Create Your Configuration Model

Use the Product Information Management work area to create your configuration model.

Here's an example model you will create.

Summary of the Set Up

1. Create classes and configure options.

2. Add options to your option classes.

3. Create the model.

4. Add classes to your model.

5. Associate your model with an inventory organization.

6. Verify your set up.

Create Classes and Configure Options

You start at the bottom of the hierarchy. You create classes and configure options, then add them to the model.

1. Go to the Product Information Management work area.

2. On the Product Information Management page, click Tasks > Create Item.

3. In the Create Item dialog, set values, then click OK.

   Attribute	Value
   Organization	V1 V1 is an abbreviation for Vision Operations.
   Create New	Selected
   Number of Items	9 This is a nifty feature you can use to add more than one item to the same class.
   Item Class	My Laptop This is the class you created earlier.
   Template	Finished Goods As an alternative, use the ATO Item template for configure options and the ATO Option Class template for option classes. If you use them, verify each value that the template sets.

4. On the Create Multiple Items page, don't click Save. Instead, set the values.

   Item	Description	User Item Type
   CTO_474101	14 Inch Laptop Screen	Finished Good
   CTO_474102	15.6 Inch Laptop Screen	Finished Good
   CTO_474201	8 GB Memory	Finished Good
   CTO_474202	12 GB Memory	Finished Good
   CTO_474301	1 TB Hard Drive	Finished Good
   CTO_474302	2 TB Hard Drive	Finished Good
   CTO_474100	Screen	ATO Option Class
   CTO_474200	Memory	ATO Option Class
   CTO_474300	Hard Drive	ATO Option Class

   Leave other attributes at their default values.

   Attribute	Value
   Item Status	Active
   Lifecycle Phase	Design
   Pack Type	Leave empty.

   Here's what your set up should look like.

   

5. Set the values for the first item in the list.

   • Click the row that contains CTO_474101 in the Name column, click Specifications > Sales and Order Management, then set the value.

     Attribute	Value
     Order Management Indivisible	Yes Specify whether your user can use a decimal quantity for the item. If Yes, then your user can use only a whole number for the quantity, such as 1, 2, or 3, and can't use a decimal, such as 1.4. In this example, each item is indivisible. For example, you can't order a fraction of a screen, memory, or hard drive.

   • Click Associations, click Actions > Select and Add, search for an inventory organization, click Apply, then click Done.

     Attribute	Value
     Organization	M1 You must specify an inventory organization. If you don't, you can't create a work definition for your item.
     Organization Name	Seattle Manufacturing In this example, assume you already set up Seattle Manufacturing as an inventory organization.

6. Repeat step 5 for each row.

7. Set the values for the option classes.

   You use the option class to group options but you don't actually ship the class. You do ship the option. So, you set some values differently for the option class than you do for the option.

   • Set the values for the screen. Click the row that contains CTO_474100 in the Name column, click Specifications, click Manufacturing under Item Organization, then set the values.

     Attribute	Value
     Structure Item Type	Option Class
     Pick Components	No
     Assemble to Order	Yes
     Build in WIP	No
     Supply Type	Phantom

     The class is a phantom. You don't pick, assemble, or build it. You do pick, assemble, and build the option.

   • Click Sales and Order Management, then set the value.

     Attribute	Value
     Shippable	No You don't ship the class. You ship the option.

   • Repeat this step for the memory option class, CTO_474200.

   • Repeat this step for the hard drive option class, CTO_474300.

8. Accept all other default values, then click Save > Save and Close.

Add Options to Your Option Classes

1. Search for and open the screen class for editing.

   • Click Tasks > Manage Items.

   • Search for the screen class.

     Attribute	Value
     Name	CTO_474100

   • In the search results, click the M1 version.

     Note: Product Information Management creates a new version of each item when you associate the item with an inventory organization, then appends the name of the organization, such as M1, to the name of the item. The search results display the V1 and M1 versions in separate rows, but doesn't display V1 or M1. It displays only the name. Make sure you click the M1 version. Its usually the second row.

   

2. Add the structure.

   • On the Edit Item page, click Structures, then click Actions > Create from Common.

     Don't use Actions > Create. If you do, you will be creating a separate structure. Instead, click Create from Common to use the structure you created for the V1 version.

   • In the Create New Item Structure from Common dialog, set the values, then click OK.

