ObjectType>/<ObjectName>[/Version/<VerNum>][/tab/<TabName>]where the URL has the following representation:
Table 5-3 Smart Object URL parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
|
server port VirtualPat |
Server, port, and VirtualPath identify the Agile PLM instance |
|
object |
The text "object" indicates to Agile PLM that the URL is an object URL. |
|
ObjectType |
ObjectType refers to the subclass (type) of object, for example, ECO, Part, Manufacturer, File Folder, Project, Activity, or Discussion |
|
ObjectName |
ObjectName refers to the unique identifier for the object. Depending on the object class, the unique identifier is either an object number or a name. Note: Manufacturer Parts are a special class of objects that are uniquely identified by two parameters: a Manufacturer Name and a Manufacturer Part Number. Therefore, a URL referring to a specific Manufacturer Part uses the following format: http: //server:port/VirtualPath/object/ObjectType/MfrName/MfrPart_Number |
|
Rev |
The text "Rev" indicates to Agile PLM that the URL opens a specific Rev (revision) of the object |
|
RevChange |
RevChange refers to the unique identifier (number) of the Change object that released the Rev you wish to display when the object opens in Agile PLM. |
|
Version |
The text "Version" indicates to Agile PLM that the URL opens a specific Version of the object. |
|
VerNum |
VerNum refers to the object version number (1, 2, 3, and so on) that you wish to display when the object opens in Agile PLM. |
|
tab |
The text "tab" indicates to Agile PLM that the URL opens the object and displays a specific object tab |
|
TabName |
TabName refers to the name of the tab that is displayed when the object opens in Agile PLM. Note: TabNmae uses the API name. For information about API names, see Agile PLM Administrator Guide. |
Agile PLM identifies and handles special tags (such as %20) added to URLs to handle special characters (such as spaces and other special characters such as asterisk "*") in the unique identifier of an object. For example:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/Manufacturer/Philips%20Semiconductor
This URL resolves to the manufacturer "Philips Semiconductor".
Smart URLs for pointing to Agile objects use the following formats.
Open the latest revision or version of an object:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/ObjectType/ObjectName
Opens the latest revision or version of the object displaying the Title Block tab or the General Info tab.
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/Part/P00348http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/File Folder/F00045http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/manufacturer part/Green%20Star/349-280Open displaying a specific tab an object:
http: //server:port/VirtualPath/object/ObjectType/ObjectName/tab/TabName
Optionally, you can specify an object tab to display. Opens the latest revision or version of the object and displays the tab specified by TabName. If the tab TabName is disabled, or there is no such tab, then the object opens and displays the Title Block tab or the General Info tab instead.
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/Part/P00243/tab/BOMhttp://server:port/VirtualPath/object/File Folder/F00045/tab/Fileshttp://server:port/VirtualPath/object/manufacturer part/Green%20Star/349-280/tab/Where UsedOpen a specific revision of an object:
Optionally, if the object has a Revision (Rev) or a Version, you can specify the specific Rev or Version to open:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/ObjectType/ObjectName/Rev/RevChange/tab/TabNameOpens the object displaying the revision created by the Change object RevChange. For example, item revisions are created by ECOs; Published Price revision are created by PCOs.
Example:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/Parts/P00243/Rev/C00548/tab/BOM
Opens Parts object number P00243 at the revision created by ECO C00548, and displays the BOM tab of that revision.
Open a specific version of an object:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/ObjectType/ObjectName/Version/VerNum/tab/TabNameOpens the object and displays the object version specified by VerNum.
Example:
http://server:port/VirtualPath/object/File Folder/FOLDER00856/Version/3/tab/FilesOpens File Folder object number FOLDER00856 at version 3, and displays the Files tab of that version.
A Discussion can be created from the main toolbar Create menu, or from a business object's Discussions tab. Discussions are integrated into the Product Portfolio Management solution, and are also applicable to the Product Cost Management solution; however, discussions can be created and modified in the same manner as any Agile PLM object, and their utility can be applied to the other Agile PLM solutions, Product Collaboration, Product Governance & Compliance, and Product Quality Management.
Discussions are always created and viewed in Web Client. To access a discussion while using Java Client, you can search to locate an existing discussion and open the object, which will open the Web Client. Or you can simply open the Web Client and proceed from there, including creating discussions.
The following objects classes have a Discussions tab: Sourcing s, Request for Quote, RFQ Responses, Activities, and Gates. See Product Portfolio Management User Guide and Product Cost Management User Guide for information about using discussions in those solutions.
