About This Writing Sample

SC Config Manager™ User's Manual - Chapter 8

In the original ten chapters, I describe how to plan, create, and implement a configuration model using SC Config Manager. This includes an overview of how the SC Config Manager engine works with other Trilogy® Selling Chain® components (the API, the SC database, and others); how to build object-oriented hierarchies of products and parts; how to describe part-to-part relationships; how to choose appropriate modeling strategies; and how to code a user interface using a Visual Basic example.

I have converted Chapter 8 to HTML, and this version contains the same textual and graphical information as the original document. The text explains how Rules work in the product model to describe the relationships between its Parts.

The client specified that the printed documents be produced using Microsoft Word, and required context-sensitive Help for this Windows based application. The project was single-sourced using Microsoft Word and Wextech's Documentation Studio.

About SC Config Manager

SC Config Manager™ is a software application that lets product modelers describe all possible instances of any product, and store them in a product database. The descriptions are called configuration models. For example, configuration models could be used to describe each of the vehicle products offered by an automobile manufacturer, including all possible options.

A logic engine and the configuration model together drive an interface used by sales staff or customers to place orders for products. The configuration model also contains specific rules about how parts can or cannot co-exist within a finished product. For example, if a product includes a manual transmission but offers an automatic transmission as an option, the configuration model would automatically delete the manual transmission from the configuration and include the automatic whenever a user selected the automatic transmission option in the interface.

The configuration model also disallows invalid product configurations. For example, if a customer has specified the smallest engine available, a configuration model would make the optional trailer hitch package unselectable in the interface.

One of SC Config Manager's most important benefits is that it ensures that all submitted orders are validated error-free before they are committed to the manufacturing process.