Related Topics:
	Import, Export and Data Conversion

Import from XFRACAS

The Import Hierarchy Items from XFRACAS window allows you to import system hierarchy items from XFRACAS into the current project. This functionality is available only when you are working in a database that has associated XFRACAS tables.

To access the Import Hierarchy Items from XFRACAS window, choose System Hierarchy > XFRACAS > Import Hierarchy Items.

In the Select Entity area, specify the entity within the XFRACAS system that you want to import from. You can sort the list of entities by clicking the column header; click again to reverse the direction of the sort.

In the Select Parts area, select the check box for each system, subsystem and/or component that you want to include in the import. You can also select or clear the check box in the header to select or clear all of the check boxes in this area. If you want to import any failures and causes (called "failure modes" and "root causes" in XFRACAS) associated with the items, select the Import associated failures and causes check box at the bottom of the window.

Click OK to import the selected items.

Note: Each topmost item that you import will be added to the system hierarchy as a top level item, regardless of whether it was originally at the "system" level in XFRACAS.

If you are working in an enterprise database, the imported items maintain an association with the items within XFRACAS. This is indicated by the icon in the XFRACAS Associated Hierarchy Item column in the System Hierarchy tab of the System panel (if that column has been selected for display on your computer). To hide or display columns, right-click the column headers in the System panel, then click Customize Columns to select which columns you want to display. These settings are stored per computer/username in the System Hierarchy page of the Application Setup, so any project that you open on this computer will have the same columns displayed.

You can remove the association between the imported items and the XFRACAS hierarchy by selecting the top level imported item and choosing System Hierarchy > XFRACAS > Remove Association. You can also create an association between an item in the Xfmea system hierarchy and an item in XFRACAS, provided the item in Xfmea is not already associated with an XFRACAS item and is not a child of an item with an existing association. To do this, select the item in Xfmea and choose System Hierarchy > XFRACAS > Associate Item. The Associate Current Item with an XFRACAS Hierarchy Item window will appear.

• In the Select Entity area, specify the entity within the XFRACAS system that you want to create an association to. You can sort the list of entities by clicking the column header; click again to reverse the direction of the sort.

• In the Select Parts area, select the XFRACAS system, subsystem or component that you want to associate with the Xfmea item.

Future changes made to the associated items and/or their failures and causes in XFRACAS will not be reflected in Xfmea unless and until you manually sync the data.

• To sync item properties, select the item of interest in the system hierarchy and choose System Hierarchy > XFRACAS > Synchronize Item. This will synchronize the item properties for the selected item and its associated items (i.e., subsystems/components). If parts are found below the selected item in XFRACAS that do not exist in Xfmea, they will automatically be added to the system hierarchy in Xfmea. If parts are found below the selected item in Xfmea that do not exist in XFRACAS, no action will be taken.

• To sync failures and causes, select the item of interest in the system hierarchy and choose System Hierarchy > XFRACAS > Import Failures. In the Import Failure Modes from XFRACAS window that appears, the Existing area displays the selected item's failures and causes that have previously been imported from XFRACAS. The Import area displays all of the failures and causes that exist for the selected item in XFRACAS.

• • Records that have already been imported are shown with a green background; those that have not yet been imported are shown with a pink background. Records shown with a yellow background have been imported previously but have subsequently changed in XFRACAS.

  • The associated function for each failure in this area is displayed in the Associated Function column. The default function added for imported failures is "Item performs as intended." For records that have not previously been imported, you can change the function by clicking inside the cell and either entering a new function description or, if there are already functions associated with the system hierarchy item, selecting a function from the drop-down list.

Select the check box for each failure and/or cause that you want to import or re-import. If you select a cause, the associated failure will automatically be selected. You can also select or clear the check box in the header to select or clear all of the check boxes in this area. Click OK to import the new records. The default effect added for imported causes is "<Undefined>." You can edit these as needed after import.

Any functions or failures that exist in Xfmea and not in XFRACAS will be unaffected.

Syncing failures and causes applies only to the selected item, not to its associated items.

IMPORTANT: Associations between items in Xfmea and XFRACAS can be maintained only within enterprise databases, where the XFRACAS tables are located within the same repository as the Xfmea data. If you are working in a standard database and have set up a connection to XFRACAS tables via the XFRACAS Connection window, data that you import will no longer be associated with the XFRACAS data. You can, however, still use the Import Failures command to synch failures and causes, as this is performed via a text-based comparison.

For items that have an association with XFRACAS, the Observed Occurrences column in the FMEA hierarchy view displays the number of occurrences, as recorded in XFRACAS, of the failure mode/cause combination for the current system hierarchy item. To hide or display columns, right-click the column headers in the FMEA hierarchy view, then click Customize Columns to select which columns you want to display. These settings are stored per computer/username in the FMEA Hierarchy page of the Application Setup, so any project that you open on this computer will have the same columns displayed. The values in the Observed Occurrences column may be drawn from XFRACAS incidents, problems or failure analyses, depending on your selection on the FMEA Hierarchy page of the Application Setup.

• If you choose Incidents, the Observed Occurrences column in the FMEA hierarchy will display the number of incidents with each failure mode/cause combination.

• If you choose Problems, the column will display the number of problems with each failure mode/cause combination multiplied by the number of incidents associated with each problem.

• If you choose Failure Analyses, the column will display the number of failure analyses with each failure mode/cause combination.