CA2264603A1 - Method and apparatus for maintaining and configuring systems - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides the ability to interactively select and configure a product among a set of related products based on availability and compatibility of features and options. It does not impose an order in the selection of products, features or options; only valid selections can be made at any time. To create an electronic representation of the product information to achieve the above goal, the invention provides a framework for defining a system by defining the components of the system using elements contained in a parts catalog (204) and defining relationships (206) between the components of a system. A configuration system (212) validates a configuration using the system definition, the current state of the configuration and user input.

Description

10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 1 PCT/US97/15067METHOD AND APPARATUS FORMAINTAINING AND CONFIGURING SYSTEMS 1. Fl D F I EThis invention relates to maintaining and configuring systems.2. BAQKQ1§Q11MD'ARIA system is comprised of components. Before a system can be built thecomponents of the system must be identified. To configure a system, a usermust select the parts to include in the system. Typically, one who isknowledgeable about a system and its components defines the system. Thus,for example, an automobile salesperson assists an automobile buyer indetermining the type and features of the automobile. The salespersonunderstands the featuresand options that are available to create a validconfiguration. Some features and options cannot be combined. The selectionof some features caused other features to be unavailable, etc. It wouldotherwise be difficult for the buyer to identify all of the features and optionsavailable on the automobile that can be combined to create a validconfiguration.Computer systems have been developed to assist one in configuring asystem. However, these systems use a configuration language to define asystem. Like a programming language, a configuration language uses asyntax that must be understood by a user who is maintaining the data (i.e., adata maintainer). To use one of these configuration systems, it is necessaryfor a data maintainer to understand the configuration language. This limits101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 2 PCT/US97/ 15067the number of users who are able to use the configuration systems. That is,the level of sophistication needed to communicate with the configurationsystem (through a configuration language) results in less sophisticated usersbeing unable to use the system.In addition, configuration systems impose a How or ordering to theuser operations. For example, a user is required to remove components fromthe system in reverse of the order in which they were chosen. Thus, a usermay be forced to remove components that the user wants to keep in theconfiguration to remove an unwanted component. A novice user may haveperform many removal operations before achieving an acceptableconfiguration. If the novice user is required to remove components in apreset order, the user can become frustrated or confused and abort theconfiguration process.These systems are designed for a more sophisticated user that hasknowledge of the system that is being configured as well as the configurationsystem used to configure the system. A end user such as an automobileshopper would have difficulty using these systems.Further, to use these systems a user must be trained to understand theconfiguration language. Thus, a user who otherwise has knowledge of thesystems that are being configured must undergo training to be able to usethese configuration systems to configure systems. This leads to increasedexpenditures such as for training.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 3 PCT/US97/15067M RYThe invention provides the ability to interactively select and configurea product among a set of related products based on availability andcompatibility of features and options. It does not impose an order in theselection of products, features or options; only valid selections can be made atany time. To create an electronic representation of the product informationto achieve the above goal, the invention provides a framework for defining aproduct line.A product line is defined as a set of related products. A product linehas a set of products that contain parts, or components. Parts used to define aproduct are selected from a parts catalog. Parts in a product definition arerelated or classified as: included (parts that are included by default), requiredchoices (a choice among a group of parts that must be made to achieve a validconfiguration), optional (parts that can be optionally included in theconfiguration).Relationships can be defined between the parts in a product definition.A relationship relates a first set of parts with a second set of parts. A set caninclude multiple parts. The incorporation of parts in a set can be arbitrary.That is, a multi-part set can contain parts that are otherwise unrelated. Forexample, a set can contain parts such as an engine, sun roof and a color.These parts seem to be unrelated, however, it is possible to combine theminto a relationship set for purposes of forming a relationship using thepresent invention.Preferably, the part relationships are: included, excluded, removed, andrequires choice. An included part is included automatically. A part is10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 4 PCT/US97/ 15067excluded from the configuration when its inclusion would result in aninvalid configuration. A part may be removed when another part is added.Thus, when a first part exists in the configuration and a second part is added,the first part is removed from the configuration. The requires choicerelationship is used to allow a set of choices to be made from a group of parts.The number of parts chosen is limited to a valid bounds specification. Therelations that are created between parts within a product are enforced only onthat particular product. ‘However, if some part-to-part relationships are to beenforced on all products within a product line, then the relations aregenerated once and enforced for all products.A maintenance system is used to define a product. Using themaintenance system, a product can be defined using the productclassifications and the part relationships. A graphical user interface (GUI) isused to allow the user to interactively generate a definition. Instead ofconfiguration languages, GUI operations such as drag and drop and selectionoperations can be used to specify a definition. The notions of included,optional and required choice are easily comprehensible to a user. Further,the idea that parts have interrelationships is also easily understood. Thus, aproduct can be defined without having to learn a complicated configurationlanguage.A configuration system is used to configure a system using a definitioncreated by the maintenance system. The configuration system ensures thatthe current configuration state is always valid. The user can select andunselect parts in any order. When user input is received, the configurationsystem validates the input based on the current state of the configuration. Inaddition, the configuration system identifies selections that could cause a10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 5 PCT/US97/15067valid configuration to become invalid. The configuration removes theseselections from the set of possible selections so that the user does not makean invalid selection.The configuration system evaluates the current state of a configurationbased on the product definition, part relationships and state information.After receipt of input from a user, the configuration system evaluatesrelationships in both the forward and backward direction. Forward andbackward evaluations can result in the addition or deletion of elements fromthe configuration.The invention uses both an external and internal representation of adefinition or definitions. A translation mechanism is used translate anexternal representation into an internal representation. The externalrepresentation uses a conceptually understandable set of relationships fordefining a system and the relationships between the components of thesystem. The invention takes the definition created by a user andsupplements and compresses the definition when necessary to create aninternal representation. The internal ‘representation is used duringconfiguration to initialize and validate a configuration based on user input.During configuration, the invention maintains runtime informationthat is stored in tables and vectors. To achieve greater processing efficiency,the systems represents elements in a configuration (e.g., product, part, andgroup) as a bit in a bit vector. Thus, for example, a vector has a length that isequal to the total number of elements. An element's bit can be set or reset tospecify the state of the element in the current configuration. For example, auser vector can be used that specifies for each element whether the elementhas been selected by the user during the configuration. In addition, excluded101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 6 PCT/US97ll5067and removed vectors identify whether an element is excluded or removed(respectively) from a configuration. Vectors can be used to identify whetheran element 1) has been selected (by the user or the configuration system), 2) isselectable, and 3) notselectable.Tables contain element relationships. A table is used to represent theincludes, excludes, removes, and requires choice relationships, for example.Each table has a left-hand side and a right-hand side that corresponds to theleft-hand and right-hand sides of a relationship. In each case, the left-handside is a bit vector that contains-bits that correspond to elements. Theincludes, excludes and removes tables contain a bit vector in the right-handside that represents configuration elements. The right-hand side of therequires choice table is a pointer that points to an entry in a group table. Thegroup table entry is a bit vector that identifies the elements that are containedin the group from which a choice is to be made. The right-hand side of arequires choice table entry further includes minimum and maximumdesignations. Minimum and maximum values identify the minimum andmaximum number of group members that are to be selected to satisfy arequires group relationship.A bit vector implementation of relationships and internal runtimestate allows for fast and efficient computation of relationship basedconfiguration. A comparison of bits can be performed in one machineinstruction in most cases.101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 7 PCT/US97/15067 NQSFigure 1 provides an illustration of a computer system that can be usedwith the invention according to an embodiment of the invention.Figure 2 provides an overview of the maintenance and configurationsystems according to an embodiment of the invention.Figure 3 illustrates examples of elements in a parts catalog according toan embodiment of the invention.Figure 4 illustrates relationships between parts according to anembodiment of the invention.Figure 5 provides an example of product classifications according to anembodiment of the invention.Figure 6 provides an example of a GUI screen used in maintenancesystem 202 according to an embodiment of the present invention.Figure 7 provides an block diagram illustrating the conversion processaccording to one embodiment of the invention.Figures 8A-8B illustrate components of internal representation 706according to an embodiment of the invention.Figure 9 provides a process flow for processing a user selectionaccording to an embodiment of the invention.Figure 10 provides an example of a relationship evaluation processflow according to an embodiment of the invention.10CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/1036() 8 PCT/US97/ 15067Figure 11 provides an example of an unselect item process flowaccording to an embodiment of the invention.Figure 12 provides a flow for translation processing according to anembodiment of the invention.Figures 13A-13B provide an illustration of groups and nested groupsaccording to an embodiment of the invention.Figures 14A-14B provide an includes chain process flow according toan embodiment of the invention.Figures 15A-15B provides an example of a subgroup excludes processflow according to an embodiment of the invention.Figures 16A-16C provide an example of a relationship factorizationprocess flow according to an embodiment of the invention.Figures 17A-17B provide an illustration of a relationship compressionprocess flow according to an embodiment of the invention.