To create a discussion:
Start at the Create New menu (see "Creating Objects in Web Client Using the Create New Command").
In the Create New Discussion dialog, fill in the information.
Click Save. The new Discussion object appears in the Web Client content pane.
To manage your discussions, you can use Web Client features such as Search and Bookmark.
The discussion object includes:
Join button, Actions menu.
The Join action adds the user to the Notify List.
Discussion tab, which includes:
Discussion object information - type information, such as the discussion's ID number, Subject, Status, Priority, Subject, and Notify List.
Message table, which is a list of all the replies in the discussion.
Actions Items tab of a discussion object includes:
Action Items table, which lists action items that have been associated with the discussion.
Action Item navigation button: Add, Remove, Accept, Decline, Mark Complete.
Additional tabs, if the Agile administrator has enabled them, for example, Attachments, Relationships, History
When the owner/creator opens the Discussion object, he can click Edit to modify the Page One-type information. (A user must have sufficient privileges to edit discussion information.)
Subsequent entries in the discussion are displayed in the Messages table with the most recent entry displayed in the first row of the Messages table.
To enter a reply:
Click the Reply button in the first row of the Messages table.
In the Reply to Discussion dialog, enter your reply in the Message field.
If you have sufficient privileges, you can add or remove users in the Notify List.
When you are finished, click Send.
Action Items can be created or deleted by users (on the Notify list) who have sufficient privileges.
Sharing lets you grant one or more of your roles to another Agile user or user group for specific objects. The capability to share a given role requires being assigned the Grant privilege specific to that object. You can share only your assigned roles, that is, the roles that are listed in the Roles field on the General Info tab of your user profile, and the roles that are listed in the Roles field on the General Info tab of any groups of which you are a member.
You cannot share roles that have been shared with you by another user, and you cannot share roles that have been shared with a user group to which you belong.
When a role has been shared with a user (or members of a user group), each user can then perform actions permitted by the roles for that object only; a user does not "acquire" the role in any permanent or far-reaching way.
A user's or user group's Share tab lists those objects for which the user has been granted "shared roles" by a different user. Click the Share tab in your user profile to see objects being shared with you and what role(s) allow and define your interaction with each object. If you belong to a user group, you can see objects being shared with you through the user group by opening the group object and clicking the Share tab.
To share an object in Web Client:
Display the object.
In the Actions menu, choose Sharing. The Share with Users dialog appears.
Click Add. The Add Users dialog appears.
In the Users field, type the names of the users you want, separated by semicolons. Or, click the address book icon button to launch the address book palette and search for and select the users or user groups you want.
In the Roles field, type the name of the roles you want. Or click the Launch the Palette icon to launch the Roles palette to search for and select the roles you want.
Click Save. The Add Users dialog now lists the share you just defined.
To add more shares, click Add and repeat steps 4 through 6.
To remove a share, select its row and click Remove.
When you are finished, click Close in the Share with Users dialog.
When you view the original object and choose Actions > Sharing, it now shows you the complete list of users who have access to this object and the roles you specified.
To remove a shared object from the Share tab of your user profile, select the object and click Remove.
Subscribing to an object sets you up to receive notification of events that happen to that object. For example, you might subscribe to a change to be notified when the change is released, or you might subscribe to an attachment to be notified when the attachment is checked in. You can also be notified when specified fields are modified. You select the events about which to be notified. To be notified when certain fields change, you specify those fields.
You must have the Subscribe privilege for a specific object class to be able to subscribe to that class's objects. See your Agile administrator to be assigned additional privileges.
|
Note: Subscribe capabilities are not available for Report objects or for User Group objects. |
On the Subscription tab of your user profile, you can view the objects to which you have subscribed. To cancel or remove a subscription, select the object, and click Remove.
Subscription events trigger two types of notifications: Email and Inbox. Email notifications are sent only if your Receive Email Notification preference is set to Yes; this field is on the Preferences tab of your User Profile. The ability to edit user information is determined by your privileges.
It is possible to subscribe to an item revision change and a price revision change. Since you cannot subscribe to a specific status change (for example, changed to Released) for a change that increments the revision of the Item (an ECO) or the Price object (a PCO), subscribing to the object itself-the part, document, or price-is the way you can be notified that the revision of the object has been modified by the release of an ECO or PCO.
To be notified of changes to a file folder, subscribe to its "check-in" events. The version number of File Folder objects automatically increments every time they are checked in. However, it is not possible to subscribe to file folder versions, which work differently than item revisions. So, subscribing to a file folder's Check-ins is the way you can be notified that the file folder has been altered; file folders are not subject to changes (objects from the various change classes).
