Introduction

Background to PLCS and DEXs

This document provides the Work Package Definition Data Exchange Specification (DEX).

The DEX:

identifies a subset of the ISO 10303-239 "Product Life Cycle Support" [1] information model that is to be used in a given business context;
provides usage guidance for how ISO 10303-239 PLCS is to be used.

OASIS PLCS TC Publications are derived from the content that is developed on DEXLIB. It is important to note that it is the publication that is the subject of standardisation and not DEXLIB. DEXLIB is a development environment for the OASIS PLCS TC.

ISO 10303-239 is part of the ISO 10303 (STEP) set of International Standards for the computer-interpretable representation of product information and for the exchange of product data. The objective of ISO 10303 is to provide a neutral mechanism capable of describing products throughout their life cycle. This mechanism is suitable not only for neutral file exchange, but also as a basis for implementing and sharing product databases, and as a basis for archiving.

ISO 10303-239 PLCS - Product Life Cycle Support specifies an information model that defines what information can be exchanged and represented to support a product through life. Examples of such information are:

information for defining a complex product and its support solution;
information required to maintain a complex product;
information required for through life Configuration Management of a product and its support solution.

This 'Work Package Definition' exchange enables the support requirement for a product, expressed as a list of required activities to be undertaken as a discrete package of work at a declared location between a set of dates, to be passed between a requestor (such as a product Support Manager) and a support service provider. The exchange allows the requestor to include a detailed set of work item specifications for each activity, including definition of the resources known to be required to complete the activity. Alternatively, the requestor need only supply a task specification reference if the service provider already has access to a complete product support library.

Each work item in the work package must be associated with an element in the product ( Product) structure, either as a potential part (Product_as_planned), a fitted part (Product_as_realized) or a part to be removed. A Part is, in itself, a Product and may, therefore, exist within a managed life cycle of its own. As such, it may possess a unique serial identity and support history, independent of the history of the design slot it currently occupies in the parent product breakdown structure. In this case it is necessary to maintain a link between the evolving support history of the serialised part and the support history recorded for the slot in the design of the higher level product as exchange parts cycle in and out.

For the parent product, the task may :

define the work to be carried out on an existing part

EXAMPLE making adjustments to compensate for wear mechanisms, etc.

call for the replacement of a part by another, similar, part

EXAMPLE replacing oil filter cartridges

call for the replacement of a part by a different type of part

EXAMPLE the replacement of a tungsten filament bulb for a fluorescent alternative.

add or remove a part from the product breakdown structure

EXAMPLE installation of a hands-free device for a cellular telephone in an automobile

EXAMPLE removal of the in-flight refuelling system following a change of required capability

Structure of the DEX

The DEX comprises the following sections:

Terms provides a definition of terms used in this DEX;
Scope outlines the scope of the information covered by the DEX;
ISO 10303-239 Activity Model uses the ISO 10303-239 Activity model to illustrate the business activities that are supported by the DEX;
Business Overview provides a high level overview of the business process / application that this DEX is intended to support;
Information Overview provides a high level overview of the business information that can be represented by this DEX;
Information Requirements provides a more detailed overview of the information that the business process / application described in Business Overview requires;
ISO 10303-239 Representation provides technical details of how the business information requirements identified in Information Requirements are represented in using ISO 10303 239 PLCS;
Templates lists all the templates that are used in the definition of this DEX;
Capabilities lists all the capabilities that provide usage guidance for this DEX;
Schemas identifies the information models that define the DEX, namely:
- The EXPRESS [2], work_package_definition.exp ( HTML view) model for the DEX;
- The XML Schema for the DEX derived from the EXPRESS according to ISO 10303-28 [4] edition 2.
Reference Data lists the reference data classes used by this DEX;
Conformance defines the requirements for applications to conform to this DEX.

Supporting Material

PLCS Help and Information Pages.