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 9 PCT/US97/15067TI F EA method and apparatus for maintaining and configuring systems isdescribed. In the following description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a more thorough description of the presentinvention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. In otherinstances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not toobscure the invention.The present invention can be implemented on a general purposecomputer such as illustrated in Figure 1. A keyboard 110 and mouse 111 arecoupled to a bi-directional system bus 118. The keyboard and mouse are forintroducing user input to the computer system and communicating that userinput to CPU 113. The computer system of Figure 1 also includes a videomemory 114, main memory 115 and mass storage 112, all coupled tobi-directional system bus 118 along with keyboard 110, mouse 111 and CPU113. The mass storage 112 may include both fixed and removable media, suchas magnetic, optical or magnetic optical storage systems or any other availablemass storage technology. Bus 118 may contain, for example, 32 address linesfor addressing video memory 114 or main memory 115. The system bus 118also includes, for example, a 32-bit DATA bus for transferring DATA betweenand among the components, such as CPU 113, main memory 115, videomemory 114 and mass storage 112. Alternatively, multiplex DATA/ addresslines may be used instead of separate DATA and address lines.In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the CPU 113 is a 32-bitmicroprocessor manufactured by Motorola, such as the 680XO processor or amicroprocessor manufactured by Intel, such as the 80X86, or Pentium10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 93/10350 10 PCT/U S97/15067processor. However, any other suitable microprocessor or microcomputermay be utilized. Main memory 115 is comprised of dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM). Video memory 114 is a dual-ported video random accessmemory. One port of the video memory 114 is coupled to video amplifier116. The video amplifier 116 is used to drive the cathode ray tube (CRT)raster monitor 117. Video amplifier 116 is well known in the art and may beimplemented by any suitable means. This circuitry converts pixel DATAstored in video memory 114 to a raster signal suitable for use by monitor 117.Monitor 117 is a type of monitor suitable for displaying graphic images.The computer system described above is for purposes of example only.The present invention may be implemented in any type of computer systemor programming or processing enviromnent.The invention maintains and configures systems. The inventioneliminates the need for a user to learn a configuration language or write codeto maintain and/ or configure a system. A user interface uses variousoperations such as drag and drop and item selection to define a product, forexample. Elements that comprise a definition (e.g., of a product) can be addedor removed in any order. No order is imposed on the user. There is norequirement, for example, that the user remove parts of a product in theorder in which they were added. No fixed flow or order is required to edit agiven product.A definition includes an identification of the components thatcomprise the definition and the interrelationships between the components.The interrelationships are conceptually easy for the user to understand. Thesame relationships are used to define and configure any system. An externalrepresentation that includes these relationships allows a user to view and10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 11 PCT/U S97/ 15067maintain the definition. The external representation is translated into aninternal representation that is designed to decrease processing time andincrease response time.In addition, during a configuration session, the invention is capable ofallowing a user to select or unselect configuration items without imposing aflow on the user. There is no order imposed on the user in terms of thesequence in which items are selected for the configuration or unselected fromthe configuration. For example, it is not necessary to select a product beforechoosing options. The invention can identify the products that are stillavailable based on the options that have already been selected. Further, auser can unselect an item (e.g., delete the item from the configuration)without regard to the order in which it was selected (e.g., added to theconfiguration).Examples of systems that can be maintained or configured using theinvention include automobiles, computers, time clock machines, and shoes.Terms such as part, product line, parts catalog, and product are used hereinfor illustration purposes. It should be apparent that this invention can beused to configure systems that are not limited to products and product lines,etc.Figure 2 provides an overview of the maintenance and configurationsystems according to an embodiment of the invention. Maintenance system202 maintains a parts catalog 204, parts relationships 206 and productdefinitions 208. Maintenance system 202 uses a user interface that includesthe ability to add items to parts catalog 204 and specify part relationships 206and product definitions 208. The user interface displays a set of hierarchiesthat provide a conceptually easier way of viewing a definition. The10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 12 PCT/US97/15067invention maps the set of hierarchies (an external representation) to aninternal representation.The internal representation is used by configuration system 212 tomaintain and configure systems based on user input. Configuration system212 provides the ability to specify a product. Configuration system 212verifies the product specification. Using configuration system 212, a user caninteractively select and configure a product among a set of related productsbased on availability and compatibility of features and options. It does notimpose an order in the selection of products, features or options. Theconfiguration system 212 allows the user to only make valid selections.However, selections can be made in any order.Parts catalog 204 consists of parts that are components of products.Similar parts are grouped together to form a part hierarchy. Easymaintenance of relationships is achieved by the hierarchy. For example,when a group of parts is assigned a behavior, all the members inherit thatbehavior automatically. Figure 3 illustrates examples of elements in a partscatalog according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to Figure 3,a parts catalog (e.g., parts catalog 204) contains parts 302-310, 316, and 318. Aparts catalog can also contain a group of parts such as group 312. Group 312contains parts 306-310. A group can contain other groups. For example,group 314 contains group 312 and parts 316-318. Behavior assigned toelements of group 314 is inherited by members of group 312.Part-to-part relationships can be created between parts within aproduct. Relationships are defined between a first set of parts and a secondset of parts. During configuration, when all of the members of the first set ofparts are selected, the relationship between the two sets is enforced on the10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 13 PCT/U S97/ 15067parts in the second set. In the preferred embodiment, there are four kinds ofrelationships between parts: requires choice, includes, can't work with (orexcluded), and removes. Figure 4 illustrates relationships between partsaccording to an embodiment of the invention.Part 402 includes part 404. The includes relation causes a set of parts ina second set (e.g., part 404) to be included in the configuration when a first setof parts (e.g., part 402) is selected. For example, a luxury package includes aCD player; when the luxury package is selected, a CD player is included in theconfiguration. The can't work with (or excluded) relation ensures that a setof parts from a second set are never in the same configuration as parts in thefirst set. For example, part 402 (e.g., sun roof) can't work with part 406 (e.g., aroof-top antenna). When part 402 is selected, part 406 cannot be selected. Part406 is excluded such that it cannot be selected.When part 402 is selected, part 414 is removed from the configuration.The removes relation causes items that are included in a second set of to beremoved from the configuration when the left side is selected. For example,when a high end stereo is selected the standard stereo is removed from theconfiguration.The requires choice relation recognizes that a choice (between aminimum and maximum number) has to be made between a second set ofparts (or members of a group) to ensure a valid configuration when the partsin a first set are selected. Part 406 (e.g., climate control feature) requires that achoice be made among parts 408-410 (e.g., 1 zone A/ C or 2 zone A/ C). Arequires choice relationship requires that a number of items be selected basedon minimum and maximum values from the right-hand side of therelationship to satisfy the relationship.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 14 PCT/US97/ 15067Parts 408 and 410 can be combined to form group 416. Group 416 can bedefined by the user. If the user does not define group 416, the inventionpreferably creates group 416 to contain parts 408 and 410. Thus, when two ormore parts are defined on the right-hand side of a requires choicerelationship, the invention preferably creates a group that contains theseparts. The requires choice then becomes a requires choice on the group (e.g.,group 416).Parts are used to illustrate relationships in Figure 4. However, arelationship can contain groups. To illustrate, a group of parts can besubstituted wherever a part is used in the illustration. Thus, for example,parts 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, and 414 can each be replaced by a group of parts.Thus, for example, if parts 402 and 404 are replaced by groups (e.g., groups 402and 404, respectively), when the members of group 402 are selected, themembers in group 406 are included in the configuration. To furtherillustrate, part 408 can be replaced by group 408. In that instance, group 408 isa member of group 416. A hierarchy of groups (e.g., group 408 containedwithin group 416) can be used in a relationship.Parts can be combined to form an arbitrary grouping. Thus, it is notnecessary to combine parts in a group based on a logical or intuitiverelationship between the parts in the group. For example, a group cancontain an engine, a color, and a sun roof.The relations that are created between parts within a product areenforced only on that particular product. However, if some part-to-partrelationships are to be enforced on all products within a product line, thenthe relations are created once and are enforced for all products. Theserelationships are referred to as global relationships.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 15 PCT/US97/15067A product includes zero or more elements of parts catalog 204. Productdefinition 208 (see Figure 2) is generate by populating it with its componentparts. Product definition 208 is generated by population of a product with itscomponent parts. The parts within a product are classified as one of threedifferent types: included parts, required choices, or optional parts. A part thatis not classified as one of these types is assumed to be unavailable in thatproduct. Figure 5 provides an example of product classifications according toan embodiment of the invention.An included part is a part that is included in a product by default. Forexample, parts 504 and 506 are automatically included in product 502. forexample, when a configuration user chooses the product definition product502, the parts 504 and 506 are automatically included in the configuration. Arequired choices classification specifies that a choice among a group of partshas to be made to create a valid product configuration. For example, product502 (e.g., automobile) can-include a color group 518 containing red (part 508),green (part 510) and blue (part 512) that is a required choice. In configuring aproduct, the user must choose a color in this group to create a valid productconfiguration. Parts 514 and 516 are optional parts. An optional part is notrequired for a valid configuration.A product line is defined as a set of related products. The inventionprovides the framework for defining a product line. To define a product line:all parts (components) in the product line are entered into parts catalog 204.An instance in products definition 208 is created that identifies parts fromparts catalog 204 that are assigned to a product. Part relationships 206 can alsobe defined for the product.