To subscribe to an object in Web Client:
Display the object.
|
Note: Subscribe capabilities are not available for Report objects or for User Group objects. |
Choose Actions > Subscribe. The Define Subscriptions page appears.
Indicate whether you want to be notified when the subscribed object is modified by selecting the appropriate check boxes. You can select one or more:
Status Options:
Lifecycle Phase Change (or Status Change if it is a routable object)
Field Options:
Select from the displayed list of fields. The Agile administrator determines which fields are available for subscription.
Revision Change (items and prices)
File Options:
Add File
Delete File
Checkin File
Checkout File
Cancel Checkout File
Click Subscribe.
The events you can subscribe to vary per object. Product Portfolio Management has the following Activity-specific subscription events that do not apply to other objects. You can subscribe to actions related to:
Discussions
News
Action Items
Schedule
Cost
Health
The Apply to all levels below check box in activities and gates "pushes" a subscription to all subordinate objects. If you subscribe to an activity that has a schedule and select this check box, you will automatically subscribe to all of the activity's projects, phases, and tasks (that is, any object created in the preconfigured subclasses of Activities class). Because Page Two and Page Three fields can be defined differently for projects, phases, and tasks, any of the attributes that do not apply are ignored.
This section includes the following topics:
You can associate objects to each other by using the Relationships tab. A relationship between two Agile objects is bi-directional and is displayed on the Relationships tab of both objects.
|
Note: In Agile PPM, relationships are called deliverables and are managed on the PPM object Contents tab. For more information about the PPM Contents tab, see Agile Product Portfolio Management User Guide. |
Specifying a rule for a relationship defines how the related Agile objects affect each other. For example, you can define a relationship rule so that ECO_100 affects ECR_250. When ECO 100 reaches the Implemented status, ECR_250 is promoted to the Complete status automatically.
|
Note: Rules are optional; you can create a relationship between two objects without specifying a rule. |
A relationship is created when you add an object to a table in the Relationships tab of another object. The classes of objects that can reference each other on a Relationships tab are:
All object classes, except Reports and Action Items.
For Agile PPM Projects classes, relationships are named deliverables and are included on the Content tab.
The Agile administrator configures the Agile PLM system to enable the Relationships tab for each object class, making it visible. If you find that you want to create a relationship between objects and those tabs are not visible, see the Agile administrator.
Once you create relationships between objects, you can also create an advanced search for such relationships. See "Relationship Searches."
A relationship without a rule is a simpler, less dynamic instance of object-to-object relationship; it simply lists references to other objects. It can be thought of as "bi-directional" information, because relationships without rules do not trigger events.
|
Note: Revision-specific relationships are available to you only if the Agile administrator has configured Agile PLM to enable revision-specific relationship capabilities. The revision-specific columns on the Relationships tab (Revision, Change, Track Impact, and Impacted) must be visible, and you must have the appropriate privileges for those attributes. These revision-specific attributes can be enabled for specific object classes as needed, that is, some object classes may have revision-specific relationships enabled while the remaining object classes do not. |
Revision-specific relationships allow you to select a specific revision for a Part object, Document object, or Published Price object in a relationship. The following conditions apply to revision-specific relationships:
Both objects in the relationship must be enabled for revision-specific relationships. For example, to create a revision-specific relationship between a Part object and an ECO, the Revision, Change, Track Impact and Impacted attributes must be enabled on the Relationships tables of both objects. This allows you to select a Part revision in the Relationships table of either the Part object or in the Relationships table of the ECO object.
Multiple revisions are allowed for the same revision-specific object, each revision with its own row in the Relationships table.
If a relationship is created between a revision-specific object that is configured for revision-specific relationships and any object that is not configured for revision-specific relationships, then the revision selected for the relationship is ALL by default. You cannot select a specific revision for this relationship.
Revision-specific relationships are available to you only if the Agile administrator has configured Agile PLM to enable revision-specific relationship capabilities. The revision-specific columns on the Relationships tab (Revision, Change, Track Impact and Impacted) must be visible, and you must have the appropriate privileges for those attributes. These revision-specific attributes can be enabled for specific object classes as needed, that is, some object classes may have revision-specific relationships enabled while the remaining object classes do not.
Revision-specific relationships allow you to select a specific revision for a Part object, Document object, or Published Price object in a relationship.
