Hierarchical FMEA Data Structures
You use the
Select FMEA Data Structure window to select the hierarchical structure for your
FMEA data. To open this window, from the
FMEA Design file, select > . For more information, see
Changing the FMEA Data Structure.
The
Select FMEA Data Structure window displays the structures from which you can select. In the default System file of a new Project,
Standard FMEA is the default. It has three data levels: item, mode, and cause. You can have as many as five
FMEA data levels. For more information, see
FMEA Data Levels.
You cannot add more data levels to these structures. The names of the data levels shown in this window and in the
FMEA Design file are fixed. If desired, you can assign custom names to data levels in the properties for the
FMEA Design file. These custom names are then used in panes, windows, menus, and error messages. For more information, see
Specifying Custom Names for FMEA Data Levels.
All data structures have item and model levels. The item level is the top level. You cannot move or delete the item level. The mode level is always a child of the item level.
• When a cause level is present, it is a child of either a mode level or effect level.
• When an effect level is present, it is a child of either a mode level or cause level.
• When an action level is present, the cause level and effect level are both a child of the mode level. The action level is then a child of the cause level.
In the Select FMEA Structure window, clicking anywhere in a tree structure selects the structure. If the text in the tree is too long to fit in the display area, horizontal scrolls bars are provided so that you can scroll to see it all. Placing the mouse cursor over a structure displays a tooltip that describes the relationship of the data levels. The relationship for each data structure follows.
• Each mode can have a single cause and a single effect.
• Each mode can have multiple causes and a single effect.
• Each mode can have multiple effects and a single cause.
• Each mode can have multiple causes. Each cause can have multiple effects.
• Each mode can have multiple effects. Each effect can have multiple causes.
• Each mode can have multiple causes and multiple effects.
• Each mode can have multiple causes and multiple effects. Each cause can have multiple actions.
For the last two data structures, causes and effects are set up as siblings. Applying filters to these data structures returns the following results.
• If the filter contains fields from the action level, the actions that match the filter and their parent records are included in the results. No effects are included.
• If the filter contains fields from the cause level (and not fields from the action level), the following are included in the results: the causes that match the filter, all child actions, and their parent records. No effects are included.
• If the filter contains fields from the effects level, the effects that match the filter and their parent records are included in the results. No causes or actions are included.
• If the filter contains fields from the effects level and also from the cause level or action level, no records are returned. Filters that contain fields from these different levels are not supported.
The ability to sort on fields from the cause, effect, or action level depends on if filtering is applied.
• If filtering on a field from the cause level or action level, sorts on cause and action fields work.
• If filtering on a field from the effect level, sorts on effect fields work.
• If no filtering on a field is applied, sorts on cause, action, and effect fields are ignored.
In the
Project’s FMEA Fault Equivalence file, keys that contain fields from both the effect and cause level are invalid for the last two data structures. While keys with either effect fields or cause fields are valid, keys with both effect and cause fields are invalid. Invalid data selections and keys are removed from the
FMEA Fault Equivalence file. For more information, see
FMEA Fault Equivalence Files.
You cannot move FMEA data levels in the System file using the standard Windows drag-and-drop or cut-and-paste technique. You can only change their structure in the Select FMEA Data Structure window. Once you make a structure change, you cannot use the Undo command to undo it.