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 16 PCT/U S97/ 15067MaintenanczsgzstemParts catalog 204, part relationships 206, and product definition 208 arecreated and maintained using maintenance system 202. While any methodcan be used for creation and maintenance, a graphical user interface (GUI) ispreferably used. A text editor could also be used for data entry, for example.Figure 6 provides an example of a GUI screen used in maintenance system_202 according to an embodiment of the present invention. One who uses theGUI screen (a maintainer) can define a product (e.g., an automobile). Aproduct definition is used by a configuration user to configure a systemdefined in maintenance system 202. Parts catalog 204 uses a database or othertype of storage and retrieval capability, for example, to store informationabout its parts (e.g., part number, description, price, etc.).The GUI screen of Figure 6 is divided into a product definition section650 and a part relationship definition section 652. Pane 602 displays elementsfrom parts catalog 204. Panes 604, 606, 608 are used to define a product. Panes604, 606, and 608 represent classifications or product relationships. Panes 610and 614 and relationship 612 are used to define part relationships.A user can drag elements from pane 602 to panes 604-608 to define aproduct. For example, to include Part B in the product definition, Part B isdragged from pane 602 to pane 604. Alternatively, to drag parts B, C, D, and E,group A can be dragged from pane 602 to pane 604. Group A and itscomponent parts (parts B, C, D, and E) are thereby included in the productdefinition. Similarly, a user can specify that a configuration user mustchoose a part from a group, e.g., Group I, by dragging one or more parts or agroup into pane 606. An optional part or group can be identified by draggingan element, e.g., Group L, into pane 608. If an element from pane 602 is not10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 17 PCT/U S97/ 15067moved to one of panes 604-608 it is assumed that the maintainer wants toexclude that element from the product that is being defined. Theproduct-level relationships or classifications (or types) illustrated in Figure 5can be defined using panes 604-608.A subset of the product-level relationships map to a subset of the partrelationships. For example, the include and requires choice product-levelrelationships map to the same named part relationships (as defined in Figure4 and shown in relationships 612). Minimum and maximum values set for arequires choice product-level relationship map to the minimum andmaximum values of a requires choice part relationship. Elements that arenot dragged into one of panes 604, 606. or 608 are considered to be excluded.In addition to defining the elements (and their types) that comprise theproduct, the maintainer can specify relationships between parts of theproduct. Panes 610 and 614 and relationship 612 are used to definerelationships between parts. The maintainer can drag an element (orelements) from pane 602 into pane 610. For example, the user can drag PartN from pane 602 into pane 610. The element(s) dragged into pane 610 arereferred to as the left-hand side of the relationship. The element (orelements) from pane 602 that is related to the left-hand element(s) is draggedinto pane 614. The element(s) dragged into pane 614 are referred to as theright-hand side of the relationship. For example, the user can drag Part Kfrom pane 602 to pane 614.To identify the type of relationship that exists between the left-handside and right-hand side elements, the maintainer chooses one of the fourpart-to-part relationships from relationship 612. For example, if themaintainer chooses the includes relationship, the right-hand side elements10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 18 PCT/U S97/ 15067are included in the product when a configuration user selects the left~handside e1ement(s). Thus, for example, Part N includes Part K. When Part N ischosen by a configuration user, Part K is automatically included in theconfiguration.When the maintainer completes the product definition using the GUIscreen, the product definition is saved (e.g., in parts definition 208). Theproduct definition can then be used by a configuration user in configurationsystem 212.External and Internal ReprgsentatjggsThe GUI screen of Figure 6 illustrates a view of a product as seen by auser (e.g., maintainer and configuration user). A view of the product that isseen by a user is referred to as the external representation. A user sees aproduct or product definition from a conceptual level that is easy tounderstand. The user does not need to express a definition or configurationusing a language that has a syntax that is foreign to the user. A GUI havinggraphical selections and operations is preferably used to allow the user to seethe external representation. The external representation uses terminologythat is familiar or intuitive to the maintainer. For example, an includeproduct relationship defines elements that can be included in a product.An external representation seen by the user is translated into aninternal representation that can be used by the invention to process userinput. Figure 7 provides a block diagram illustrating the conversion processaccording to one embodiment of the invention. Compiler 704 is used toperform the conversion. Compiler 704 generates internal representation 706from external representation 702.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 19 PCT/US97/15067External representation 702 is the representation of a productdefinition that is created using the maintenance system of the invention.External representation 702 provides a graphical representation of a systemdefinition, its components and their interrelationships. Figure 6 can be usedto display external representation 702. External representation 702 caninclude a multi-level hierarchy of parts that help to define the product at aconceptual level. The hierarchies are not required to drive a configurationsession, however. Therefore, compiler 704 flattens out the hierarchies. A setof relationships is generated using external representation 702 during atranslation process.The set of relationships generated for a system definition by compiler704 comprise internal representation 706. Internal representation 706 isgenerated from external representation 702 and can be used to control aconfiguration session. In addition to internal representation 706, aconfiguration state is used during the configuration session. Figures 8A-8Billustrate components of internal representation 706 and the configurationstate according to an embodiment of the invention.Referring to Figure 8A, vector 802 provides an example of a vectorused to store state information. Vector 802 is comprised of bits. A set of p bitsis used to represent the products that are known to maintenance system 202and configuration system 212. Each bit of the P bits corresponds to a product.A set of N bits is used to represent the parts. Each bit in the N-bit setcorresponds to a part in parts catalog 204, for example. Vector 802 is thereforeP + N bits in length.Vectors 804-810 provides implementation examples of vector 802.Vectors 804-810 are maintained by configuration system 212 in a10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 20 PCT/US97l15067configuration session. Vector 804 is a user vector that contains the set ofelements that are selected by the user. Vector 804 is referred to as the uservector, or uVec. The set of elements that are included in the configuration bythe configuration system (e.g., an item that is automatically included whenthe user selects the left-hand in an includes relationship) is contained inincluded vector 806, or iVec. Removed vector 808, or rVec, contains theelements that are removed from the configuration by configuration system212. Elements excluded from the configuration by configuration system 212are identified in excluded vector 810, or xVec.Each element that can be used to configure a system has a bit in thesevectors. When an element is included, excluded, removed (or deleted), orselected, the corresponding bit in the appropriate vector (iVec, xVec, rVec, oruVec) is set. The use of vectors to represent elements results in increasedefficiency in processing. Bit-wise operations can then be used duringprocessing. For example, it is possible to determine whether a group ofelements have been selected by the user by performing a bit comparisonusing the uVec. The increased efficiency results in optimal response timesthat are necessary for an interactive system such as is preferred forconfiguration system 212. The bit vector implementation used by theinvention allows for fast and efficient computation of runtime algorithms.A bit vector implementation of relationships and internal runtime stateallows for fast and efficient computation of relationship based configuration.Another vector that contains state information is required groupsvector 812, or rgVec. The rgVec contains a bit for each of the required groupsspecified for a product. As previously discussed, the maintainer can include arequired group in a product definition by dragging a group from pane 602 to10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 21 PCT/US97/15067pane 606, for example (see Figure 6). The number of bits in rgVec can differfrom the number of bits in vectors 802-810. The number of bits contained inrgVec corresponds to the total number of required groups defined for aproduct. Each bit in rgVec is set to indicate that it has not yet been satisfied. Itis unset (set to zero) when a required group has been satisfied. Thus, when auser attempts to accept a configuration, configuration system 212 candetermine whether all of the required choices have been satisfied.In addition to these vectors, additional vectors are used to determine acurrent state. The current state is defined by three types of state informationthat track the state of parts in the configuration. The current state is visible tothe user. The three state types are: selected, selectable, and notselectable.The selected state identifies all of the parts that are currently included in theconfiguration. The selectable state identifies the parts that are not in theconfiguration but that can be selected by the user for the configuration. Thenotselectable state identifies the parts that are not in the configuration andcannot be selected by the user. Configuration system 212 ensures that onlyparts that can form a valid configuration are selectable; those that cannot arenotSelectable.The uVec, iVec, xVec, and rVec vectors can be used to generate thethree visible states. The states are dynamic and can change based on userinput. The following provides definitions using the formulae that can beused to generate the three visible states (+ is union and - is difference):Selected = (uVec + iVec) - rVecNotselectable = xVec + rVecSelectable = [AllItems] - Selected — Notselectable10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 22 PCT/US97/15067Computation of the visible state using C++, for example, can beaccomplished using the following C++ code (the syntax assumes appropriatebit-wise operator overloads for the given operations):SelectedVec = (uVec I iVec) 8 ~rVecNotSelectableVec = xVec I rVecSelectableVec = ~(SelectedVec I NotSelectableVec)The selected state is the union of the elements selected by the user orautomatically included in the configuration minus the elements removed byconfiguration system 212. The notSeletable state is the union of the elementsthat are excluded or removed. The selectable state is the set of all elementsminus the elements already selected and the elements that cannot be selected.The selected, selectable, and notselectable states can be generated from thesefour vectors when needed. They can be stored as vectors that have thestructure of vector 802.Runtime tables are preferably used to store internal representation 706for a configuration session. Figure 8B provides an example of runtime tables.Runtime table 822 provides an example of a runtime table. Runtime table822 can be used to store relationship information. Runtime table 822 hasleft-hand side 824 and right-hand side 826. Left-hand side 824 contains theleft-hand side of a relationship (e.g., includes, removes, can't work with orexcludes). The right-hand side of a relationship is stored in right-hand side826.Table 828 provides an example of runtime table 822. Table 828 can