By default, the Relationships table for each object class displays the following columns. The Agile administrator may enable additional columns. If you have questions about the configuration of the Relationships tabs in your Agile system, see the Agile administrator.
Table 5-4 Relationships tab columns
| Default attribute | Description |
|---|---|
|
Criteria Met |
If the relationship has a rule, the Criteria Met icon in this column indicates that the criteria specified in the rule has been met. Web Client:
|
|
Name |
The object name or object number that uniquely identifies the related object. |
|
Description |
The description that appears in the Description field of the related object. |
|
Current Status |
The current workflow status or lifecycle phase of the related object. |
|
Rule |
The rule defined for the relationship. If no rule is defined, this column is blank. |
|
Type |
The object type (or subclass) of the related object. |
|
Note: For Design object relationships only, a Version-specific relationship can be created. |
Table 5-5 Relationships tab revision-specific attribute columns
| Revision-specific attribute | Description |
|---|---|
|
Revision |
This attribute enables the association of the relationship with a specific object revision. When this attributes is enabled, the More menu selections Accept New Revisions and Reject New Revisions are enabled. |
|
Change |
This read-only attribute shows the change (ECO, MCO, or PCO) associated with the selected revision in the Revision cell. Click the change number to navigate to the change object. |
|
Impacted (icon) |
When Track Impact is set to Yes, then an icon appears in this column indicating that the Relationship target object has changed and has a new revision. If the selected revision is Latest, to clear this icon flag, then select the relationship table row and choose More > Accept New Revision or Reject New Revision. |
|
Track Impact |
Determines whether or not to track the impact of a new release of the revision-controlled target object. If you have the appropriate privileges, then you can edit the Track Impact cell. |
Use the View drop-down list to sort the relationships table rows. See also Using the Table Filter.
Table 5-6 Relationships tab views
| View option | Description |
|---|---|
|
Base View (Web Client) All Relationships (Java Client) |
Displays all relationship table rows. |
|
Complete |
Displays relationships that have a rule specified and the criteria of the rule has been met. |
|
Pending |
Displays relationships that have a rule specified and the criteria of the rule has not been met. |
In Web Client, buttons and actions on the Relationships tab allow you to add, edit, and remove relationships and relationship rules.
Table 5-7 Relationship tab buttons
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
|
Add |
Add a relationship to the table by searching for the object you want. See "Adding Relationships to Objects." You can add a relationship by:
|
|
Remove |
Removes the selected relationship table rows. See "Removing Relationships." |
|
Edit Rule |
Opens the Relationship Rule edit dialog, which lets you add, edit, or remove a rule. See "Adding a Rule to a Relationship." |
|
Views |
Lets you sort the table by multiple criteria. See "Relationships Tab Views." As with nearly all Web Client tables, you can define and save your own personal views. |
|
Web Client table edit features |
Lets you edit the Relationships table. See "Editing the Relationships Table." If the Agile administrator has enabled relationship table attributes in addition to the default attributes, you can edit the additional attributes if you have the appropriate privileges. Double-click in an editable cell to begin editing. If relationship table attributes for revision-specific relationships have been enabled, you can edit those attributes if you have the appropriate privileges. See "What are Revision-Specific Relationships?." |
The Relationships tab uses the Views feature that is available on all Web Client tables.
Agile PLM provides you with four standard preconfigured views; see"Relationships Tab Views."
You can create and save personal table views. See "Table Views."
You can add objects to the relationships table of any object. The relationship is listed on the Relationships tabs of both objects. You must have the appropriate modify privileges for both objects in the relationship: the object to which you are adding the relationship and the related object.
To add objects to the relationships table in Web Client:
Navigate to the Relationships tab of an object.
Click the Add menu button and choose one of the following options:
Choose By Search to search for an object. Open the search palette. Execute a quick search to find the objects you want. Double-click to add an object. Press Escape to close the palette.
Choose By Create to create a new object. Select an object type, fill in any required fields, and then click Add. The newly created object is added to the table.
Choose Reference Objects to search for an object in an external application and add it as a reference in the relationships table.
In the Search palette that opens, search for the object and click the name of the object to view it in the corresponding application.
Click OK to add the reference object.
For details about configuring reference objects, see Agile PLM Administrator Guide.
By the Drag and Drop method:
Select an object in the left navigation pane. Drag it onto the table and drop it. You can drag and drop from your My Bookmarks, Recently Visited list, and the NAVIGATOR drawer.
Copy and Paste
Copy one or more objects from a table: search results table, BOM table, Where Used table, and so forth. Use More > Copy or Ctrl-C to copy the rows.
