How are CREO Family Table Instances handled within SAP ECTR?

[Former Member]

Example #1: If using Windchill only a single Generic is physically created that may contain many Family Table Instances. Only the meta-data of these family table instances are represented in the Windchill Database.

Example #2: When we were looking at a different PLM software we found that it created a individual "physical file" for each Family Table Instance. It did not just create an entry in the database of the family tables meta-data.

How does SAP ECTR manage Creo Family Tables?

[andreasstein1]

Family tables - for parts or assemblies - consist of a generic file and the associated instances. PTC Creo Parametric creates the family table instances at runtime from the generic file.

For all family table members, including the generic file, in SAP ECTR a separate document info record is created in SAP PLM. Each document can be separately linked to material master record, etc.

The documents of all members of the family table contain the metadata like status, classification, etc. The document of the generic file has the generic PTC Creo Parametric file as original file. Each document of a family table instance has a dummy file as original (* .var). This dummy file is not used in PTC Creo Parametric. It is only used for check-in and check-out of the document.

Please note that additional DType definitions will be required for family tables (generic files and instances).