Is there a way to delete a part completely with "ignore where it used"?

[yyuan]

Human make mistakes.

When there is a part we don't need anymore in the assembly, we want to delete it completely. But it has been used in the old version assembly.

Rather than deleting the whole assembly to remove the part, is there an option that let us just delete the part completely without caring where it being used.

We can always fix the assembly when we need it.

[BenLoosli]

That is not possible in Windchill since it provides tracking of parts used at all levels. Once an assembly has been checked in, the structure is stored in Windchill and can only be revised with a 'new' copy, not deleted. This prevents any used components from being deleted. The only thing you can do is to revise the assembly and save it with the proper components.

This is by design of Windchill and is in alignment with standard configuration management rules.

[ChrisPLM]

Hello

I agree with Ben,

eventually, you can "hide" this unwanted object from the users.

Best regards

[yyuan]

Hi Chris and Ben,

Hiding to me is really not a good solution. Just like when you create a project with wrong configuration, you can't fix it nor delete it. The only thing you can do is hiding it.

Option tab required to replace the Shared Team for a Product or Project in Windchill.

Why does this become some sort of standard? I really don't understand.

I think PDM should offer the flexibility of fixing mistakes when it needs to be.

Thanks for the reply.

[BenLoosli]

You are not 'hiding' the component in the next iteration of the assembly, you are removing it from the structure. When checked in, you have the assembly structure you want. The component from the prior iteration can now be moved to an 'Obsolete' folder which can have the permissions set so others cannot see the items in that folder.

PDMLink was at one time (7.0) certified as being compliant with the CMII rules for configuration management. While PTC has not maintained the certificate, the fundamental rules imbedded into PDMLink are still there and need to preserved. Too many people try to ask the software to do things it was never intended to be capable of and then complain when it does not do what they want. PTC has to listen to more than 1 customer when they make changes to the software and not everyone will be happy with the changes. There are also the fundamental rules of change management that MUST be preserved no matter what change is requested.

[yyuan]

Hi Ben,

That sounds right.

Still I think it would be nice if we have the ability to delete some parts which are totally mistakes.

[dschenken]

You might be able to delete an unwanted part if you delete all the assembly and drawing versions that refer to that part and all the other references to the part and related references..

Moving it to a folder that has no access for users is easier, as Ben suggested.

[ChrisPLM]

HI

Delete exists and work very well.

As soon as you have dependencies with that object, deleting become more difficult. This is the same for any PDM system.

There are some PDM rules that are there for a very good reasons, regardless of the software you use as Ben said.

If you capture all the dependencies and delete them all at once, it will work too.

When you say a mistake was made and that is why the object should be deleted. What was the mistake ?

To create the object or to create the dependency with another object ?

How often does that happen in your company ?

Is that a real problem making your company lose money ?

Best regards

[bsindelar]

There is a way to accomplish what you are looking for, but you would need to remove the relationships between the object to be deleted and all objects it is connected to through the DB directly.  It would require significant testing to make sure the other objects are not affected, and you would not get any support/assistance from PTC to do it.