Open the object to which you want to add a relationship. Click the Relationships tab to display it. Paste the rows by using More > Paste or Ctrl-V.
You can also add Problem Reports or Non-Conformance Reports to the Relationships tab of any other Agile objects.
To view or access a reference object:
In the Relationships table, click the reference object link.
Reference object rows are indicated with the icon in the relationships table.
The external application opens in a new browser window.
Enter a username and password if prompted to do so.
The reference object appears in the external application browser window.
To see a quick view of the reference object:
Place the cursor over the reference object link.
When the Quick View callout bubble appears, click Quick View to open a quick view palette, a separate popup window.
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Note: You can select a specific part, document or price revision if the Agile administrator has enabled revision-specific relationship capabilities. See "What are Revision-Specific Relationships?." |
If revision-specific relationship capabilities are enabled for only one object in the relationship (for example, enabled for Part objects, but not for ECOs), then the relationship is added to the Relationships table, the Revision defaults to All.
If revision-specific relationship capabilities are enabled for both objects in the relationship, then the relationship is added, the default Revision is Latest. If you have the appropriate privileges you can select a different revision.
To select a revision for a relationship:
Double-click the Revision cell that you want to modify.
In the drop-down list, select a revision. You can select:
A specific revision, for example, Introductory, A, B, or C.
Latest – the relationship applies to the LATEST revision.
All – the relationship applies to all revisions rather than a specific revision.
Click Save to save your modifications.
For revision-controlled objects (Parts, Documents, or Prices) on the Relationships tab, the Impacted icon is displayed in the relationships table row when Track Impact is set to Yes, and a new revision is released.
To accept or reject the new revision:
Select one or more table rows that display the Impacted icon.
In the More drop-down menu, choose either Accept New Revision or Reject New Revision.
Click Save.
With the appropriate privileges, you can edit the nondefault attributes of the relationships table of any object. Default relationship table attributes cannot be edited. For a list of default relationship table attributes, see "Relationships Tab." If no nondefault attributes are enabled for the relationships table you are viewing, the Edit button may be disabled.
You cannot add, edit, or remove relationship rules with the relationship table edit feature. For more information about relationship rules, see "Relationships and Dependencies Between Objects."
To edit a relationship in Web Client:
Open the object you want and click the Relationships tab.
Double-click in an editable cell.
The table enters edit mode and the table Save and Cancel buttons become active.
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Note: If no nondefault attributes are enabled for the relationships table you are viewing, the table will not enter into edit mode. |
Make the changes, and click Save.
When you remove a relationship, it is removed from the Relationships tab of the current object and from the Relationships tab of the related object. Any rules associated with the relationship are also removed.
To remove a relationship in Web Client:
In the table from which you want to remove objects, select the objects you want to remove.
Click the corresponding Remove button. The rows are removed.
To remove a reference object from the Relationships tab:
In the Relationships table, select the reference object rows you want to remove.
Click the Remove button. The rows are removed.
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Note: If the reference object that was removed from the table does not appear on the Relationships tab of any other object, then the reference object is also deleted. |
Specifying a rule for a relationship defines the manner in which one Agile object can affect the workflow status of another Agile object. A relationship rule includes a Source Object, an Event, a Target Object, and a Result. The format of a relationship rule is shown in the following sentence:
When <Source Object> is <Event>, set <Target Object> to <Result>.
That is, an Event in the Source Object triggers a Result in the Target Object.
A Source Object can be either a routable object with a workflow (for example, a change order or a project object) or a nonroutable object with a lifecycle phase (for example, a part or a document).
An Event is a change in the workflow status or a change in the lifecycle phase of the Source Object.
A Target Object is always a routable object with workflow statuses.
A Result is always a change in the Target Object's workflow status.
Here are some examples of relationship rules:
When ECO_100 is Implemented, set ECR_334 to Closed.
When ECO_565 is Released, set NCR_009 to Closed.
When Part_945 is Production, set Task_Design_Assembly to In Process.
When Document_934 is Prototype, set ECO_3445 to Released.
When Part_D457 is Prototype, set Task_Promote_BOM_to_Prototype to Complete.
When FileFolder0098 is Concept, set Audit_0061 to Initiated.
The resulting change in the Target Object's workflow status also requires that all other conditions required for the workflow to advance have been met. For example, for a change order to be released, it must pass a release audit. If the relationship rule triggering event occurs, but the change order does not pass the release audit, its workflow status will not change. In a similar manner, if a change order passes its release audit, but the relationship rule triggering event has not occurred, the change order workflow status will not change. In both cases, when all the required criteria are fulfilled and the relationship rule triggering event has occurred, the Target Object's workflow status will change.