bean includes, excludes, or removes table, for example. Left-hand side 830contains a bit vector (i.e., "O1010...O"). Right—hand side 832 contains a bitvector (i.e., "10001...1"). Each bit in bit vectors 830 and 832 corresponds to an10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 23 PCT/US97/15067element in parts catalog 204 or a product. For example, if the productdefinition is for an automobile, each "1" bit in bit vector "01010...0"corresponds to a part in parts catalog 204 that is contained in an automobile'sproduct definition. Zero bits indicate that the part is not included in theproduct definition. With reference to bit vectors, parts can be identified bythe position of their corresponding bit in the bit vector. For example, the part(that corresponds with the "1" bit in the bit vector "0010" is part numberthree.If table 830 is an instance of an includes table, when parts designated on1eft—hand side 830 (e.g., part numbers two and four) are selected, configurationsystem 212 includes the parts designed in right-hand side 832 (e.g., partnumbers one and five). Similarly, if table 830 is excludes (or can't work with)table, parts one and five are excluded from the selectable parts when parts twoand four are selected. Parts one and five are removed from the configurationwhen parts two and four are selected.Like the includes, excludes, and removes tables, the requires choicetable contains a left-hand side and a right-hand side. In one embodiment,both sides of the requires choice table contains a bit vector that corresponds toelements in parts catalog 204. Thus, for example, when selected, the part(s)identified on left-hand side 836 require a choice of a minimum andmaximum number of parts from the parts contained on the right-hand side838.Table 822 can be altered to optimize the storage and use of informationfor a required choice table. Table 834 provides an example of an altered table822. Preferably, however, right-hand side 838 contains a pointer to a grouptable (e.g., group table 840) that contains a bit vector (bit vector 842) that101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 24 PCT/U S97/ 15067identifies the parts contained in the group. An advantage that the latter(altered table 822) format has over the former (unaltered table 822) is that it isonly necessary to define the members of a group once. Each productdefinition that includes the group can point to the entry in the group tablethat contains the group definition.One relationship table can be used for all products per relationshiptype. That is, a single includes table is used for includes relationships for allof the products. Alternatively, a table can be partitioned for each product.That is, the relationships associated with a product are segregated. For .example, there would be a includes relationship table for each product. Thishas the advantage of only having to process only those relationships that Vexist for the chosen product. When a product is unselected or not selectable,there is no need to process the tables associated with that product. The latteralternative is preferable because it lessens processing requirements. mUsing configuration system 212, a configuration user can configure asystem given a product definition (e.g., product definition 208) and partrelationships associated with the product definition. Configuration system-212 accepts a configuration user's input and processes it to update theconfiguration based on the user's input or notify the user that the input isinvalid given the current state of the configuration and the systemdefinition. Configuration system 212 ensures that the current configurationstate (determined by the product definition and order-independent userselection) is always valid..10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 93/10350 25 PCT/US97/15067User SelectionWhen user input is received by configuration system 212, it isprocessed based on the current configuration state, the product definition andthe parts relationships. Figure 9 provides a process flow for processing a userselection according to an embodiment of the invention.At step 902, the user selects item n (e.g., part) preferably using a GUI‘screen. At step 904 (i.e., "n selectable?"), a determination is made whetherthe item is selectable. Thus, for example, configuration system 212determines whether the nth bit in the selectable state information is set. If itis not, configuration system 212 determines that the item is not selectable bythe user and raises an error at step 922. Processing then continues at step 914to update the interface (if necessary) and return control of the GUI screen tothe user. Processing of the current input ends at step 916.If, however, it is determined at step 904 that the item selected by theuser is selectable, processing continues at step 908 to set the nth bit in uVec804. At step 910, the visible state information is updated as discussed above.At step 912, the relationships associated with the product definition areevaluated as discussed below. Processing continues at step 914 to update theinterface (if necessary) and return control of the GUI screen to the user.Processing of the current input ends at step 916.Relationship EvaluationRelationships associated with items contained in the productdefinition are evaluated when user input is received. Configuration system212 determines what relationships are active and inactive given the userinput (at step 912, for example). A relationship is active when all the items101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 93/10350 26 PCT/US97/15067on the left-hand side of the relationship are selected. A relationship isinactive until all of the parts on the left-hand side of the relationship areselected.As previously discussed, relationship tables can be used to store theleft-hand and right-hand sides of a relationship. That is, a relationship can bedefined as a pair of bit vectors, the lhsVec (left—hand side) and the rhsVec(right-hand side). A relationship is made active if the following expression istrue:SelectedVec & lhsVec == lhsVecWhen a relationship is made active, updating the appropriate statevector (iVec, xVec, or rVec) becomes:stateVec l= rhsVecAn active relationship causes the configuration state to be updated.When an include relationship is activated, for example, parts identified onthe right-hand side of the include relationship are added to the configuration,if they are not already included. The state is changed by modifying iVec 806.A change in iVec 806 can change other state information such as the selectedand selectable state information. Parts that are included as a result of theactivation of the includes relation can result in a ripple effect that causesother relationships to become activated. Thus, additional state changes canoccur as a result of the include relationship's activation.To further illustrate, when a requires choice relation becomes active,configuration system 212 includes and excludes items of the given groupwhere applicable: if exactly max (maximum number of ) items of the given10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 27 PCT/US97/ 15067group are selected, the engine excludes all other items in the group (addedinto xVec); otherwise, if less than min (minimum number of) items of thegroup are selected and only one valid selection path exists to make exactlymin items selected, the engine includes (into iVec) the items that are needed(note that these must have been selectable items).Configuration system 212 also ensures that no relationship that willput the configuration into an invalid state can become active (for example: ifb is Selected then the relationship [a] can't work with [b] should not be active).If a relationship will make a configuration invalid, it is madenotActivateable. For example, a relation should be made notActivateable, if:1) an includes relationship has excluded (xVEc) parts on theright-hand side;2) a excludes (can't work with) relationship has Selected parts onthe right-hand side;3) a removes relation has user—selected (uVec) parts on the rightside; or4) a requires choice relation has a group for which between [min, max]parts can't be Selected.In addition to the relationships created by a maintainer, there are somerelationships that are dynamically created or deduced at runtime. If arelation becomes notActivateable and all but one item from the left-handside is Selected, then the unSelected item is excluded by the engine. Thisensures that the relation will not become active.Configuration system 212 evaluates each relationship forward andbackward. In a forward evaluation, the left-hand side of a relationship isexamined to determine whether all of its parts are included in theconfiguration. If they are, the relationship is considered to be active. An10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 28 PCT/U S97/ 15067active relationship causes the right-hand side of the relationship to then beevaluated. The evaluation is dependent on the type of relationship. Anincludes relationship causes the parts specified in the right-hand side to beincluded in the configuration specification. A removes relationship causesthe right-hand side parts to be removed from the configuration. An excludesrelationship cause the left-hand side parts to become notselectable. Arequires choice relationship recognizes that a choice has to be made by the9 user between the set of right-hand parts.In a backward evaluation, configuration system 212 determineswhether a relationship if activated would result in an invalid state. If so,configuration system 212 takes steps to ensure that the relationship cannot beactivated. Instead of evaluating the left-hand side first as in the case of aforward evaluation, a backward evaluation evaluates the relationship by firstexamining the right-hand side. If a relationship fails the backwardevaluation (i.e., its activation would result in an invalid state), configurationengine 212 takes steps to ensure that the relationship cannot become active.For example, if a relationship states that part A can't work with part B andpart B is selected, configuration system 212 excludes part A. This ensures thatpart A cannot be selected and the excludes relationship cannot become active.Otherwise, a user can select part A which would result in an invalidconfiguration state.The invention performs a relaxation over the set of relationships. Arelaxation is an iterative process that is repeated until a state that has beendefined no longer changes. That is, relationship evaluation is completedwhen none of iVec, xVec, or rVec are modified during an iteration. Theinvention ensures that the relaxation process terminates by only adding bits10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 29 PCT/US97/15067to the state. That is, because iVec, xVec, and rVec all grow through theiteration, the relaxation process is guaranteed to terminate.Figure 10 provides an example of a relationship evaluation processflow according to an embodiment of the invention. At step 1002, rgVec isinitialized to zero. During the relationship evaluation, rgVec is regenerated.At step 1004, copies of iVec, xVec, and rVec are made. The copies are used todetermine whether relaxation is finished. At step 1006, the includes tableassociated with the product definition is evaluated in the forward direction.Similarly, forward evaluation is performed on the excluded and removedtables. The forward evaluation performs an "or" operation with theselectedVec and a specified configuration state vector (e.g., a forwardevaluation of the includes table performs an "or" operation with these1ectedVec and and the iVec) when the left-hand side of the relationship istrue. For example, when the items that correspond with the "1" bits inleft-hand side 830 are all selected (i.e., in the selected vector), right-hand side832 is "or'ed" with the iVec to add the items that correspond with the "1" bitsin right-hand side 832 to the configuration where a forward evaluation of anincludes relationship is being performed.At step 1008, a backward evaluation is performed on the relationshipscontained in the includes, excludes, and removed tables. In a backwardevaluation of an include relationship, the xVec is examined to determinewhether any right-hand side items of an include relationship are excluded. Ifso, selection of all of the left-hand side items would result in an invalidconfiguration state. Therefore, the last remaining left-hand side item (if onlyone remains) is excluded to cause the relationship to never become active.Thus, the relationship is rendered notActivateable.