Additional Capabilities > Windchill Aerospace & Defense > Administration and Configuration > Configuring the System to Employ the Link Object
  
Configuring the System to Employ the Link Object
By default, the Windchill Aerospace & Defense Configuration Items and Design Solutions configuration management methodology uses the Configuration Item-Design Solution (CI-DS) configuration. You can configure the system to employ the link object and use what is referred to as the Configuration Item-Link Object-Design Solution (CI-LO-DS) configuration. To configure the system to use the CI-LO-DS configuration, perform the following steps:
1. Define the appropriate relationship constraints according to the following table:
Configuration Item-Link Object-Design Solution (CI-LO-DS) Configuration
Structure Level Property of Parent
Structure Level Property of Child
Configuration Item1
Link Object2
* 
Only one child subtype with a Link Object structure-level property can be defined for a configuration item. No other subtype can be defined as a child for the Configuration Item subtype.
Link Object
Design Solution
1 If you create a new part subtype with a Configuration Item structure-level property, you must also define a relationship constraint between the new configuration item and a valid change directive. For more information, see Defining Relationship Constraints for Change Objects.

2 A Link Object structure-level property can be assigned only if the system is configured to employ the link object. For more information, see Configuring the System to Employ the Link Object.

2. In the Type and Attribute Management utility, update the following attributes on the appropriate link object part subtypes:
Attribute
Value
Structure Level
Link Object
Instantiable
No
Subtypeable
No
* 
The inherit from parent check boxy should not be selected for a subtype if it has a child subtype with a Link Object structure-level property value.
If you want the system to be able to use both configurations simultaneously, you must set up configuration level part subtypes and define relationship constraints to accommodate each. The following table outlines example part subtypes and relationship constraints to support both CI-DS and CI-LO-DS. Subtypes that are created to use the CI-LO-DS model include “(LO)” in the subtype name. For example, Configuration Item (LO) is used for CI-LO-DS, but Configuration Item is used for CI-DS; both subtypes have a structure-level property of Configuration Item.
Model
Parent Subtype Name
Child Subtype Name
CI-DS
Configuration Item
Design Solution
CI-LO-DS
Configuration Item (LO)
Link Object
CI-LO-DS
Link Object
Design Solution (LO)
In the above example, if the user creates a configuration item, they must determine which method should apply and select the appropriate configuration item. If they create a configuration item with a type of Configuration Item (LO), they can only add design solutions with a type of Design Solution (LO); the link object is automatically created when the design solution is added to the configuration item. Conversely, if they create a configuration item with a type of Configuration Item, they can only add design solutions with a type of Design Solution. Regardless of which model is in use, a design solution is added to a configuration item in the same way and if the CI-LO-DS model is in use, the link object is automatically generated.