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Note: You cannot define rules for reference objects. |
The following guidelines and restrictions apply to relationship rules:
Rules for revision-specific relationships apply to ALL revisions.
You cannot define a rule for a reference object.
You cannot define a rule for a workflow object if no workflow has been selected for that object. Rules are based on workflow statuses and workflow statuses are defined by each workflow. If a routable object is Unassigned (it has no workflow assigned) then there is no identified list of statuses to select when defining a relationship rule.
Only one rule can be defined for each relationship table row. However, you can add the same object to the relationship table in multiple rows and define a different rule for each row.
If you want two objects to advance through their respective workflows simultaneously, you create relationship entries for each status.
The Criteria Met column in the relationship tables indicates that the Source Object's triggering event has occurred. If the triggering event is that the Source Object's workflow status changes to Status_02, but the workflow status was manually changed to Status_03, skipping over Status_02, then the Target Object's event (workflow status change) will not occur. If you remove the relationship row or you remove the relationship rule, then the Target Object's event can occur.
The Criteria Met field, once checked (the Complete icon appears) is not "unchecked" if an object is returned to an earlier status for other reasons.
A relationship rule causes the Target Object only to advance in its workflow, never to return to a status it has already left.
A nonroutable object with no workflow, for example, an item, can be a Source Object but it cannot be a Target Object. You can create a rule between a nonroutable object and a routable object only when the nonroutable object is the Source Object.
You can create a relationship without a rule between two nonroutable objects. Agile PLM will not allow you to create a rule between two nonroutable objects.
The relationship rule can be defined from the Relationships tab of either object.
You must have the appropriate "modify relationship" privilege for both objects to create a relationship without a rule between two objects. To create a rule between two related objects, you must, in addition, have the appropriate "modify rule" privilege for both objects.
The "modify rule" privilege allows you to specify a routable object as the Target Object in a rule. That is, it allows you to specify a rule that triggers a modification (Result) in the Target Object.
When both objects in a relationship are routable objects, if you do not have "modify rule" privilege for one of the objects in that relationship, then, in any rule you create, that object can be only the Source Object (because it will not be modified when the rule criteria is met); it cannot be the Target Object.
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Note: If there are relationships with rules defined for multiple statuses of a single routable Target Object, Agile checks that related events that apply to earlier result statuses have been met before advancing the workflow. For example, for a specific Target Object, if there are events defined for both Submitted and Released statuses, and the events for the Released status are satisfied, Agile will not advance the Target Object's workflow to Released status until the events for the Submitted status are also satisfied. |
To add a rule to a relationship in Web Client:
On the Relationships tab, select the table row of the related object to which you want to add a rule.
Click the Edit Rule button.
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Note: If it is not possible to add a rule to the selected relationship because both objects are nonroutable objects, an error message is displayed on the tab. |
In the Relationship Rule edit dialog, use the drop-down lists to define the rule.
When you are finished, click Save.
To edit a rule to a relationship in Web Client:
On the Relationships tab, select the table row of the related object to which you want to edit a rule.
Click the Edit Rule button.
In the Relationship Rule edit dialog, use the drop-down lists to edit the rule.
When you are finished, click Save.
To remove a rule to a relationship in Web Client:
On the Relationships tab, select the table row of the related object to which you want to remove a rule.
Click the Edit Rule button.
In the Relationship Rule edit dialog, click Remove.
The rule is removed from the selected relationship.
This is some additional information about relationships as they are used in the PQM solution:
When relationships are created between PQM objects, a blank rule is created for the relationship. You must edit the blank rule to define how you want the PQM objects to affect each other.
When a QCR affects the PSR, that is, when a QCR and PSR are related and the relationship rule follows the format:
When <QCR source object> is <event>, set <PSR target object> to <result>
all items from the PSR Affected Items tab are displayed on the PSR Items table of the QCR. If the PSR was used to aggregate multiple PSRs, then the related PSRs' affected items are displayed.
When this QCR is affected by a PSR, that is, when the QCR and the PSR are related and the rule follows the format:
When <PSR source object> is <event>, set <QCR target object> to <result>.
all items from the PSR Affected Items tab and the related PSR's affected items are not displayed on the PSR Items table of the QCR.
For detailed information about deleting objects, see Appendix A, "Deleting Agile Objects.".
– Criteria Met
– Pending