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 30 PCT/US97l15067Backward evaluation of an excluded relationship examines theselectedVec. If a left-hand side item (an item that is supposed to be excludedwhen the relationship becomes active) is selected, selection of all of theleft-hand side items would result in an invalid configuration state. Toensure against an invalid configuration state, a left-hand side item isexcluded so that the relationship never becomes active (the relationship isrendered notActivateable).In the preferred embodiment, configuration system 212 cannot delete,or remove, a user-selected item. The uVec is examined in a backwardevaluation of a removes relationship. If a right-hand side item is a userselected item, the selection of all of the left-hand side items would result inan invalid configuration state. To ensure against an invalid configurationstate, a left-hand side item is excluded so that the relationship becomesnotActivateable.At step 1010, backward and forward evaluation is performed on therequires choice table 834. In the backward evaluation, a determination ismade whether a requires choice relationship should become notActivateable.For example, if it is impossible to satisfy a group, then a left-hand side itemshould be excluded to cause the relationship to become notActivateable.In the forward evaluation, rgVec is set and items are included orexcluded where appropriate. For example, if the right-hand side items arewithin range (within min and max values for the required choicerelationship), then the remaining right-hand side items are excluded. If theonly way to make a requires choice valid is to select the items remaining onthe right-hand side item, configuration system 212 includes these items. Inaddition, a requires choice relationship is evaluated to determine whether10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 31 PCT/US97/15067the right-hand side items selected are within a valid range. If not, thecorresponding bit in the rgVec is set. If so, the corresponding bit in the rgVecis zeroed.The selected, selectable, and notselectable states are updated at step1012. At step 1014 (i.e., "change in a vector?"), a determination is madewhether any of iVec, xVec, or rVec were modified during the currentiteration of the relaxation process. If not, a stable state has been achieved, andprocessing ends at step 1016. If so, additional iterations are needed tocomplete the relaxation process. Processing therefore continues at step 1002to initiate a new iteration.In evaluating relationships, it is not necessary to evaluate arelationship in either the forward or backward direction once it has becomeactive. Also, when a relationship is notActivateable, there is no need toevaluate the relationship in the forward direction. When a relationship isnotActivateable and has been excluded, there is no need to evaluate in thebackward, or reverse, direction.UnseletionFigure 9 described processing where the user input was an itemselection. Configuration system 212 also processes user input to unselect anitem from the configuration. As previously discussed, an item can beunselected in any order. There is no requirement to unselect items thereverse order in which they were selected. Figure 11 provides an example ofan unselect item process flow according to an embodiment of the invention.At step 1102 (i.e., "selection in uVec?"), a determination is madewhether the item that is selected for deletion was selected for inclusion in the10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 32 PCT/US97/15067configuration by the user. If it is determined that the item is not auser-selected item, processing continues at step 1104 to raise an error.Processing continues at step 1114 to update the GUI (if necessary) and returncontrol to the user. Processing of the current input ends at step 1116.If it is determined at step 1102 that the item selected for unselectionwas selected by the user, processing continues at step 1106 to reset the bit inthe uVec that corresponds to the unselected item (i.e., set the bit to zero).This unselects the item from the current configuration. At step 1108, theiVec, xVec, and rVec vectors are initialized (set to zero). Steps 1110, 1112 and1114 correspond to steps 910, 912, and 914, respectively, of Figure 9. Processingends at step 1116.1inB Rr iTo ensure correct runtime behavior of the engine, a potentiallyincomplete user-defined set of relationships is converted into a set ofcomplete runtime relationship tables. The external representation istranslated into an internal representation. The invention maps thehierarchies contained in parts catalog 204 to relationships and mapsrelationships to the runtime tables, for example.As discussed above, compiler 704 performs a mapping betweenproduct-level relationships and part-level relationships. The translationprocess further provides the ability to translate a multi-level hierarchy to asingle-level hierarchy. That is, the translation process can be used to flattenout the intuitive hierarchy created by a maintenance user using the userinterface of Figure 6, for example. Figure 12 provides a flow for translationprocessing according to an embodiment of the invention.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 33 PCT/US97l 15067At step 1202, a set of relationships is created based on the hierarchies.Thus, for example, group 312 is translated into an requires choicerelationship. That is, group 312 requires a choice between parts 306, 308, and310. Relationships can be defined in terms of groups. An identifier (item ID)is used to identify the group. When a group appears on the left-hand side ofa relationship, the group is assigned an item ID and the relationship isdefined in terms of the new item ID. This process, referred to as back-linking,is performed at step 1204.At step 1206, an include chain evaluation is performed. In an includechain evaluation, all include relationship chains are fully evaluated so that arelationship contains all of the parts that are included in that part regardlessof whether the included relationship is direct (e.g., mentioned in the includesrelationship) or indirect (mentioned in another includes relationship thatcontains an included part on the right-hand side).At step 1208, subgroup excludes are evaluated. In this process, activerequires choice relationships are evaluated where one relationship'sright-hand side is a subset of another relationship's right-hand side. In thiscase, if both relationships are active, the right-hand side parts that are notwithin the subset are excluded. Relationship factorization is performed atstep 1210. Relationship factorizing can create new relationships that ensureproper runtime behavior when more than one item is selected during someiteration.Removing redundancy in relations may cause some relations tobecome unnecessary. A relation becomes unnecessary when it contains noitems on its right side. Redundant relationships are removed at step 1212.Processing ends at step 1214.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 34 PCT/U S97/ 15067Back-LinkingRelationships can be defined in terms of groups. When a groupappears on the left-hand side of a relationship, the group is assigned an itemID and behaves as a normal item (e.g., part) and the relationship is defined interms of this new item ID. A relationship is defined for each item in thegroup:item includes item ID ( of the group)It is only necessary to create this relationship once per group, regardlessof how many times that group appears on the left side of a relationship.Back-Linking can be used to generate relationships in nested groups. Figures13A-13B provide an illustration of groups and nested groups according to anembodiment of the invention. Group 1302 contains two items (groups 1304and 1306) that are nested within group 1302. Notation is provided for a groupto specify the minimum and maximum bounds for a group. For example,the notation "(0,1)" indicates that between zero and one items in group 1302are to be chosen.The items contained in group 1302 are also groups that containmultiple items. Groups 1304 and 1306 are nested within group 1302. Two orthree of parts 1308-1312 can be chosen from Group 1304. Zero to three of parts1314-1318 can be chosen from Group 1306.The invention creates a metapart for these groups (groups 1302-1306).Relationships are then created between the groups and their members suchthat items are back-linked to their parents. Figure 13B provides anillustration of metaparts for the groups and nested group of Figure 13Aaccording to an embodiment of the invention. Groups 1302'—1306‘ are10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 35 PCT/US97/ 15067metaparts for groups 1302-1306, respectively. Relationships can be generatedusing these metaparts as follows:Group 1302' requires choice [Group 1304', Group 1306'] 0,1Group 1304' requires choice [part 1308, part 1310, part 1312] 2,3Group 1306' requires choice [part 1314, part 1316, part 1318] 0,3The metapart is used internally; it is unnecessary for a user to be awareof them. Using back-linking, relationships can be generated such that anitem (e.g., part 1308) links back to its predecessor(s) (e.g., nested group, group1302). The following new relationships can be created for the examples ofFigures 13A-13B:Group 1304' includes Group 1302'Group 1306' includes Group 1302’Part 1308 includes Group 1304'Part 1310 includes Group 1304’Part 1312 includes Group 1304'Part 1314 includes Group 1306'Part 1316 includes Group 1306’Part 1318 includes Group 1306’When a user selects part 1308, part 1308 includes group 1304'. Group1304' is added to the configuration. Further, group 1304' includes group 1302'thereby including group 1302'. When group 1302' is included in theconfiguration, it activates the relationship that requires a choice betweengroups 1304' and 1306'. Since group 1304' is already selected, group 1306' canbe excluded. When group 1306' is excluded, parts 1314-1318 are excludedwhen the newly generated relationships are evaluated in the reverse(backward) direction. Further, the bounds specified by group 1304 are alsoenforced using these relationships.10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 36 PCT/US97/ 15067As discussed above, a requires choice relationship can be defined at theproduct level. A product can require a choice between items in a group. Theproduct-level requires choice relationship is treated similarly to that of arequires choice part~level relationship.Include ChainsIn an include chain evaluation, all include relationship chains are- fully evaluated so that a relationship can be generated that contains all of theparts that are included regardless of whether the relationship is direct (e.g.,the included parts mentioned in the includes relationship) or indirect (a partis mentioned in another includes relationship that contain an included parton the right-hand side). For example, the following relationships exists inthe external representation:a includes b and cb includes dd and c includes eAn include chain exists that starts with a. The first relationshipindicates that u includes b and c. Based on the second and third relationships,b and c include other parts. Based on all of the relationships, a includes b, c,_d, and e. Include chain evaluation expands these relationships into thefollowing relationships:a includes b and c and d and eb includes dd and c includes eIt is not necessary to generate additional relationships to performincludes chain evaluation. Preferably, includes chain evaluation can modifyan existing relationship to include both direct and indirect includes10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 37 PCT/US97/15067relationships. Each includes relationship can be evaluated against all otherincludes relationships to determine whether its right-hand side should bemodified to include both direct and indirect includes relationships. Once allof the includes relationships have been evaluated, a new right-hand sidevalue can be generated based on the evaluation. Figures 14A—14B provide anincludes chain process flow according to an embodiment of the invention.At step 1402 (i.e., "all include rels. processed?"), a determination ismade whether all of the includes relationships have been processed. If otherincludes relationships remain to be processed, processing continues at step1408 to get the next includes relationship, r. At step 1410, a temporary vector,temp, is created that is the result of an "or" operation between the left-handand right-hand sides of r. Another temporary vector, tempsave, is createdthat is set to the value of temp at step 1412. At step 1414 (i.e., "all rels.compared?"), a determination is made whether all of the other includesrelationships