In SOLIDWORKS, you can create child configurations, resulting in a parent-child relationship within configurations. Such child configurations are called as derived configurations. A configuration can have multiple derived (child) configurations either in a parallel or nested hierarchy.

While saving a generic CAD document that has derived configurations, if you set the value of the PTC_IS_INSTANCE property to Yes for the derived configuration, Windchill treats it as a family table instance. Such derived configurations are displayed on the PTC Windchill Status tab and in the Windchill Model Structure report when inserted in the assembly.

When a derived configuration is not exposed to Windchill but its parent configuration is exposed (PTC_IS_ISTANCE = Yes), and if the assembly uses the derived configuration as a child, its immediate parent is shown under the assembly in the Windchill CAD structure.

Here is an example showing a generic CAD document with its derived configuration, Unmanaged_derived_conf. The value of PTC_IS_INSTANCE is set to No for Unmanaged_derived_conf and thus it is not listed in the Windchill Model Structure report, instead its immediate parent configuration (Derived_conf_01) which has PTC_IS_INSTANCE set to Yes is listed.

Another example of an assembly (Top_assembly) that has a child component (Derived_conf_01) is as follows. Derived_conf_01 has PTC_IS_INSTANCE set to No. The Windchill Model structure lists its immediate parent configuration (instance_01) in which PTC_IS_INSTANCE is set to Yes.