     Attribute	Value
     Organization Name	Vision Operations
     Item	CTO_474100
     Structure Name	Primary
     Common Structure Levels	First Level

   • In the Item Structures list, in the Name column, click Primary.

   • On the Edit Item Structure page, click View, then add a check mark to Component Order Management.

3. Add an option.

   • On the Edit Item Structure page, click Actions > Select and Add.

   • In the Select and Add dialog, search for the item.

     Attribute	Value
     Item	CTO_474101

   • In the search results, click the row, then click Edit and Add.

   • In the Edit Multiple Components dialog, set the values, then click OK.

     Attribute	Value
     Optional	Set to No for the option classes. Set to Yes for the configure options. Note An option class can be required or optional. For example, a laptop computer can't function without a screen, so the screen class isn't optional. If you set Optional to No for the option class, and if you set Optional to Yes for at least one option in the class, then the Order Management work area will display the class on the Configure page at runtime. This allows your user to choose the option. If you set a configure option to No, then Order Management won't display it at runtime, your user can't set the option, and the purchase order and shipping documents won't include it. If its a manufactured item, then the work order will still include it because its part of the item structure.
     Minimum Quantity	1 Specify the minimum quantity the user can set for this option. A laptop computer must have one and only one screen, so set the minimum quantity to 1 and the maximum quantity to 1.
     Maximum Quantity	1
     Instantiability	Don't modify for this example. Specify whether to create a separate flow for each instance of the item on the order line. If the quantity of the component is greater than one, and if Instantiability is Yes, then use a separate instance for each assemble-to-order flow. For example, assume you add an order line for the CTO_474000 with a quantity of 12, and Instantiability is. Enabled. Create 12 separate flows and set the quantity on each flow to 1. Enable Instantiability when each item requires a slight variation that the flow must fulfill. For example, the item is a personal computer that includes two hard drives, and you must serialize each drive. For another example, the item is a cell phone and you must provision a unique telephone number for each phone. Not enabled. Create one flow and set the quantity on the flow to 12.

4. Repeat step 3 for the CTO_474102 option.

5. Click Done, then click Save > Save and Close.

6. Repeat these steps but create the memory hierarchy.

   CTO_474200
      CTO_474201
      CTO_474202

7. Repeat these steps but create the hard drive hierarchy.

   CTO_474300
      CTO_474301
      CTO_474302

Create the Model

Create the CTO_474000 model so it works in an assemble-to-order flow.

1. On the Product Information Management page, click Tasks > Create Item.

2. In the Create Item dialog, set values, then click OK.

   Attribute	Value
   Organization	V1
   Create New	Selected
   Number of Items	1
   Item Class	My Laptop
   Template	ATO Model Move ATO Model from the available list to the selected list. Make sure the selected list contains only ATO Model.

3. On the Create Item page, set the values, then click Save.

   Attribute	Value
   Name	CTO_474000
   Description	Build My Laptop
   Item Status	Active
   Lifecycle Phase	Design
   User Item	ATO Model
   Pack Type	Leave empty

4. Click Specifications, then set the values. Use these values for an assemble-to-order flow.

   Attribute	Value
   Structure Item Type	Model
   Autocreated Configuration	No
   Pick Components	No
   Assemble to Order	Yes
   Build in WIP	Yes Set it to Yes for an assemble-to-order item that you will make.

   If you were setting up a pick-to-order flow, you would use different values.

   Attribute	Value
   Pick Components	Yes
   Assemble to Order	No
   Build in WIP	No

5. Click Sales and Order Management, then set the values.

   Attribute	Value
   Customer Ordered Customer Orders Enabled Order Management Transaction Enabled	Yes If you set these attributes to No, the flow will fail in Order Management.
   Back-to-Back Enabled	Yes This attribute allows Supply Orchestration to procure the item in a back-to-back flow, such as buy or make. Set to Yes for an assemble-to-order item. Set to No for pick-to-order. You can enable the configure options for back-to-back in a pick-to-order flow, but not the model.
   Shippable	Yes Note Set to Yes for an assemble-to-order model. Order Management views the model as the item. The configured item is an attribute on the model. So you must make the model is shippable. Set to No for a pick-to-order model. Each item in the pick-to-order model is shippable, but the pick-to-order model only represents the collection of items to ship. It isn't shippable.
   Ship Model Complete	No Note Set to No for assemble-to-order because an assemble-to-order model is a single item. Set to Yes for pick-to-order because Order Management only supports shipping all pick-to-order items together from the same warehouse.
   Invoiced	Yes If you set this attribute to No, then the flow won't send any details to Accounts Receivable.