have been evaluated against r. If not, processing continues atstep 1418 to get another relationship, r2, At step 1420 (i.e., "temp hits r2?"), adetermination is made whether any of the items contained in temp are alsocontained in r2_. If not, processing continues at step 1414 to process anyremaining relationships against r. If so, processing continues at step 1422 toperform a "or" operation between temp and the right-hand side of r2 to addthe right-hand side of r2 to the temp vector.If it is determined, at step 1414, that all of the relationships r2 havebeen evaluated for r, processing continues at step 1416. At step 1416 (i.e.,"temp=tempsave?"), a determination is made whether any items were addedto the temp vector. If not, there are no indirect includes and processingcontinues at step 1424 to reset r2 and processing continues at step 1414 to10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 38 PCT/US97/15067process any remaining relationships against this relationship. If so,processing continues at step 1404 to modify the right-hand side of r to includethe items contained in the temp vector minus the items contained in theleft-hand side of r. Processing continues at step 1402 to process any remainingrelationships.If it is determined at step 1402 (i.e., all include rels. processed?") that allof the includes relationships have been evaluated for include chains,processing ends at step 1404.Subgroup ExcludesThe subgroup excludes evaluation is performed on requires choicerelationships. Assume a requires choice relationship points to a group (A)that is a complete subgroup of a group (B) of another requires choicerelationship. If B has a max of 1 and both relationships are made active, theitems in B that are not in A, Q, cannot be chosen. If a pairwise comparison ofrequires choice relationships yields such cases, a relationship such as thefollowing is generated:[union of left sides of both relationships] can't work with QFor example, assume that the following relationships have beendefined:a b requires choice Ix, y, z] (0,1)d requires choice [x, y] (0,2)The second relationship contains a group that is a subgroup of the firstrelationship. When both relationships are active, the non-subset is excluded.This avoids the case where a user selects a, b, and d and the relationshipevaluations do not exclude the items not included in both groups (the10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 39 PCT/US97/15067non-subset). The invention combines these relationships and creates anexcludes relationship. The excludes relationship for the above example is asfollows:a b d excludes 2Figures 15A-15B provides an example of a subgroup excludes processflow according to an embodiment of the invention. At step 1502 (i.e., "allrels. processed?"), a determination is made whether all of the requires choice' relationships have been processed. If so, processing ends at step 1504. If not,processing continues at step 1506 to get the next relationship, r. At step 1507(i.e., "r.rhs.max = 1?"), a determination is made whether the maximumvalue for the relationship is equal to one. If not, processing continues at step1502 to process any remaining relationships. If so, processing continues atstep 1508. At step 1508 (i.e., "all rels. compared?"), a determination is madewhether all of the other requires choice relationships have been processedagainst r. If so, processing continues at step 1502 to process another requireschoice relationship.If not, processing continues at step 1510 to get another relationship, r2.At step 1512 (i.e., "r=r2?"), a determination is made whether the tworelationships are equal. If so, processing continues at step 1508 to process anyremaining requires choice relationships against the current r. If r and r2 arenot equal, processing continues at 1514. At step 1514 (i.e., "r2.grp subset ofr.grp?"), a determination is made whether the right-hand side of r2 is a subsetof the right-hand side of r. If not, processing continues at step 1508 to processany remaining requires choice relationships against the current r. If so,processing continues at step 1516 to create an exclude relationship where theleft-hand side is the union of the left—hand side of r and r2 and the right-handside is the non-subset of the right-hand side of the two relationships.101520CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 40 PCT/US97/15067Processing continues at step 1508 to process any remaining requires choicerelationships against the current r.Relationship FactorizationThe invention assumes that one item on the left side of a relationshipis preferably selected during any iteration. However, the includes andrequires choice relationships may cause additional items to become selected(e.g., selected by the system). Factorizing of relationships can create newrelationships to ensure proper runtimel behavior when more than one itemis selected during some iteration.Factorization causes a relationship to be created where a relationshiphas items on the left-hand side that also appear on the right-hand side of anincludes relationship. The new relationship represents the commonfactorization of both relationships. For example, where the following tworelationships exist:[a] includes lb and c][b and c and d and e] can't work with [x and y]the following relationship is created:[a and d and e] can't work with [x and y]The invention uses a technique in factorization that avoidscombinatorial explosion. Relationships are created during factorizationwhen they add value. The invention identifies value where the newrelationship:10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26wo 98/10360 41 PCTlUS97ll50671. replaces more than one item from the left-hand side;2. has at least two different includes relationships replace at leastone unique item from the left-hand side of the relationship being factorized;and3. the two includes relationships have at least one common itemin their left-hand side.Figures 16A-16C provide an example of a relationship factorizationprocess flow according to an embodiment of the invention. At step 1602,each relationship is marked as "new". At step 1604, a state variable, added, isinitialized to "false". At step 1606 (i.e., "all includes rels. processed?"), a‘determination is made whether all of the includes relationships have beenprocessed. If so, processing continues at step 1608 (i.e., "added = 'true‘?) todetermine whether any new relationships were added. If not, processingends at step 1610. If there are new relationships, processing continues at step1609 to reset the includes relationships and processing continues at step 1604to initialize added to "false".If it is determined at step 1606 that all of the includes relationshipshave not been processed, processing continues at step 1612 to get the nextincludes relationship, i. At step 1613, the relationships are reset. At step 1614(i.e., "all ‘new’ rels. processed?"), a determination is made whether all of therelationships have been marked as "new" have been processed against 1'. Ifso, processing continues at step 1606 to process any remaining includesrelationships. If not, processing continues at step 1616.At step 1616, the next relationship, r, is marked as "old". At step 1620(i.e., "!(r.lhs && i.rhs)?", a determination is made whether the right-handside of the 1' relationship and the left-hand side of the r relationship have anybits in common. If they do not have bits in common, processing continues at10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/10360 42 PCT/US97/15067step 1614 to process any remaining relationships against the current i. If theydo have bits in common, processing continues at step 1622 to generatenew.lhs from the includes relationship and the left-hand side of r. Step 1622takes out items in the right-hand side of i from left-hand side of r and adds initems that are in the left-hand side of i. At step 1624 (i.e., "new.lhs hasvalue?") a determination is made whether new.lhs has value. Thisdetermination can use the guidelines as specified above.If new.lhs does not have value, processing continues at step 1614 toprocessing any remaining relationships against i. If it does have value,processing continues at step 1626 to add a new relationship (of the type r) thatuses new.lhs as the left-hand side and the right-hand side of r. The newrelationship is marked as "new" at step 1628. The value of added is set to"true" at step 1630. Processing continues at step 1614 to process anyremaining relationships.Relationship CompressionRemoving redundancy in relations may cause some relations tobecome unnecessary. A relation becomes unnecessary when it contains noitems on its right side. If a relationship's left—hand side is a proper subset ofthe 1eft—hand side of another relationship, then the first relationship isguaranteed to be active whenever the second relationship is active. If bothrelationships are also the same type of relationship, the common right—handside elements can be removed from the second relationship. This can berepeated to remove all unnecessary relationships. The followingrelationships provide an example:[a] removes [c][a and b] removes [c and d]10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26WO 98/10360 43 PCT/US97/15067The left-hand side of the first relationship is a proper subset of theleft-hand side of the second relationship (e.g., all elements "a" in theleft-hand side of the first relationship are contained in the left-hand side ofthe second relationship). The relationships are the same type. Therefore, thecommon right-hand side elements can be removed from the right-hand sideof the second relationship. The following is the result after modifying therelationship:[a] removes [c][a and b] removes Id]Figures 17A-17B provide an illustration of a relationship compressionprocess flow according to an embodiment of the invention. At step 1702 (i.e.,"all relationships in table processed?"), a determination is made whether allof the relationships in the table have been processed. If not, processingcontinues at step 1704 to get the next relationship, r. At step 1706 (i.e., "rprocessed against all other rels. in table?"), a determination is made whetherthe other relationships in the table have been processed against r. If so,processing continues at step 1702 to process any remaining relationships inthe table as r.If it is determined at step 1706 that all of the other relationships havenot been processed against r, processing continues at step 1708. Anotherrelationship is retrieved as r2 at step 1708. At step 1710 (i.e., "r = r2?"), adetermination is made whether the relationships are the same. If not,processing continues at step 1706 to process any remaining relationshipsagainst r. If so, processing continues at step 1712. At step 1712 (i.e., "r.lhssubset of r2.1hs?"), a determination is made whether the left-hand side of r isa subset of the left-hand side of r2. If the subset condition is true, processing10152025CA 02264603 1999-02-26W0 98/ 10360 44 PCT/U S97/ 15067continues at step 1714 to remove the common items out of the right-handside of r (i.e._, perform the operation r2.rhs = r2.rhs and not r.rhs). Processingcontinues at step 1706 to process any remaining relationships against r.If it is determined at step 1702 that all of the relationships have beenprocessed as r, processing continues at step 1716. At step 1716 (i.e., "allrelationships in table processed?") a determination is made whether all of the .relationships have been processed. If so, processing ends at step 1718. If not,processing continues at step 1720 to get another relationship as r. At step 1722V (i.e., "r.rhs = zeroes?"), a determination is made whether the right-hand sideof r has been set to zero has a result of compression. If not, processingcontinues at step 1716 to process any remaining relationships. If so,processing continues at step 1724 to delete r from the table. Processingcontinues at step 1716 to process any remaining relationships.Global relationships can be defined that are processed for all products.Thus, it is unnecessary to redefining a relationship for all of the products.The relationship can be defined as a global relationship that is applied forevery product. If, however, partitioned relationship tables are used for eachproduct, it is necessary to evaluate the relationships in a product's partitionedrelationship tables as well as the global relationships. For example, theprocess flows described herein that operate on relationship tables can beperformed once for the product's partitioned relationship tables and once forthe global relationships.Thus, a method and apparatus for maintaining and configuringsystems has been provided.

