Windchill Risk and Reliability Desktop Help > Windchill FMEA > FMEA Interface > FMEA How-Tos > Numbering the FMEA Worksheet by Data Levels
Numbering the FMEA Worksheet by Data Levels
MSG-3 is a document that outlines a decision-logic process for determining initial scheduled maintenance requirements for new aircraft systems or power plants.
MSG-3 provides a scheme for numbering FMEA Worksheet records by data levels. In the Project properties, FMEA > Enable MSG-3 must be selected. Also in the Project properties, FMEA > Reset Item Number for each FMEA Tree Record indicates whether you want the numbering of FMEA Worksheet records to begin with 1 for each record in the FMEA Tree Items table.
• When this checkbox is cleared, the numbering of the FMEA Worksheet table begins with 1 and increases for every record in the FMEA Tree Items table. This ensures that no duplicate records exist within the FMEA.
• When this checkbox is selected, numbering begins with 1 for each record in the FMEA Tree Items table. While this ensures that no duplicate records exist within each FMEA tree item, duplicate numbers do exist within the entire FMEA Worksheet table. However, when you are inserting multiple MSIs into a FMEA tree that represents the ATA structure, you might want the item numbering to begin at 1 for each ATA. When numbers are to reset to 1 for each record in the FMEA tree, cascading menus are present so that you can number either all FMEA Worksheet records or only those for the active record in the FMEA tree.
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You cannot undo or redo the numbering of FMEA Worksheet records.
To number FMEA Worksheet records:
1. In the FMEA Table, select the appropriate FMEA.
2. Do one of the following, depending on the status of Reset Item Number for each FMEA Tree Record in the Project properties:
◦ If this checkbox is cleared, select FMEA > Number FMEA Worksheet.
◦ If this checkbox is selected and you want to number all FMEA Worksheet records, select FMEA > Number FMEA Worksheet > All Records.
◦ If this checkbox is selected and you want to number only FMEA Worksheet records for the active FMEA Tree Items record select FMEA > Number FMEA Worksheet > Selected FMEA Tree Item.
If none of these commands is visible, MSG-3 is not enabled.
A window opens, displaying progress as FMEA Worksheet records are numbered. Although clicking Stop in this window halts the process, it does not discard numbers that are already assigned.
MSG-3 requires FMEAs to have an item>mode>effect>cause data level structure. However, FMEA Worksheet records are numbered regardless of the data structure in use. For more information, see FMEA Data Levels.
In all supported data structures, the top two levels are always item and mode.
• Items are assigned a sequential number, starting with 1.
• Modes are assigned an uppercase letter, starting with A.
When a third level is present, its records are assigned a sequential number starting with 1. When a fourth level is present, its records are assigned a lowercase level starting with a.
For the structure supporting both multiple causes and multiple effects per mode, only items and modes are numbered. For the structure supporting multiple causes for each effect, effects are assigned a number, starting with 1; causes are assigned a lowercase letter, starting with a. For the structure supporting multiple actions, actions are ignored for numbering purposes.
Localization is not applied to letter sequencing. For the mode level and for a fourth data level, if more than 26 records are inserted, the sequencing starts again by doubling letter assignments. For example, at the mode level, records 27 through 29 are assigned AA, AB, and AC. At the fourth data level, records 27 through 29 are assigned aa, ab, and ac.
For example, numbering assignments for the item>mode>effect>cause data structure are made as follows.
• Items are assigned a sequential number, starting with 1.
• Modes are assigned an uppercase letter, starting with A.
• Effects are assigned a number, starting with 1.
• Causes are assigned a lowercase letter, starting with a.
Numbering assignments are saved to the following additional text fields that are available in the FMEA Worksheet table. You cannot change the data level of these fields in the Project’s FMEA Design file. To insert any of these fields in the FMEA Worksheet table, you can use the Format Builder. Additionally, you can use these fields as inputs and outputs for user-defined calculations, and you can import and export them.
Prompt
Field Name
Level
Item Number
MSGNumItem
Item
Mode Number
MSGNumMode
Mode
Effect Number
MSGNumEffect
Effect
Cause Number
MSGNumCause
Cause
Composite Mode Number
MSGCompMode
Mode
Composite Effect Number
MSGCompEffect
Effect
Composite Cause Number
MSGCompCause
Cause
Example
Assume that the FMEA > Reset Item Number for each FMEA Tree Record checkbox is cleared (default) in the Project properties. The following table illustrates how the numbering scheme is applied to the item>mode>effect>cause structure. Composite fields contain the strings concatenated with their parent values.
Item Number
Mode Number
Composite Mode Number
Effect Number
Composite Effect Number
Cause Number
Composite Cause Number
1
A
1A
1
1A1
a
1A1a
b
1A1b
2
1A2
a
1A2a
b
1A2b
B
1B
1
1B1
a
1B1a
b
1B1b
2
1B2
a
1B2a
b
1B2b
2
A
2A
1
2A1
a
2A1a
b
2A1b
2
2A2
a
2A2a
b
2A2b
B
2B
1
2B1
a
2B1a
b
2B1b
2
2B2
a
2B2a
b
2B2b