6. Click Planning, then set the values.

   Attribute	Value
   Planning Method attribute in the MPS MRP Planning area	MPS Planning If you set it to MPS Planning or MRP Planning, then the model, option classes, options, and components display in Planning Central. For details, see Item MRP and MPS Planning Specifications.
   Forecast Control	Consume Then Explode Use this value if you intend to forecast the model. For details, see Forecast an Assemble-to-Order Item.

7. Click Purchasing, set the values, then click Save.

   Attribute	Value
   Purchasable	Yes Set to Yes for the model, each option class, and each option.
   List Price	100 Purchasing uses this value as the default purchase price in the purchase order. It applies only when you create a blanket purchase agreement with your supplier. It has nothing to do with set ups you make in the Pricing Administration work area. Set a value for the model and each option, but not the option classes. For details, see Create Purchase Orders for Configured Items.

8. Add a structure.

   • Click Structures, then click Actions > Create.

   • In the Create New Structure dialog, set the value, then click OK.

     Attribute	Value
     Name	Primary

   • Click Save.

Add Classes to Your Model

1. Add the CTO_474100 class.

   • On the Edit Item page, on the Structures tab, in the Item Structures list, in the Name column, click Primary.

   • On the Edit Item Structure page, click Actions > Select and Add.

   • In the Select and Add dialog, search for the value.

     Attribute	Value
     Item	CTO_474100

   • Click the row that contains CTO_474100 in the search results, then click OK.

   • On the Edit Item Structure page, click the row that contains CTO_474000 in the Item column.

2. Repeat step 2 to add the memory class, CTO_474200.

3. Repeat step 2 to add the hard drive class, CTO_474300.

4. Click Done, then click Save.

5. Add a picture of your model.

   • On the Edit Item page, in the large empty area under the page name, under the text No items to display, next to the text None, click the plus sign.

   • In the Attachments dialog, click Browse to locate a file that contains an image of your model, click OK, then click Save.

Associate Your Model with an Inventory Organization

1. Add the association.

   • On the Edit Item page, click Associations.

   • Click Actions > Select and Add.

   • In the Select and Add dialog, search for an inventory organization, then click Apply > Done.

     Attribute	Value
     Organization	M1
     Organization Name	Seattle Manufacturing Make sure the organization you choose as an inventory organization. If it isn't, then it won't display when you create the work definition. For details, see Inventory Organizations.

   • Click Save > Save and Close.

2. Create the structure in the M1 version from the structure you created in the V1 version.

   • On the Manage Items page, open the CTO_474000 (M1) version of your model for editing.

     Its typically the second row in the results.

   • On the Edit Item: CTO_474000y (M1) page, click Structures, then click Actions > Create from Common.

     You add the structure from the V1 version you created earlier. In this example, the V1 version is the master organization. This way, you use a single structure for all classes and options in the configured item, which helps manage and maintain the item. For example, if you update the structure in V1, then Product Information Management updates the structures that reference V1.

     Don't use Actions > Create. If you do, you will be creating a separate structure for the M1 version.

     Learn about master organizations. For details, see Item Organizations.

   • In the Create New Item Structure from Common dialog, set the values, then click OK.

     Attribute	Value
     Organization Name	Vision Operations
     Item	CTO_474000
     Structure Name	Primary
     Common Structure Levels	All Levels

   • In the Information dialog, click OK.

   • Click Save > Save and Close.

Verify Your Set Up

1. Sign into Order Management and create a sales order.

   Attribute	Value
   Customer	Computer Service and Rentals

2. On the catalog line, enter the value.

   Attribute	Value
   Item	CTO_474000

3. Wait for the search results to display, then verify that the catalog line displays the Configure and Add button.

   Configure and Add displays only for a configured item.

4. Click Configure and Add, then verify the Configure page.

   

Note

• Verify that the hierarchy on the Configure page reflects the hierarchy you set up in Product Information Management.

• Verify that you can choose one, and only one configure option in each class.

• Notice there's no pricing. You set it up in a different topic. For details, see Set Up Pricing for Your Configuration Model.