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Designing Configurator model Bills of Material is critical to the success of a Configure-to-Order Oracle implementation. You need to consider:
Model type. Model content required and optional items. Model structure. Rules. Your manufacturing process.
A Bill of Material containing required and optional items. Rules for selecting correct and compatible combinations of items. A User Interface.
Use an ATO model whenever you need to generate a work order that will progress through your manufacturing line. Use a PTO model whenever you need to generate a pick list that can be fulfilled from inventory.
Configurator models should contain all the items that might ever be used in any combination. This will usually include both required and optional items. In the illustration below, all possible electronics housings, process connections, manuals, safety tags, etc. have been included in an ATO model Bill of Material (BOM).
Figure 1: Oracle Configurator model BOMs include both required and optional items
Obviously, specific configurations do not require all items. The Configurator is used to select the optional items used in individual configurations. This is done by interacting with a custom User Interface that in turn drives rules. The rules select items from the ATO or PTO model BOM. A sample User Interface is shown below.
Summary
Models in Oracle can be thought of as intelligent Bills of Material. There are two types of models in Oracle: ATO and PTO. Include every item that might be needed in every possible configuration in your model. Use the User Interface and rules to select the optional items needed for a specific configuration. 5. Structure models with as much complexity as you need to describe your product. 6. Use Option Classes to contain similar optional items if needed. 7. Option Classes may also contain required items! 1. 2. 3. 4.