Topic overview

This article describes the procedures for using the Item characteristic assignments application. The procedures contain instruction steps, e.g. how to assign an item characteristic or edit such an assignment. You are also informed about possible preconditions and effects.

The description of the Item characteristic assignments application, which also contains field and action descriptions, can be found in the Item characteristic assignments article.

In order for an item to be assigned to an item characteristic classification, an item characteristic classification must first be entered. You can find further information on item characteristic classifications in the Procedures: Item characteristic classifications article.

Assigning items to a classification node and defining item characteristic values

Preconditions

An item characteristic classification exists

Only if an item characteristic is assigned to the selected item characteristic classification can an item characteristic assignment be defined for an item in the Item characteristic assignments application.

Instructions

1. Open the Item characteristic assignments application

2. In the Classification field, select a node of the item characteristic classification to which you would like to assign an item. Alternatively, you can select a classification node in the dockable Item characteristic classification view.

• The items already assigned to the classification node are displayed in the table in the work pane. The columns correspond to the defined item characteristics of the selected item characteristic classification.

3. Click the [Add] or [Find and add multiple items] button in the table toolbar

• The [Add] action creates an empty new table row
• If you have used the [Find and add multiple items] action, a dialog window opens in which you can search for items and select several rows of the search result to be entered in the table. After the transfer, the table contains a corresponding number of new rows with the previously selected item identifications.

4. Enter the item identification for an empty new line item

5. Define the respective characteristics for the assigned item based on the available and editable item characteristics

6. Define the variant item characteristic usages for reference items in the line item editor under the Variant item characteristics usages tab

7. If required, transfer assignments edited in the line item editor to the line item table

8. Click the [Save] button on the standard toolbar

• The data will be saved

[Validate variant item characteristics integrity…] action

You can use the [Validate variant item characteristics integrity…] action to check whether the entry of variant items for a reference item, including the item characteristic values, is consistent.

A warning is displayed in the following cases:

• A variant item has been entered in the Items application but is not assigned to a leaf
• A variant item is assigned to a leaf that does not belong to the node of a reference item
• A reference item has item characteristics marked as Variant item characteristic. The combination of characteristic values results in several variant items per combination.
• A reference item has item characteristics marked as Variant item characteristic with an empty value

Instructions

1. Open the Item characteristic assignments application

2. Click the [Validate variant item characteristics integrity…] action on the standard toolbar

A dialog window will open. For its description, see the chapter Validate variant item characteristics integrity dialog window.

3. In the Reference item field, enter one or more reference items whose integrity you want to validate. If the field remains empty, all reference items will be verified.

4. Click the [Refresh] button to the right of the Reference item field in the dialog window

• The integrity of the reference items will be checked. The incorrect data will displayed in the table in the dialog window and warnings will be issued. Data in the dialog window cannot be changed.

Validate variant item characteristics integrity dialog window

Selecting the action button opens a dialog window in which the inconsistent combinations are displayed for selected reference items. The dialog window contains a query field for reference items and a table for displaying the inconsistent combinations:

• Reference item – in this field, you need to enter the identification of a reference item whose variant item characteristic integrity should be validated.
  You can enter one or more reference item identifications in this query field. If you leave the query field empty, all reference items will be validated.
  After you click the [Refresh] button next to the Reference item field, the inconsistent combinations are displayed in the table below the field.

The table contains the following columns:

• First header line:
  • Reference item – a reference item is displayed in this column if the integrity is not given for at least one of its variant items and their definitions are incorrect. The affected variant items are listed in the following lines.
  • Classification – this column shows the classification path up to the node to which the reference item is assigned
  • Variant item characteristic (field description) – this column displays the field descriptions of all item characteristics that are marked as Variant item characteristic. The field descriptions of several item characteristics are listed separated by a semicolon (sorted by Level and Sequence).
• Second header line:
  • Variant item – a variant item identification is displayed in this column if the integrity validation for this item has shown that settings are incorrect
  • Classification – this column displays the classification path up to the node to which the variant item is assigned
  • Variant item characteristic (setting) – this column displays the values (settings) of all item characteristics which are marked with as Variant item characteristic and which are to be assigned to the variant item. The values of several item characteristics are listed separated by semicolons (sorted by Level and Sequence).