Manage Substitute Components

You can add and update substitute components for items, from the contextual side panel on the item structure tab.

Here's how:

1. Launch the item from the Affected Objects tab on a change order.

2. Click the Structure tab on the item.

3. Select the component for which you want to add the substitute.

4. In the side panel, select the Substitute Components tab to add the substitute.

Here are some details on managing substitutes:

• Only the structures of preliminary items (items that have never been released before) can be updated. Similarly, only substitute components in preliminary stage can be updated. Once released, components and substitutes can be updated only through an engineering change order.

• The lifecycle phase of the substitute should be the same or higher than the component. You can add a substitute component belonging to a lower lifecycle to an item, only when a released item with a higher lifecycle phase than design is allowed to be added to a preliminary item by disabling lifecycle validation.

  Note: To disable lifecycle validation deselect the Enable Lifecycle Validation check box in the Item Structure Type Details task. To access the task, in the Setup and Maintenance work area select Product Management offering > Functional Area: Structures > Item Structure Type Details.

• If you have a parent item which is preliminary, you can add components that are released or preliminary. In both these cases, you can add substitutes. You can also add substitutes to a sub-assembly.

• You can't add a parent item as a substitute.

• When you add a substitute in the side panel, the quantity is defaulted to the original component value and can be edited.

• Once released to a pre-production lifecycle, only the additional attributes (descriptive flexfields) can be updated in the Product Information Management work area.

• You can identify where an item is used as a substitute by using the where used query on the item structure page.