Overview

Spare fields and attributes are a way to assign additional information or properties to items, item classes, entities, lots, jobs, work orders, operations, and processes.

Spares

Spare fields are used to create extra data columns in the MES database to store additional information. For example, for a particular item, the preferred vendor can be entered. They are string fields where the additional information can be manually entered. The fields are available in the Properties pane in many of the MES modules in the Navigation Bar.

In Operations Capability objects, attributes can be assigned to the spare fields, so that any additional information from the field that you want to keep track of can be recorded in the MES database.

You can modify the spare field names in the Languages module by editing the language string.

Attributes

You use the Attributes module in the Wonderware MES Client to create and maintain the attributes that will be assigned to the each of these classifications below.

The definition of Attributes is available from each of the following modules in the Navigation Bar:

• Master Data Configuration
• Product Definition
• Process Definition
• Order Management
• Quality Management

Definition of Attribute

When configuring a new attribute, the following options are available in the Properties pane.

• Attributes: A name or description of the attribute. An attribute identifies the attribute in the data records, so an attribute must be unique within its group.
• Data Type: Indicates the type of data that is associated with this attribute.
• Currency: A monetary value.
• Date: A date and time value.
• Drop Down: The value is selected from a drop-down list; the possible values are defined in the next field.
• Floating Point: A decimal value.
• Integer: A whole, numeric value.
• Text: A user-defined string.
• Entry Type: Specifies whether the user defines a value for the attribute, notes about the attribute or both.
• Value only: Contains the value assigned to the attribute for this item class. This field is not available if the attribute is defined as a Notes Only type
• Notes only: Contains user-defined information about the attribute for this attribute. This field is no available if the attribute was defined as a Value Only type.
• Value/Notes: Contains the value assigned to the attribute or the user-defined information about the attribute for this item class.
• In Queue Grid: When checked, allows the attribute to be shown as a column in the
• Queue module. Available only for items and jobs attributes.
• In Inventory Grid: When checked, allows the attribute to be shown as a column in the

Inventory grid of the Supervisor module. Available only for items and lots of attributes.

Linking Attributes

After creating an attribute, you can navigate to the items, item classes, entities, lots, jobs, work orders, operations, or processes you wish to link to the attribute and define values or notes about the attribute for that piece of data. The linked attributes are then available to display based on the definition of the attribute in the Work Queue or Inventory grids.

After creating an attribute, you can assign it in the following ways:

• Assigning Attributes to an Item
• Assigning Attributes to an Item Class
• Adding Attributes to an Operation
• Assigning Attributes to an Operation for a Process
• Assigning an Attribute to a Process
• Assigning Attributes to a Work Order
• Assigning Attributes to a Job for a Work Order
• Assigning Result Attributes to a Characteristic
• Assigning Sample Attributes to a QM Specification

The linked attributes are then available based on the definition of the attribute in the In Queue or In Inventory grids.