Claims (59)

1. A method of configuring a system comprising the steps of:

generating a definition for said system, said definition containing one or more elements and being conveyed graphically using a set of product relationships;
generating a set of relationships between said one or more elements, said set of relationships being conveyed graphically using a set of part relationships; and configuring said system using said definition and said set of relationships.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of configuring further comprises the steps of:

receiving input from a configuration user;
validating said input based on said definition, said set of relationships, and a current configuration state; and identifying a set of valid configuration options using said definition, said set of relationships and said current configuration state.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of identifying further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a relationship in said set of relationships is active;
modifying said configuration to satisfy said active relationship when it is determined that a modification is needed;
making said relationship notActivateable when it is determined that said relationship is not active and the activation of said relationship would render the configuration invalid.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of determining whether a relationship is active further comprises the step of determining whether the elements specified in the left-hand side of said relationship are present in said configuration.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said step of determining whether the elements specified in the left-hand side of said relationship are present in said configuration further comprises the step of performing a bit-level comparison of the bits corresponding to the elements in said left-hand side of the relationship with a "selected" bit vector.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said relationship is an includes relationship, said step of modifying further comprises the step of including in said configuration elements identified in a right-hand side of said relationship.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said relationship is an excludes relationship, said step of modifying further comprises the step of marking said elements identified in the right-hand side of said relationship as excluded and notSelectable.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein said relationship is a removes relationship, said step of modifying further comprises the step of removing said elements identified in the right-hand side of said relationship from said configuration.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein said relationship is a requires choice relationship, said step of modifying further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a plurality of elements identified in a right-hand side of said relationship are present in said configuration such that said relationship is satisfied;
modifying said configuration to satisfy said requires choice relationship when it is determined that only one path exists to satisfy said relationship and said relationship is not already satisfied.

10. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of making said relationship notActivateable further comprises the step of marking one or more elements in said left-hand side of said relationship as notSelectable.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein said definition, each of said set of relationships, and said current configuration state are expressed as bit vectors having bits that correspond to elements.

12. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of validating further comprises the step of determining whether the relationships other than those marked notActivateable in said set of relationships can be satisfied.

13. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of generating a definition selects said one or more elements for inclusion in said definition, said input is made without regard for the order in which said one ore more elements are selected for said definition.

14. The method of claim 2 wherein said configuration state identifies a set of selected elements and a set of selectable elements for said system, said input capable of selecting any member of said set of selectable elements and being made despite the order in which members of said set of selected elements were selected.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a parts catalog is used to store information associated with said one or more elements, said information including an identifier and description.

16. A method for defining a system that can be configured comprising the steps of:

identifying an element of said system;
specifying said element as an included element when said element is automatically included in the configuration;
specifying said element as an optional element when said element is not a necessary component of said system;
specifying said element as a required choice when said element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said element is a member of a first element set said first element set containing one or more elements, said method further comprising the steps of:

identifying a second element set of said system, said second element set containing one or more elements; and specifying a relationship between said first element set and said second element set.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said step of specifying further comprises the steps of:

specifying that said second element set is to be included in said system when said first element set is present in said system;
specifying that said second element set is to be excluded from said system when said first element set is present in said system; and specifying that said second element set is to be removed from said system when said first element set is present in said system;

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
specifying a group of elements;
specifying a relationship between said first element set and said group of elements such that one or more elements in said group of elements must be chosen when said first element set is present in said system.

20. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for configuring a system comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to generate a definition for said system, said definition containing one or more elements and being conveyed graphically using a set of product relationships;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to generate a set of relationships between said one or more elements, said set of relationships being conveyed graphically using a set of part relationships; and computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to configure said system using said definition and said set of relationships.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to configure further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to receive input from a configuration user;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to validate said input based on said definition, said set of relationships, and a current configuration state; and computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to identify a set of valid configuration options using said definition, said set ofrelationships and a current configuration state.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to identify further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether a relationship in said set of relationships is active;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify said configuration to satisfy said active relationship when it is determined that a modification is needed;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to make said relationship notActivateable when it is determined that said relationship is not active and the activation of said relationship would render the configuration invalid.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether a relationship is active further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether the elements specified in the left-hand side of said relationship are present in said configuration.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 23 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether the elements specified in the left-hand side of said relationship are present insaid configuration further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to perform a bit-level comparison of the bits corresponding to the elements in said left-hand side of the relationship with a "selected" bit-vector.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said relationship is an includes relationship, said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to include in said configuration elements identified in a right-hand side of said relationship.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said relationship is an excludes relationship, said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to mark said elements identified in the right-hand side of said relationship as excluded and notSelectable.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said relationship is a removes relationship, said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to remove said elements identified in the right-hand side of said relationship from said configuration.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said relationship is a requires choice relationship, said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether a plurality of elements identified in a right-hand side of said relationship are present in said configuration such that said relationship is satisfied;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to modify said configuration to satisfy said requires choice relationship when it is determined that only one path exists to satisfy said relationship and said relationship is not already satisfied.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 22 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to make said relationship notActivateable further comprises computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to mark one or more elements in said left-hand side of said relationship as notSelectable.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said definition, each of said set of relationships, and said current configuration state are expressed as bit vectors having bits that correspond to elements.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said code configured to cause a computer to validate further comprises program code configured to cause a computer to determine whether the relationships other than those marked notActivateable in said set of relationships can be satisfied.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said code configured to cause a computer to generate a definition selects said one or more elements for inclusion in said definition, said input is made without regard for the order in which said one ore more elements are selected for said definition.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 21 wherein said configuration state identifies a set of selected elements and a set of selectable elements for said system, said input capable of selecting any member of said set of selectable elements and being made despite the order in which members of said set of selected elements were selected.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 17 wherein a parts catalog is used to store information associated with said one or more elements, said information including an identifier and description.

35. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for defining a system that can be configured comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to identify an element of said system;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify said element as an included element when said element is automatically included in the configuration;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify said element as an optional element when said element is not a necessary component of said system;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify said element as a required choice when said element is a group that contains one or more members from which to choose.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 35 wherein said element is a member of a first element set said first element set containing one or more elements, said article of manufacture further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to identify a second element set of said system, said second element set containing one or more elements; and computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify a relationship between said first element set and said second element set.

37. The article of manufacture of claim 36 wherein said computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify that said second element set is to be included in said system when said first element set is present in said system;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify that said second element set is to be excluded from said system when said first element set is present in said system; and computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify that said second element set is to be removed from said system when said first element set is present in said system;

38. The article of manufacture of claim 35 further comprising:
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify a group of elements;
computer readable program code configured to cause a computer to specify a relationship between said first element set and said group of elements such that one or more elements in said group of elements must be chosen when said first element set is present in said system.

39. A method of configuring a system comprising the steps of:

translating a system definition from an external representation comprising a set of intuitive relationships between components of said system definition into an internal representation comprising a set of internal relationships;
validating configuration input using said internal representation; and modifying a configuration state based on said user input.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said step of translating further comprises the step of:

removing a plurality of hierarchical levels from said external representation such that said internal representation is a single level.

41. The method of claim 40 wherein said step of translating further comprises the step of:

creating a set of relationships based on said hierarchical levels, each one in said set of relationships having a first set of components and a second set of components and a relationship operator.

42. The method of claim 41 wherein said relationship operator is chosen from the operators include, exclude, remove, and requires choice.

43. The method of claim 39 wherein each of said internal relationships has a left-hand side, a relationship operator and a right-hand side, said step of translating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a group of components exists on said left-hand side of one of said internal relationships;
performing the following steps when a group of components exist on said left-hand side:
creating a new component for said group; and creating a new relationship for each component of said group of components such that each component will include said new component.

44. The method of claim 39 wherein a type of said internal relationships is an include relationship, said include relationship identifies asecond set of components that are included in said system when all of a first set of components exist in said system, said step of translating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a subset of the union of said first and second sets of components in a first includes relationship comprises a first set of components in a second includes relationship; and generating a combined includes relationship, said combined relationship comprises said first set of components of said first includes relationship and said second set of components from said first and second includes relationships when said subset of the union of said first and second sets of components in said first includes relationship comprises a first set of components in a second includes relationship.

45. The method of claim 39 wherein a type of said internal relationships is a requires choice relationship, said requires choice relationship identifies a second set of components from which a number of components must be chosen when a first set of components exist in said system definition, said step of translating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a second set of components of a second requires choice relationship is a proper subset of a second set of components of a first requires choice relationship:
performing the following steps when said condition exists:
creating a new relationship such that said new relationship excludes a second set of components of said new relationship when a first set of components of said new relationship is selected, said new relationship's first set of components is the union of the first set of components of said first and second requires choice relationships and said new relationship's second set of components is the difference of the second set of components of said first and second requires choice relationship.

46. The method of claim 39 wherein a type of said internal relationships is an includes relationship, said includes relationship identifiesa second set of components that are included in said system when all of a first set of components exist in said system, said step of translating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the second set of components of an includes relationship are contained in a first set of components of another internal relationship;
replacing said second set of components of said includes relationship in said another internal relationship with said first set of components of said includes relationship when said second set of components of an includes relationship are contained in a first set of components of another internal relationship.

47. The method of claim 39 said internal representation comprises multiple types of relationships, each type of relationship having a first and second set of components and an operation, said operation is performed on said second set of components when said first set of components exist in said system.

48. The method of claim 47 wherein said step of translating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a first and second relationship are the same type of relationship;
performing the following steps when they are the same type:
determining whether the first relationship's first set of components is a proper subset of the second relationship's first set of components;
removing the first relationship's second set of components that exist from the second relationship's second set of components when said proper subset exists;
removing said second relationship when said second relationship's second set of components is an empty set.

49. The method of claim 47 wherein said step of validating further comprises the steps of:

determining whether a component selected by said configuration input is selectable; and invalidating said configuration input when said component is not selectable.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein said one of said internal relationships is an includes relationship, said includes relationship causing a second set of components to be included in said system when all members of a first set of components exist in said system, said second step of determining further comprises the step of:

determining whether any member of the second set of components cannot be included in said system.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein said one of said internal relationships is an excludes relationship, said excludes relationship causing a second set of components to be excluded from said system when all members of a first set of components exist in said system, said second step of determining further comprises the step of:

determining whether any member of the second set of components already exists in said system.

52. The method of claim 49 wherein said one of said internal relationships is an removes relationship, said removes relationship causing a second set of components to be removed from said system when all members of a first set of components exist in said system, said second step of determining further comprises the step of:

determining whether any member of the second set of components has been selected for inclusion in said system by a configuration user.

53. The method of claim 49 wherein said one of said internal relationships is a requires choice relationship, said requires choice relationship requiring a selection of a number of members of a second set of components when all members of a first set of components exist in said system, said second step of determining further comprises the step of:

determining whether said number of members of said second set of components cannot be selected for addition to said system.

54. The method of claim 47 wherein said step of modifying further comprises the steps of:

determining whether the performance of said operation of one of said internal relationships would result in an invalid configuration;
causing said one of said internal relationships to become inactivateable .

55. The method of claim 54 wherein said step of causing further comprises the step of excluding the last remaining member of said first set of components such that said last remaining member cannot be added to said system, said last remaining member being the only member of said first set of components that has not already been selected.

56. The method of claim 39 wherein said step of translating further comprises the step of:

mapping said intuitive relationships of said external representation into a set of relationships in said internal representation.

57. The method of claim 39 wherein said internal representation is stored as a set of bit vectors wherein each bit vector includes a bit that corresponds to one of said components of said system definition, the impact of changing the number of said components of said system definition thereby being minimal.

58. The method of claim 57 wherein said step of validating comprising a plurality of bit-level operations.

59. The method of claim 39 wherein said step of modifying further comprises the step of updating said configuration state to represent which of said components of said system definition are selectable, selected, included, and excluded.